The Meaning of Work/Life: A Corporate Ideology of Work/Life Balance

Abstract

Organizations wield great power over the structure of contemporary life. Using the rhetorical method of cluster analysis, we investigated the construction of work/life issues on Web sites of companies on Fortune's 2004 list of “100 Best Companies to Work for.” By identifying key terms and the terms that clustered around them, we uncovered a corporate ideology of work/life: 1) work is the most important element of life; 2) life means family; 3) individuals are responsible for balance; and 4) organizations control work/life programs. We conclude that organizational work/life programs may increase, rather than decrease, the amount of control organizations exercise over personal life. We explore the implications of this finding as well as directions for future research.

Keywords:

• Critical Organizational Studies
• Organizational Rhetoric
• Work/Life Balance

This research was sponsored in part by a Faculty Research Enhancement Grant from Texas State University—San Marcos. A version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of Central States Communication Association in April 2006.

Notes

Information on the methodology used by the Great Place to Work Institute can be found at http://www.greatplacetowork.com/best/approach.php. Lists from recent years can be found at http://www.greatplacetowork.com/lists-na.php.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mary F. Hoffman

Mary F. Hoffman (PhD, University of Kansas, 2000) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA.

Renee L. Cowan

Renee L. Cowan (M.A. Texas State University—San Marcos, 2005) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.