FinalThesisPaper-5

Running head: SOCIALIZATION, PEER RESENTMENT, WORK/LIFE BALANCE 1

Peer Resentment Messages and the Perception of Work/Life Balance of New Employees
Bonnie Costa and Connor McGraw
Santa Clara University

SOCIALIZATION, PEER RESENTMENT, WORK/LIFE  BALANCE 2
Abstract
This research study aimed to examine how peer resentment messages affected an
employee’s perception in being able to use leave policies available to them.  The targeted group
of participants were those undergoing the socialization process and had not been at their
organization for longer than a year.  Findings through one on one interviews indicated that peer
resentment messages were only recognized when days off were “unmissable” and other
employees had to be present.  Overall, despite the peer resentment identified, generally
participants identified their organizations as being supportive of leave policy use.  When asked
about the newly implemented unlimited vacation policies some companies are adapting,
participants contended that it would be useful to increase the flexibility of the employee’s work
and home life if the organization itself could allow for it.

Peer Resentment Messages and the Perception of Work/Life Balance of New Employees
Humans are social beings and alter their actions based on the approval and disapproval of
others especially when in new environments and when undergoing the process of socialization.
Different organizations offer work/family policies in a variety of forms and within organizational
cultures that frame utilization of these policies.  Thompson, Beauvais, and Lyness (1999) found
that work/family culture determined whether employees used the policies, and were more
committed to their workplace.  When an individual is on leave, the workload stays consistent and
therefore needs to be taken care of by someone not on leave.  This in turn can create an issue for
someone not wanting to take on extra work and then may communicate certain emotions that
influence the decisions of the person seeking leave.  Persons may then not want to use policies
because there are negative connotations attached to it in the culture (Kirby & Krone, 2002).  This
can be especially true for newcomers whom are not fully versed in what the exact policies in
place are, and in turn this pressure stops someone who has not been in the culture of the
organization for very long from using them.
Employee work/family life balance is important to organizations because it maximizes
the efficiency, dedication, and temperament of workers in the work environment (Clark, 2001).
Work and family are usually the two biggest spheres of influence in a person’s life, and finding a
way to find balance between them can be challenging.  This can be amplified for the assimilating
individuals who do not want to cause problems in their new place of work.  In this paper we will
discuss the process of socialization,  work/family balance, schedule control, work/family culture,
coworker resentment, the unlimited vacation policy trend and how they relate to organizational

culture. We will then present a research question that involves peer resentment and the effects it
has on the utilization of work/family leave policies for newcomers.

Rationale
Process of Socialization
When an individual enters a new organization, socialization becomes an important
process that allows for them to make sense of the interworkings of that organization.  According
to Maanen & Schein (1977), socialization is described as, “The process by which one is taught
and learns ‘the ropes’ of a particular organizational role...the process by which an individual
acquires the social knowledge and skills necessary to assume an organizational role” (p. 3).
Socialization is a complex process consisting of several different aspects.  Performance
proficiency, people, politics, language, organizational goals and values, and history are some of
these identified aspects contributing to the experience of new employees (Chao, O’learyKelly,
Wolf, Klein, & Gardner, 1994).  Different aspects of socialization are applicable to different
organizations as well as to different socialization experiences.  No socialization experience is the
same, and even the same socialization process within the same organization can differ.  As a part
of the assimilation process, socialization facilitates the process by which individuals join,
become integrated into, and exist within an organization (Madlock & Chory, 2014).
  Organizational newcomers utilize numerous tactics to learn as much information  about
the culture and the way the organization functions through this socialization process.  One of the
most useful resources available to organizational newcomers are the actual incumbent, or
existing members of the organization whom are no longer being socialized.  These existing

