Erin Kelly
Associate Professor
Ph.D. 2000 Princeton University
Room 1133 Social Sciences
Phone: 612-624-0228
Email: kelly101@umn.edu
Flexible Work and Well-Being Study
Interest Areas
Organizations and Work; Gender; Family and Life Course; Law and Social Policy.
Current Research
Dr. Kelly studies the adoption, implementation, and consequences of anti-discrimination and “family-friendly” policies in U.S. workplaces. She has recently examined non-compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, how U.S. companies manage flexible work arrangements, and the development and diffusion of sexual harassment policies. In collaboration with Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev, she has investigated the effects of corporate affirmative action, diversity, and family policies on the representation of women and African-Americans in managerial positions.
Dr. Kelly is co-principal investigator, with Phyllis Moen, of the Flexible Work and Well-Being Center, part of the National Institutes of Health Network on Work, Family, Health & Well-Being. Their current research examines how increased schedule control affects employees’ health and well-being, as well as the work process and the organizational culture. Collaborators on this project include Professor Patricia McGovern (School of Public Health), Professor Andrew Van de Ven (Carlson School of Management) and several graduate students. See www.flexiblework.umn.edu for more information. Dr. Kelly is also a co-investigator on the Youth Development Study, with a focus on the development of work-family conflict and strategies for coping in the young adult period.
Recent Publications
“How to Stop Harassment: Professional Construction of Legal Compliance in Organizations,” with Frank Dobbin. Forthcoming, 2007. American Journal of Sociology.
“Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies,” with Alexandra Kalev and Frank Dobbin. Forthcoming, 2006. American Sociological Review.
“Managing Flexible Work Arrangements in U.S. Organizations: Formalized Discretion or ‘A Right to Ask,’” with Alexandra Kalev. 2006. Socio-Economic Review.
“Discrimination against Caregivers? Gendered Family Responsibilities, Employer Practices, and Work Rewards.” 2005. Pp. 341-362 in The Handbook of Employment Discrimination Research, Laura Beth Nielsen and Robert L. Nelson, eds. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
“Work-Family Policies: The United States in International Perspective.” 2005. Pp. 99-123 in Work-Family Handbook: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives and Approaches, M. Pitt-Catsouphes, E. Kossek, and S. Sweet, eds. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
“The Strange History of Employer-Sponsored Child Care: Interested Actors, Uncertainty, and the Transformation of Law in Organizational Fields.” 2003. American Journal of Sociology. 109: 606-49.