Parenting Interruptions At Work: A Mixed Methods Investigation

Abstract

In addition to interruptions to work stemming from coworkers, supervisors, and other work-related matters, working parents are likely to experience interruptions to their workday related to their children. Here, I argue that understanding the social and parenting goals underlying these interruptions are important factors for predicting the effects of these distinct types of interruptions both at work and at home. To explore this idea, I conducted a preliminary qualitative investigation and thematic analysis of parenting interruptions to form the foundation for my dissertation, finding two types of interruptions. The first—survival interruptions—refer to interruptions where parents need to help maintain and support their child’s everyday well-being (e.g., run errands, feed them, manage sicknesses or emergencies). The second—generative interruptions—are interruptions related to raising their child or promoting their social and emotional development (e.g., supporting them, helping correct behavioral problems, socializing). Having established these two domains of interruptions, I hypothesized that survival interruptions would positively affect employees instigated incivility towards coworkers and family, and negatively affect self-sacrifice for coworkers and family via frustration. Likewise, I hypothesized that generative interruptions would be negatively related to incivility and positively related to self-sacrifice via love. Finally, I hypothesized that family motivation would moderate these effects. I tested my hypotheses with a three-week experience sampling study of 113 working parents, finding mixed support for the daily emotional effects of parenting interruptions.