members however may not remember their own experiences as being the new member, and
therefore do not provide enough important information for them (Miller & Jablin, 1991).  In turn,
new members perceive, “information deprivation” (Jablin, 1984, p. 622) in which they don’t feel
adequately provided with as much information as everyone else in the organization.  On the other
side of this, new members may be provided with too much information at one time, or
inadequately be able to understand certain messages (Jablin, 1987).  This may cause issues such
role conflict, that begin to affect job satisfaction and produce uncertainty (Ashford & Cummings,
1985).  Perceptions of work/family life then may also be affected by such feelings.
Work/Family Balance
Work/life balance is often thought of as evenly splitting the time and effort between work
and home life.  A popular representation of work/life balance is an image of a scale that is evenly
balanced with work on one part of the scale and family, leisure, and non work on the other side.
With the focus on work and family, this imagery is a misrepresentation of balance because of the
interconnectedness between the two spheres (Clark, 2000).  This demonstrates what Staines
(1980) calls ‘spillover theory,’ that describes that although work and family are physically
separated, elements from the two cross over into each other.  One example Clark (2000) explains
is that, “the disappointment one may experience in one system may propel individuals to pursue
fulfilling activities in the other” (p. 748).  Influence of one element on the other is illustrated
here, although outcomes may not always be as positive.
In order to better describe how individuals transition between the two spheres of work
and family life and the influences they have on each other, Clark (2000) developed the
work/family border theory.  Through this theory, it is explained that individuals shape their lives

to create certain boundaries where they allow certain aspects to spill over between, and others to
not in order to create this perception of balance (Clark, 2000).  The border theory also suggested
ways that organizations could increase work/life balance including obtaining the power to create
and structure one’s own work schedule (Clark, 2000).  More control over the work schedule can
benefit the individual based on their needs for more work or more family time.  In the next
section, a study involving white collar workers and the ability to structure work schedules
showed that the schedule control reduced work/family conflicts, a potential negative
consequence when the perceived balance is off (Kelly, Moen, & Tranby, 2016).
Schedule Control
Schedule control for employees is usually expressed through methods that still require
them to perform their work during specific hours with specific routines (Kelly & Kalev, 2006).
ROWE or Results Only Work Environment was a contrasting program instilled at Best Buy Co.,
Inc. within its headquarters.   Employees participating in ROWE were given ultimate flexibility
regarding when, where, and how they got their work done, which in turn was found to reduce
work/family conflicts, and improve work/family fit (Kelly, Moen, & Tranby, 2016).  The
freedom to control the work schedule gave employees the perception that they had more control
of their personal work and family life commitments because they could make their schedules
based on their personal needs. The program was useful because the workplace initiatives
benefitted many different types of employees without stigmatization, due to the organization’s
culture normalizing the flexibility.
Personal obligations and commitments for employees have made controlling the time at
work and at home an important aspect of balance through this flexibility.  Clark (2001) calls this

flexibility to alter one’s work ‘operational flexibility,’ however personally setting hours or
‘temporal flexibility,’  was not dealt with in the study.  The operational flexibility afforded to
employees had a lot to do with the organizational culture and how supportive the coworkers and
supervisors were. This ties into the next section that deals with family supportive work
environments. The level of support from people within an organization affects employees’
work/life balance.  Rogers (1993) found that flexibly scheduled work was rated as the most
valuable benefit option by employees.
Work/Family Culture
Employees form inferences about the family supportiveness of an organization’s
environment (Allen, 2001), which is summarized by the concept known as family supportive
organizational perceptions (FSOP).  Allen (2001) found that employees that perceived the
organization as less family supportive experienced more work/family conflict, less job
satisfaction, and less commitment to the organization in comparison with employees that viewed
the organization as family supportive.  In other words, a negative perception surrounding
acceptance of family in the organization affected the work/family conflict experienced, and led
to more negative spillover from the two spheres.  Work/family culture is important to note
because it affects the utilization of work/family benefits.  A study by Thompson, Beauvais, and
Lyness (1999) revealed that, “the perception of supportive workfamily culture was significantly
related to work attitudes above and beyond the availability of work/family benefits” (p. 409).
The managerial support of the employees was the most influential factor found in the utilization
of work/family benefits and programs.
Family supportive supervisors behaviors (FSSB) (Hammer, Kossek, Yragui, Bodner, &

