Negotiating Boundaries at Work

Focuses on transition talk and boundary crossing discourse in the modern workplace

Moving between linguistic, professional and national boundaries is part of the daily reality of modern workplaces, where the concept of a ''job for life'' is now outdated. Employees move between jobs, countries and even professions during their working lives, but the multilayered process of redefining personal, social and professional identities is not reflected in current workplace research.

This volume brings together a range of scholars from different disciplinary areas in the field, examining the challenges of transition into a (new) workplace, team or community, as well as transitions within different professional communities. By analyzing the strategies individuals adopt to navigate the boundaries they face (in languages, workplaces or countries), this book demonstrates that transitions are not linear but are negotiated and constructed in the situated 'here and now' of workplace interaction, at the same time as they are positioned in the wider socioeconomic order.

Key Features

• Focuses on the urban workplace environment and workforce mobility

• Contributors approach transitions from a number of perspectives representing the range of work currently being undertaken in the area
• A range of cases are discussed in each chapter