MSU WORK-FAMILY STUDY

February 2005

All participant positions have been filled. Thank you for your interest in our study.

Thank you for your interest in the MSU study on work-family processes. The study will be conducted in February 2005 and consists of three distinct phases, as described below. We will reward participants by sending a $75 check to the employees who complete the study; participating spouses will receive $40. (see the Informed Consent below for details).

Phase 1. The "Self-Rating Survey" asks participants to indicate the extent to which they agree with behavioral statements such as "I try to be courteous to everyone I meet" or "I would rather cooperate with others than compete with them" and to provide some demographic information and general work/life information. There are two parts to this survey, one that needs to be completed right away, an a second one that needs to be completed in March. These surveys, available on-line, should take about 30 minutes to complete. (Those who sign up for the study will be presented with a link to the Self-Rating Survey -- Part I on the confirmation page.)

Phase 2. The second phase of the study will be conducted over two weeks, starting on February 21st. It entails short daily surveys (the "Daily Work Survey," taking about 5 minutes to complete) that have to be completed on each working day during this period (for 10 days), and a final questionnaire to be answered at home in the evening which asks about mood, satisfaction and interpersonal interactions (this final questionnaire should take about 5 minutes to complete as well). The "Daily Work Survey" is to be completed two times each day-at approximately 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM, from work. If it is not feasible to complete the survey at exactly those times, please try to come as close as you can - but you cannot submit answers for a specific survey more than 1 hour early or 1 hour late (for example, you can only complete the 11 AM survey between 10 AM and 12 PM). You will receive daily e-mail reminders about 30 minutes before the time to complete the surveys (you will be given the option not to have daily e-mails - if you would like to set up your own reminders - in the final instructions).

Phase 3. Finally, your spouse or significant other needs to answer a very short (5 minutes) phone survey every evening for the duration of the study (10 working days), and also complete a 30-minute survey that we will mail to him/her with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We ask participants to provide the name and address of their spouse/significant other so that we can mail this survey to these participants.

Before you start participating in this study, please read the informed consent below. If you agree with the informed consent, you can sign up to participate in the study after you indicate your agreement by pressing the I AGREE, GO TO THE SIGN-UP PAGE! button below.

If you have questions, please email me (Remus Ilies) at ilies@msu.edu, I will respond to all inquiries promptly.

I greatly appreciate your participation in this important research.

Remus Ilies

The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management
Michigan State University
N475 North Business Complex
East Lansing, MI 48824-1112
(517) 432-3510
Faculty Web Page


INFORMED CONSENT

You are invited to participate in a research study of social interactions at work. We ask that you read this form and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to be in the study. This study is being conducted by:

Remus Ilies
Assistant Professor, Management Department, Michigan State University

Daniel R. Ilgen
John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University

Background Information:

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of social interactions and mood in the workplace and at home in influencing employees' behaviors and their psychological well-being. The results of this study may help in designing better jobs, from the perspectives of both employers and employees.

Procedures:

If you agree to be in this study, we will ask you to do the following things:

1. Complete a one-time, 30-45 minutes, personality-type survey, and ask your spouse to complete a similar survey.

2. Over a period of two weeks (for 10 working days), complete a very brief (5 minutes) survey that includes social situations, mood, and job satisfaction twice daily, from work. At the end of each day, from home, you would complete a similar survey on paper, and mail the survey via campus mail to the researcher the next day. For the same period, your spouse would complete a brief (5-minute) phone survey every evening.

3. At the end of the two-week period, complete a short survey assessing your job and life satisfaction, and your organizational commitment.

You do not have to answer any question you do not wish to answer. The ratings you provide will be combined with those of other participants in this research.

Risks and Benefits of Being in the Study:

Participation in this study entails no more than minimal risk. In return for your participation, you will receive a payment of up to $75 after the completion of the study. Participants will receive no other benefit for participating in the study.

Confidentiality:

Your identity will be kept confidential to the maximum extent allowable by law. The records of this study will be kept private. In any sort of report we might publish, it will not be possible to identify you as a subject in this research.

Voluntary Nature of the Study:

Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with Michigan State University. If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw at any time without affecting those relationships. Participants who withdraw before the completion of the study, or who do not complete at least 25 daily surveys (out of the 30 possible) will be paid on a prorated basis as follows (those who submit 25 or more of the daily surveys will receive the full $75):

0-9 surveys - no payment
10-14 surveys -- $25
15-19 surveys -- $40
20-24 surveys -- $50

Contacts and Questions:

The researchers conducting this study are Remus Ilies and Daniel Ilgen. If you have any questions, please contact them at ilies@msu.edu / ilgen@msu.edu or at 517-432-3510 / 517-355-7503. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your treatment as a participant in the study and would like to talk to someone other than the researcher, contact the University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (UCRIHS):

Peter Vasilenko, Ph.D., UCRIHS Chair

PHONE: (517) 355-2180
202 Olds Hall FAX: (517)-432-4503
East Lansing, MI 48824-1046 E-MAIL ucrihs@msu.edu

Statement of Consent:

I have read the procedure described above. By pressing the button below, I voluntarily agree to participate in the procedure and I have received a copy of this description (available for download on the Download page).


If you have already signed up, click on the links below to select the survey that you want to complete:

Daily Survey (to be completed at 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM)

Self-Rating Survey (to be completed once)