Hanson, 2009)  are closely related to the previously mentioned family culture support. The
managers and supervisors usually have the most influence on whether employees utilize
work/family benefits and programs which can be demonstrated through the four subordinate
dimensions of FSSB: emotional support, instrumental support, role modeling behaviors, and
creative work/family management (Hammer, Kossek, Yragui, Bodner, & Hanson, 2009). The
emotional involvement and support supervisors can provide has the potential for great influence
on worker perceptions of organizational outreach and support as a whole. An important part of
the study was the realization that there is a difference between general supervisor support and
supervisor support of family. A supervisor can be supportive of an employee but at the same
time could not support the family of the employee. A supervisor can support the employee and
the work achieved during a shift, but wouldn’t be supportive of the employee when the employee
focuses on his/her family (Hammer, Kossek, Yragui, Bodner, & Hanson, 2009). Related to
supervisor support and the effect a supervisor has on the organization culture, coworkers also
have an effect on the utilization of benefits and programs as mentioned as a highlighted part of
the socialization process.
Peer Resentment
Resentment is described by Smith, Parrot, Ozer, & Moniz (1994) as an emotional
response rooted in feelings of unfairness.  Amongst coworkers, this resentment has the potential
to surface surrounding a peer’s use of a leave benefit.  Kirby and Krone (2002) found that
coworkers had an influence on whether people utilized work/family policies because of the use
of resentment and producing feelings of guilt. When coworkers were not supportive of people
that used work/family policies and talked badly about the policies or the people that used them,

other people were hesitant about using the same benefits.  This created an environment of peer
pressure and dissuaded people from using work/family policies provided.  Coworker resentment
also dealt with gender especially between people that had children and people that didn’t have
children.  Men in particular were more hesitant to use work/family leave policies because it was
expected of women to use it, and were viewed as being gifted time off instead of earning time off
(Kirby & Krone, 2002).  In another study, Increased peer resentment messages overheard
resulted in a decrease in perceived ability to use work/family leave policies (Boren & Johnson,
2013).
Unlimited Policy Organizations
A new trend in recent years has been organizations offering unlimited vacation policies
for their employees.  Because it is such a new implementation, studies on its implications have
not yet surfaced.  Plotkin (2016) explains that specifically in the Silicon Valley tech industry,
companies get out of paying employees for unused vacation time (a California law) when they
offer this unlimited vacation policy.  As appealing as it sounds, employees are still expected to
get their work done, yet it opens the door for attracting the top talent in the industry (Plotkin,
2016).  Also known as discretionary time off (DTO), this type of policy has been only
recommended by experts for organizations containing, “entrepreneurial corporate culture and
excellent communication practices (Smolkin, 2015, p. 13).
The idea behind the policy’s creation was to offer more of need based system for time
off, yet it is highlighted by employers that constant communications are necessary to stay on the
same page about how the particular organization uses it (Smolkin, 2015).  Unfortunately for the
employee though, if no time off is used and they decide to leave, there is no compensation for

them for not using those leave days (Smolkin, 2015).  This kind of policy however may look
different depending on the organization and its culture.  For example, Netflix uses a policy such
as this because it acknowledges the performance of their employees and not necessarily the
amount of time spent in the office, while IBM explains that the company doesn’t look at the
amount of time that employees are taking off because they trust their employees to get their work
done (HR Specialist, 2015).  Unlimited vacation stands as an interesting new option for
employers to consider in terms of work/family balance of their employees, and work/family
culture of their organizations.

