Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
June 19, 2003
U of G seeks home-based workers for study
The University of Guelph's Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition is looking for self-employed home-based workers who live with at least one other person to participate in a study that will explore how people who work out of their homes manage the boundaries between work and family.
Working from home is becoming increasingly common, but little is known about the strategies workers use to separate their time and space for family and work. Through the study, graduate student Jennifer Myrie hopes to shed light on the nature of the boundaries between family and work, determine if there are gender differences in creating and sustaining these boundaries and explore how working from home affects both family and work.
"Balancing work and family life under one roof comes with some unique challenges," said Kerry Daly, a family relations professor who is Myrie's adviser. "By talking to people who work out of their own homes, we can gain important insight into both the pitfalls of doing work in the midst of family and the successful harmonization of work and family life within the home."
Study participants will complete a semi-structured one-hour interview that will be audiotaped and later transcribed, with times and places to be arranged at the participants' convenience. The identity of the participants will not be revealed in the study results.
Contact:
Jennifer Myrie
Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition
(519) 824-4120, Ext. 56426 / jmyrie@uoguelph.ca
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rachelle Cooper, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982.
