Bakgrund Human Resource Management (HRM) hanterar alla beslut som påverkar relationen mellan människan och organisationen genom att utforma strategier för utnyttjandet av humankapital i syfte att uppnå verksamhetens mål. Utnyttjandet av mänskliga resurser regleras genom olika lagar där Lagen om anställningsskydd (LAS) är central. Vidare är LAS semidispositiv vilket lämnar utrymme för tolkning av lagen och förhandling av villkoren på arbetsmarknaden genom kollektivavtal. Tidigare forskning visar att lagen upplevs som stelbent och svårtillämpad. Detta har lett till att en utredning om en lagändring för att modernisera lagen och anpassa den till dagens arbetsmarknad genomförts och avslutats i juni år 2020. Då lagändringen är aktuell är det viktigt att förstå hur LAS tillämpas i det dagliga arbetet. Syfte Syftet med uppsatsen är att skapa en förståelse om hur LAS tillämpas i dagliga arbetet både hos privata och offentliga verksamheter. Vi vill belysa vilka faktorer som påverkar tillämpningen av lagen i det dagliga arbetet samt hur verksamheter förhåller sig till de kommande ändringarna i lagen. Förståelsen för hur LAS tillämpas i det dagliga arbetet genererar ny kunskap som kan vara till nytta för alla som arbetar med HR-frågor och inför framtida förändringar inom arbetsrätten. Metod Studien har en kvalitativ ansats som har inslag av triangulering där datainsamling har gjorts med hjälp av intervjuer och enkät. Intervjuer har genomförts med tre verksamheter från den privata sektorn och tre från den offentliga sektorn. Slutsats Studien visar att det finns faktorer som påverkar hur LAS tillämpas i det dagliga arbetet samt att det finns likheter och skillnader mellan sektorerna. Den tydligaste likheten är att alla vill göra rätt, men de fuskar också. Vidare visar studien att sektorerna tenderar att för det mesta ha ett reaktivt förhållningssätt till den kommande LAS-förändringen. / Background HRM handles all decisions that affect the relationship between humans and the organization by designing strategies for the utilization of human capital in order to achieve the organizational goals. The utilization of human resources is regulated by various laws where the Employment Protection Act is central. Furthermore, the Employment Protection Act is semi-dispositive meaning that it leaves room for interpretation of the law and negotiation of term on the labor market through collective agreements. Previous research has shown that the law is stiff and difficult to apply. This has led to an investigation about modernizing the law and adapting it to today’s labor market and the investigation was completed in June 2020. Due to the fact that the law is about to change it is important to understand how the Employment Protection Act is applied in the daily work. Aim The purpose of the thesis is to create an understanding of how the Employment Protection Act is applied in the daily work of both private and public enterprises. We want to highlight the factors that affect the application of the law of the Employment Protection Act in organizations daily work and how the organizations relate to the upcoming changes in the law. The understanding of how the Employment Protection Act is applied in daily work generates new knowledge that can be useful for everyone working with HR issues and for future changes in employment laws. Methodology The study has a qualitative approach that has elements of triangulation where data collection has been done with the help of interviews and questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with three organizations from the private sector and three from the public sector. Conclusion The study shows that there are factors affecting how the Employment Protection Act is applied in the daily work and that there are similarities and differences between the sectors. The clearest similarity has been that everyone wants to do the right thing, but they also cheat. Furthermore, the study shows that the sectors tend to mostly have a reactive approach to the upcoming changes in the Employment Protection Act.

Temporary agencies are commonly used by Swedish companies today, and according to Coe, Johns and Ward (2009), this is because Sweden has a strict labor market regulation which makes companies afraid to employ workers on a permanent basis. By using temporary agencies, companies can come around the Employment Protection Act (EPA) which makes us question which parts of the EPA that companies consider as a problem and if the use of temporary agencies actually can reduce this problem for Swedish companies. Focus in this thesis is companies´ personnel costs, which means that the EPA and the use of temporary agencies are investigated with these costs in mind. Therefore, the purpose with this thesis is to investigate how the EPA affects Swedish companies’ personnel costs over the years 2007-2009, and examine if the use of temporary agencies can reduce these costs. A descriptive investigation is conducted in order to examine the purpose of this thesis. The study is accomplished through an Internet based questionnaire which is send to 68 randomly chosen companies all over Sweden, with 51-150 workers from no specific branch or geographical area. 32 companies participate in the study. From the descriptive investigation it is evident that the EPA has increased personnel costs for Swedish companies over the years 2007-2009. However, this happens indirectly through decreased flexibility making it difficult for companies to quickly adjust to changes in demand. Also, a majority of the companies are critical towards the EPA and show direct consequences’ of negative impacts experienced. Consequently, we suggest that the EPA is updated to fit the conditions of today´s labor market. Furthermore, temporary agencies reduce companies’ personnel costs by enabling them to hire workers and avoid costs as employment benefits and costs for absenteeism. However, the direct costs of temporary workers are higher than the direct cost for permanent workers. Therefore, we suggest that the use of temporary agencies should not be used instead of permanent employments but mainly in situations of escalating demand when greater flexibility is needed. Finally, the costs for permanent workers are reported in account category 7 “personnel costs, depreciation etcetera” and the costs for temporary workers are reported in account categories 5-6 “other external operating expenses” in the income statement. However, both these account categories are included in the same main category of costs. This means that the only difference in the income statement is due to the higher cost of temporary workers. Besides this, companies´ accounting is not affected.