RQ1: How do coworker peer resentment messages affect the perception of organizational
work/family life balance for employees undergoing the socialization process?
Methods
For data collection, semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted because this
method seemed most appropriate for fully understanding perceptions, emotions, and examples of
participants.  At each interview, participants first signed a letter of consent after the basis of the
study was explained to them.  In this letter, participants were ensured privacy and gave
themselves a pseudonym in case a name was needed to be linked to their experience later in the
research process.  A set list of questions (see Appendix I) were the structural guide of each
interview with allowed room to ask the necessary followup questions when the conversation
lead to them.   Each interview was conducted in an one on one setting either on the campus of
Santa Clara University or another public place in the vicinity for approximately 30 minutes
without a recording device.  The choice to not record interviews was due to prior research on

how participants may change or become anxious when they were aware they were being
recorded (Blaxter, Hughes, & Tight, 1996).  Since we specifically asked about certain topics that
may be sensitive to participants, we wanted to reduce the risks of that insensitivity by providing
a pressure free environment.  Extensive notes were taken during each interview and clarifications
were made in order to ensure that direct quotes were recorded properly.
Participants
The focus for participants was on individuals employed in organizations in the Silicon
Valley and surrounding areas essentially still undergoing socialization.  Eleven women and three
men were interviewed for a total of fourteen participants.  The age range of these participants
were between 22 and 30 with time in their organization ranging from 1 week to 1 year.  Careers
in the Silicon Valley were of wide range and included a news media position, a ticket operations
assistant, business operations,  sales operations, digital editor, researcher, clinical staff, account
manager, public relations, and an electrical engineer.  The vast variance of employments in the
Silicon Valley were important in order to provide a context for themes extending across the
different borders of workplaces.  We used a snowball technique by asking participants if they
knew of anyone else undergoing the socialization process to gather more participants as we went.

Analysis
In analyzing our interview data we used a thematic approach to develop themes and
subthemes based on the noted perceptions, experiences, and meaning collected. We organized
the notes taken from each interview into categories based on similarities between the experiences
and distinguished different emerging perceptions on many accounts using our set interview

question responses as a guide.  This process allowed for a framework to be established on the
basis of our research question, and let us look deeper into the categories of thoughts that emerged
so that patterns could be established and analyzed deeper.  The following subheadings introduce
the main themes uncovered with explanations and examples.

Findings and Analysis
With our RQ1, we hoped to get a broader understanding of the perceptions surrounding
leave policy use, and possible messages from peers that may have an effect on the perceived
ability to use these policies.  Since policies regarding leave are related to the perception of
work/family life balance, this question allows to look deeper into the topic, and how it
specifically relates to newcomers of an organization.  The set interview questions as apart of the
semistructured interview process were designed in order to lead to a better understanding of
what employees undergoing socialization thought about the culture and the support of their
organizations as a whole.  Our data analysis uncovered a series of themes including peer
resentment, understanding of policy, organizational support, time at the organization, and
flexibility of unlimited vacation policy, which we will describe throughout this section.
Peer Resentment
The theme of peer resentment describes whenever a participant received messages from a
peer or manager in their organization that was characterized as resentful, and in turn made the
participant have an emotional response, such as guilt.  We found these perceptions of peer
resentment messages through multiple experiences surfacing as a theme when it came to events
or days at work deemed “unmissable,” yet an employee needed to miss due to sickness or a type

