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Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is committed to the development of knowledge with a strong scientific and social impact. With over 500 academic and support staff, we teach and conduct research in the fields of art, history, language, culture and communication, using innovative methodologies and collaborating closely across disciplines. Our research is embedded in two research institutes: the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) and the Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH). Approximately 2,500 students are currently enrolled with us across our three departments: the Department of History, Art History and Classics, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and the Department of Language and Communication. The faculty is characterised by a pleasant and open culture with various opportunities for the professional development of our staff.
The Centre for Language Studies (CLS) is looking for a PhD candidate to work on a project entitled ‘Constructing social safety in written digital communication in the workplace: A study on requests and refusals’.
We offer you the opportunity to develop and carry out your own PhD project within the areas of expertise of your supervisors (Prof. Wyke Stommel, Dr Rebecca Van Herck, and Dr Sara Bögels). The project will be funded by a Starters Grant from the Faculty of Arts awarded to Dr Rebecca Van Herck.
The research project is organised around the concept of social safety (also known as psychological safety in the academic literature), which is an important current topic across society, especially in the workplace. Psychological safety refers to an environment where individuals feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear, judgement or repercussion, which includes the freedom to voice concerns and admit mistakes without facing embarrassment or blame. Studies have shown that psychological safety leads to a better collaboration among colleagues and higher productivity within teams. Therefore, prioritising a socially safe environment is essential for organisations and will benefit all parties involved.
Most social safety workshops prioritise face-to-face communication to address issues like bullying. Social misconduct on written communication platforms such as email, Slack, and Teams, is typically not addressed in such workshops. Digital communication presents challenges as it may lack the nuance of face-to-face interaction, potentially leading to messages being perceived as overly harsh or impolite. Particularly requests and refusals are challenging to express in written communication as these linguistic actions imply power dynamics (e.g. between colleagues or in a hierarchical relationship) and potential conflicts.
As a PhD candidate, you will investigate the complexities surrounding requests and refusals in digital written workplace communication. Specifically, you will explore how workplace relationships relate to the construction of requests and refusals, aiming to uncover strategies for managing and mitigating such interactions while preserving mutual respect and professionalism. Your research will address questions such as how to make requests to superiors without appearing dependent, and how to refuse tasks without undermining authority. You will use mixed methods, including qualitative research methods (such as interaction analysis) and quantitative research methods (such as experimental design). By examining the prevalent strategies in the context of requests and refusals and their impact on perceived social safety, this study aims to contribute valuable insights into the development of effective organisational practices and policies that foster a socially safe environment in written digital interactions. In the research proposal that you are requested to submit with your application, you can develop your own perspective on this research project, detailing how you would approach this topic. In this proposal, you may formulate your own research questions and choose your own theoretical lens, methodology, and/or empirical material.
Up to 75% of your time will be devoted to the research for and writing of your PhD thesis. The remaining 25% will be spent on training and academic service to the Faculty of Arts, including teaching.
As a PhD candidate at the Centre for Language Studies (CLS), you will be part of the Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH). Up to 75% of your time will be devoted to the research for and writing of your PhD thesis. The remaining 25% will be spent on training and academic service to the Faculty of Arts, including teaching.
Would you like to learn more about what it is like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate.
The Centre for Language Studies (CLS) is a research institute dedicated to the understanding of language and the way we use it. Our researchers study this fascinating topic from different perspectives and in several contexts, using a variety of innovative research methods. CLS aims to conduct research that is also valuable for organisations and audiences outside the academic world.
You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Rebecca Van Herck. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.
The first interviews will take place on Tuesday 20 May. Any second interview will take place on Tuesday 27 May. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2025.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.
Type of employment | Temporary position |
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Contract type | Full-time/Part-time |
First day of employment | 01-09-2025 |
Salary | Promovendus |
Salary |
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Number of positions | 1 |
Full-time equivalent | 1,0 |
City | Nijmegen |
County | Gelderland |
Country | Netherlands |
Reference number | 23.012.25 |
Contact |
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Published | 25.Mar.2025 |
Last application date | 06.May.2025 11:59 PM CEST |