<p>Temporary agencies are commonly used by Swedish companies today, and according to Coe, Johns and Ward (2009), this is because Sweden has a strict labor market regulation which makes companies afraid to employ workers on a permanent basis. By using temporary agencies, companies can come around the Employment Protection Act (EPA) which makes us question which parts of the EPA that companies consider as a problem and if the use of temporary agencies actually can reduce this problem for Swedish companies. Focus in this thesis is companies´ personnel costs, which means that the EPA and the use of temporary agencies are investigated with these costs in mind.</p><p><em>Therefore, the purpose with this thesis is to investigate how the EPA affects Swedish companies’ personnel costs over the years 2007-2009, and examine if the use of temporary agencies can reduce these costs.</em></p><p>A descriptive investigation is conducted in order to examine the purpose of this thesis. The study is accomplished through an Internet based questionnaire which is send to 68 randomly chosen companies all over Sweden, with 51-150 workers from no specific branch or geographical area. 32 companies participate in the study.<strong></strong></p><p>From the descriptive investigation it is evident that the EPA has increased personnel costs for Swedish companies over the years 2007-2009. However, this happens indirectly through decreased flexibility making it difficult for companies to quickly adjust to changes in demand. Also, a majority of the companies are critical towards the EPA and show direct consequences’ of negative impacts experienced. Consequently, we suggest that the EPA is updated to fit the conditions of today´s labor market. Furthermore, temporary agencies reduce companies’ personnel costs by enabling them to hire workers and avoid costs as employment benefits and costs for absenteeism. However, the direct costs of temporary workers are higher than the direct cost for permanent workers. Therefore, we suggest that the use of temporary agencies should not be used instead of permanent employments but mainly in situations of escalating demand when greater flexibility is needed. Finally, the costs for permanent workers are reported in account category 7 “personnel costs, depreciation etcetera” and the costs for temporary workers are reported in account categories 5-6 “other external operating expenses” in the income statement. However, both these account categories are included in the same main category of costs. This means that the only difference in the income statement is due to the higher cost of temporary workers. Besides this, companies´ accounting is not affected.</p>

The global pharmaceutical industry is a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment, defined by rigorous regulations and a constant need for new discoveries and developments. Pharmaceutical MNCs operate in a variety of legal and cultural contexts, making it crucial for them to possess a thorough understanding of local laws and customs to ensure regulatory compliance and long-term business sustainability. The combination of a strong economy, a robust research and development infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce has positioned Sweden as an appealing destination for pharmaceutical MNCs seeking to expand their global presence. This thesis investigates the impact of Swedish labour law, specifically the Co-Determination Act (MBL) and the Employment Protection Act (LAS), on multinational pharmaceutical companies operating in Sweden. Through a qualitative study incorporating semi-structured interviews with HR directors from two leading pharmaceutical MNCs and legal experts from two corporate law firms, the study explores how these regulations influence operational strategies, decision-making processes, and human resource management practices. The findings highlight the complexities MNCs face in complying with MBL and LAS, including extended decision-making timelines and challenges with employee retention and termination due to the “last in, first out” principle. However, the study also identifies benefits such as enhanced employee morale and trust, which contribute to a positive work environment. The conclusions suggest that while these two regulations impose significant operational constraints, they also offer strategic advantages that can lead to improved employee engagement and organisational stability. While primarily focusing on the management perspective within MNCs, this study leaves the employee viewpoint unexplored. Future research could explore the employeee xperience to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of MBL and LAS. Additionally, while centred on the pharmaceutical industry, the findings may have broader implications for other industries and could pave the way for further research into how these regulations affect various industries and potentially influence foreign direct investment in Sweden. Given the limited sample size, further research with a larger and more diverse sample is also warranted to validate and generalise these results. Nevertheless, this study provides insights for new MNCs navigating the Swedish labourlaw landscape, aiding in strategic planning and decision-making.