of leave.  These messages were found more commonly through technological means such as
email or text messaging, and came from both peers and managers.  One participant explained
that she needed to get a shift covered and was reaching out to her peers, yet received responses
back such as, “you should really go in,” to try to convince her to go anyways.  Another
participant explained having to email her boss about missing a certain day due to an extenuating
circumstance, and received a short response described as “passive aggressive,” and was
perceived as trying to make her feel guilty.  This type of guilt is also demonstrated by a
participant who stated:
Sometimes my boss will say, “Oh no you can’t miss that,” but you do anyway.  There is
definitely the guilt trip factor.  You definitely feel bad about not attending, but you
don’t really have a choice.
        Findings indicated that the actual peer resentment messages largely included superiors in
bringing feelings of guilt for missing an “unmissable.”  Many participants discussed this guilt
surrounding sick policies in particular.  This emotion was internalized, but did not affect the
decision to use the leave policy necessarily.  One participant explained that in her organization,
paid time off and sick leave were linked together, so often times people would come into the
office even if they were sick because they didn’t want to use their paid time off.  Once, this
participant needed to use the paid time off she hadn’t even earned yet because she fell ill and
didn’t have any days off to use.  With the open style office setup of her organization, sickness
tends to spread fast, which is a potential problem if workers are choosing to come in sick.
Another example of pressures to come into work despite sickness was when a participant
discussed how their supervisors always stressed that there was so much work to do all the time.

Supervisors would constantly remind employees of the steady stream of work to be done.  This
person perceived the messages sent by the supervisors as them not wanting people to take time
off and therefore felt obligated to come in on days she should have stayed home due to sickness.
The pressure from her bosses also made her take on more work than initially required especially
because she stated having been referred to the job, and wanted to make a good impression as a
hard worker.
Understanding of Policy
The understanding of policy theme was identified when participants commonly admitted
that they didn’t truly understand the leave policies that were available to them upon entering
their organizations, and therefore lacked knowledge.  Leave policies are meant to be outlined
during the interview or job offer processes, but participants expressed overlooking them, and not
necessarily understanding the procedures surrounding them.  Participants knew they could find
these policies in the work manual or could ask representatives in Human Resources if they
needed them, but didn’t actively seek out the information until then.  One participant however
said that he felt uncomfortable asking his boss about available leave policies because he didn’t
have a “working” relationship with his boss yet.  He felt uncomfortable approaching his boss
because he thought he should have been responsible for knowing about leave policies.  This
finding reveals a general disconnect between policy knowledge and employees during the
socialization process because participants were unable to identify them when asked, despite
some having been employed for almost a year.
Another aspect found surrounding lack of understanding of available policies was when
participants’ roles changed within the organization.  When a person’s role changes, his/her

available leave policies often change as well, and may not be explicitly stated. One participant
started as an hourly waged employee, but was later accepted as a salary paid member of her
organization upon a promotion.  She knew that becoming a fully benefitted employee would
change her role in the organization, but she was never explicitly told what new policies were
available.  Similarly, another participant transitioned from an intern into a benefited employee,
and was unsure of what some the leave policy procedures were, or how they were used within
her organization.  These examples show that when an employee’s role changes, the socialization
process may start over in some ways, but is being overlooked by employers.
Organizational Support
The organizational support theme was identified when interview participants mentioned
perceived organizational support surrounding utilizing leave policies.  This support was
characterized by perceptions that the organization was understanding in times of health leaves,
and excited in times of vacation leaves.  The consensus from participants’ narratives was that
their organizations were overall supportive of workers utilizing leave policies specifically
surrounding more serious health situations and pregnancy leave.  Participants expressed comfort
and perceived support from coworkers and supervisors when talking about utilizing these types
of leave policies.  One participant explained that a coworker had just started a maternity leave,
and everyone was being very supportive giving her hugs and wishing her well.  She even
mentioned a collective feeling of excitement expressed by peers toward this particular individual
going on leave.
In terms of vacation leave, as long as personal work was taken care of and employers
were given proper prior notice before workers took time off, the participants’ requests were

