Mixing business with pleasure: The impact of blended relationships on emotion work in organizations

The current study examined status-different blended relationships in the workplace. Relational Framing Theory was applied as a means of understanding the two primary functions of workplace blended relationships. Two hundred and twenty-four subjects, employed both full and part time, were asked to complete an online survey about their experience and management of emotional stress during a conflict with a superior. Results indicated that employees maintained four types of blended relationships in the workplace. Furthermore, intensity of emotional stress experienced during conflict and the preferred emotion work strategy in response to this stress was dependent upon the type of blended relationship maintained. This study provides insight into how employees view their blended relationships and how work and social functions of workplace relationships are managed.