Work Conditions, Recovery and Health: A Study among Workers within Pre-School, Home Care and Social Work

The study investigated the working conditions associated with the accumulation of stress and lack of recovery and how recovery is related to health. The study group was employed in pre-school, home care and social work (n = 193). Recovery was assumed to be an explanatory variable for the relations between work and health. The response rate on a survey was 79 per cent. Cluster analysis identified three groups: the ‘Recovered’ (36 per cent of the total group) and ‘Not Recovered’ (25 per cent) and the ‘In-between’ (39 per cent). The Not Recovered displayed the whole chain of risk factors, involving difficult working conditions to which they responded with increased compensatory strategies. Despite this group having significantly greater reports of ill health, work absenteeism was not greater, which is likely related to their substituting sickness absence with sickness presence. As many as 43 per cent of the social workers were found to belong to the Not Recovered group. Multiple regression analyses controlling for background variables revealed that the Not Recovered group had a significantly higher relative risk for poor self-rated health than those in the Recovered group. Even sharper increases in relative risk existed for the other five symptoms that were analysed. Practical implications and new research questions are discussed.</p

Managing a fragile motivation within an unfit organisation : young adults' experiences of support to achieve employment [Att hantera en skör motivation i en illa lämpad organisation: Unga vuxnas erfarenheter av stöd för att uppnå sysselsättning]

This article explores subjective realities of being not in employment, education or training (NEET), with a specific focus on support needs and how labour market support fits these needs. A total of 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 18–29 who had just been recruited to a work support program aimed at increasing the availability, coordination, and individualisation of support in order to enhance the possibility of finding work. The results illustrate a clear yet fragile motivation to work among the respondents. The participants expressed optimism that they would find a job, but were also clear about the need for adaptations in the workplace to succeed. Through the lens of crip time, the participants expressed a need for flexibility and extra time to perform tasks such as finding a job and feeling comfortable in the workplace, compared to the needs of abled people. Rules and time limits at the Public Employment Service and the Social Insurance Agency reinforced the image of this normative time, making the participants express their needs as a deviation from what is considered normal. Den här artikeln utforskar erfarenheter och upplevelser av att stå långt ifrån arbete, sysselsättning eller studier, med ett specifikt fokus på subjektiva stödbehov och hur arbetsmarknadsstöd matchar dessa behov. Totalt genomfördes 23 semistrukturerade intervjuer med deltagare i åldrarna 18–29 år, som just rekryterats till en arbetsstödjande insats som erbjuds genom samordningsförbund. Insatsen syftar till att öka tillgängligheten till stöd, samordna och individualisera stödet för att öka möjligheterna att nå arbete eller studier. Resultaten illustrerar en tydlig men samtidigt skör motivation att arbeta, bland respondenterna. Deltagarna uttrycker en optimism om att de ska hitta ett jobb, men också en tydlighet kring behovet av anpassningar på arbetsplatsen för att lyckas. Genom perspektiv såsom att crippa tid illustreras deltagarna behov av flexibel och extra tid för att utföra uppgifter som att hitta ett jobb och känna sig bekväma på arbetsplatsen, jämfört med vad arbetsföra människor kan behöva. Regler och tidsgränser från Arbetsförmedlingen och Försäkringskassan förstärker bilden av hur denna normativa tid skapar en känsla av avvikelse bland deltagarna. </p