approved and time off was not withheld.  One participant expressed that he gave many months
notice regarding his vacation, which was accepted by the organization with no issues because he
explained they had plenty of time to make accommodations for his time off.  This similar
narrative was shared across many participants showing that they were apart of organizations that
displayed organizational support from coworkers and supervisors in these instances.  One
participant noted that a coworker wanted to take a threeweek vacation and the entire office
made it a point to ask about what her plans were for the trip, and expressed their excitement for
her. The people in the office didn’t necessarily express resentment towards the employee that
requested to take the three weeks off, however it was mentioned that there would be workload
shifts.  Another participant said that there was an understanding that workers that put in long
shifts earn their time off.
Time at the Organization
A theme that emerged regarding time spent at work was recognized when participants
explained that they did not necessarily feel the need to arrive earlier, but that staying later at the
organization occurred if the individual was responsible for something they felt they had to get
done.  Participants that noted being responsible for an 8 hour work day discussed that if they had
gotten there early, then they would need to leave early which was perceived as, “not looking
good.”  One participant discussed this in terms of what this negative aspect of leaving early
would look like for her:
No one pays attention to when you come in, yet they will be subtle and passive
aggressive if you want to leave early even though you may have come in at 7 and have
already worked a full 8 hours.  Even if there is nothing else to be done, managers will not

understand if you want to leave early.
Along with this finding, some participants mentioned looking to see what their peers
were doing in terms of when to leave, and what the culture of the organization instituted such as
the quote above illustrates.  One participant noted being confused at first when her actual shift
ended because some coworkers would stop working earlier than her every shift.  She eventually
realized that this was apart of the culture of the organization and was socialized into this aspect
of her job.  Pressure to stay later was motivated internally, and participants discussed that they
only did this when they personally needed to get something finished in order to fill their role in
the organization.  It was not mentioned that this was specifically fueled by being a new member.
This shows a contrast between vacation and serious health/maternity leave acceptance versus the
more daily procedures at an organization.
Unlimited Vacation Policy
Because the implementation of an unlimited vacation policy is still a new and un
researched area within the organizational communication discipline, question number 7 (see
appendix I) sought to begin addressing the perceptions surrounding it as a policy.  None of the
participants were employed by organizations that used this kind of policy officially, and
therefore little was known about the inter workings of what unlimited vacation would entail, or
how it would be enforced.  One of the most prominent emerging themes however was the
perception of flexibility with unlimited vacation policy.  This perception by one participant was
made by bringing up the “work hard, play hard” mentality and how it would make sense to take
time off if you have completed everything that needed to be done.  The notion that as long as you
have pulled your weight, than you should be able to take the time off was expressed.

This flexibility was related to how flexible the actual work that needed to be done was.
Some participants specifically discussed how their line of work is by nature flexible, and
therefore a policy like this may work.  These participants explained how their work entails them
to be accountable for responding to emails and other tasks even while they are at home.  They
also have the ability to work from home if necessary, which is a quality that is not present in
every organization.  Because of this flexibility, a policy like this would work for them because
their workload would be the same no matter where they were, and therefore they would be able
to manage it.  Another part of this flexibility included defusing the stress associated with asking
for time off.  As one participant put it, “There would be seemingly less pressure to ask for
vacation. Having unlimited vacation, you feel more trusted and valued by the organization.”  In
this sense, identity perception is being linked to the nature of a certain type of leave policy.

Discussion
The findings of the study indicated that peer resentment messages were only recognized
when days off were “unmissable” and that there was a disconnect between new employees and
leave policy knowledge.  Also, it was found that generally participants identified their
organizations as being supportive and that there were organizational cultures that influenced
what the time at the organization looked like on a daily basis.  The general understanding
regarding an unlimited vacation policy was that it would be useful to increase the flexibility of
the employee’s work and home life.
Adding to the research on peer resentment, our findings supports what Kirby and Krone
(2002) found regarding the emotions of guilt surfacing as a result of perceived peer resentment

messages.  When participants were asked straight up if they had experienced this resentment,
they generally replied with a no.  But, when participants began explaining stories involving
asking for days off or having to use sick time when it was an important time for the organization,
these messages began to emerge and participants relived their reactions to them.  This conflicted
with the consensus that participants normally identified their organizations to be very supportive
with illustrating narratives for themselves and their peers.  The resentment only appeared in
times of inconvenience for the organization or the employees.  This began to answer our original
research question because it showed that peer resentment messages did not impact the
participants’ perception of overall organizational work/family life balance, but that they did still
occur in the workplace.
The overwhelming finding that employees generally were not well versed of the details
of their leave policies provides a specific example to Jablin’s (1984) “information deprivation”
(p. 622).  This finding is useful to employers because it shows that during the socialization
process, employees are either not taking the time, or not explained the extent to which policies
are available, and what they mean.  Organizations could benefit from a process providing
newcomers with the support in understanding these policies because it will reduce uncertainty
amongst them and in turn make them more satisfied with their relationship to the organization
itself.  This is also important when it comes to roles changing within the organization because it
may also mean policy changes that should be made aware of by the employer to combat the
disconnectedness that arose from our findings.
By starting to get some foundational perceptions surrounding unlimited vacation policy,
this study uncovered the link participants made between this type of policy and flexibility.  As

the ROWE (Kelly, Moen, & Tranby, 2016) study showed, flexibility ultimately gave employees
the ability to create what they viewed as their complete work/family life balance.  Organizations
may benefit from choosing to implement this kind of policy to not only reduce costs, but to also
increase company morale and trust with employees.  Participants however stated only seeing this
policy working for organizations with work that is flexible by nature and able to do out of the
office.  This supports Smolkin’s (2015) claim that experts only see a certain organizational
culture adapting this policy because a high level of communication is essential to it functioning
properly.  High levels of flexibility would translate into more positive perceptions surrounding
work/life and family/life balance.
Limitations and Directions for Future Study
One of the biggest limitations of this study was sample size.  With only 14 participants,
the study could have benefited from more experiences regarding the topics covered in our
questions.  With significantly more females interviewed than males, the gender balance could
have been better as well.   Also, since the target participants were those undergoing socialization,
it is difficult to ask questions regarding leave policy because some were too new to even have
gotten that far in their organizational life.  Because the sample was selected using the snowball
effect, this was limiting because age range of participants was a small gap.  Another limitation
was the decision to not record the interviews.  Although the goal was to reduce the pressure on
the participant, it can be beneficial to re listen to participant’s words in their own voices.
Future research can take a closer look into more specifics of leave policies such as only
focusing on maternity/paternity leave, and the different gender perceptions when it comes to peer
resentment or peer messages.  Another angle could look at the implications surrounding open

style versus closed style offices and the issues that arise when employees come in sick due to
perceptions surrounding leave policies.  Also, organizations could benefit with more research
regarding unlimited vacation policies and how it succeeded or failed in different types of
organizations so that they may be better informed as to if it is a right fit for them.
Conclusion
Overall, this research study uncovered specific instances of peer resentment messages
surrounding leave policy use emerging when it was viewed that an employee should not miss.
These messages caused feelings of guilt for the employee receiving them, however did not
completely shape the view of organizational support as a whole for the use of policies and
work/family balance.  Employees need to be better informed of these policies upon entering
organizations so that uncertainty and ambiguity can be reduced.  An unlimited vacation policy is
a viable option for employers looking to increase flexibility in their organization while also
increasing the positive perceptions surrounding work/life and family/life balance.

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Appendix I
Participant Interview Protocol
Set Questions
1. When you first entered your place of employment, did you feel that you
understood all the policies available to you including sick time, vacation,
pregnancy leave etc.?
2. Was there ever an instance that you felt like you were unable to utilize any of
these policies?
3. Has a coworker ever made you feel like you couldn’t utilize a policy because of
something they said you? Examples?
4. Do ever feel pressure to stay later or arrive earlier than other employees because
you are new?
5. Do you think the culture of the organization you work in fosters an environment
where it is acceptable to use policies?
6. Does your workplace use a unlimited vacation policy? What are your views on
that? What do you think are its pros and cons?

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