Följande studie avser att undersöka relationen mellan engagemang, belöning och välbefinnande på arbetsplatsen. Siegrist (1996) förklarar sambandet genom Effort-Reward Imbalance model (ERI), något som denna studie kombinerar med Dieners (1986) teori om subjektivt välbefinnande. 156 personer deltog i enkätstudien, där 97 var kvinnor. Enkäterna var utformade med påståenden där deltagarna fick skatta sina svar. Datan analyserades genom en multipel regressionsanalys, korrelationer och t-test. I den multipla regressionen framkom det att hög insats/ låg belöning och överengagemang inte var signifikanta prediktorer utav variansen i subjektivt välbefinnande. Genom korrelationer kunde man utläsa att tre hypoteser visade signifikanta resultat, medan en hypotes inte visade något signifikant resultat genom stora t-test i avseende på huruvida kvinnor skattar högre nivå av överengagemang än män. Studien bidrog till en ökad förståelse för obalansen mellan hög insats/ låg belöning och överengagemang och dess betydelse för individens subjektiva välbefinnande.

The effort-reward imbalance model allows us to see disparity in effort and reward and how this can be a predictor for a variety of constructs. The present study seeks to gather data utilizing the ERI modal in the nursing profession. Previous research has utilized the ERI model but methods for gathering data were not quick and efficient. This study seeks to utilize a database called Glassdoor to rapidly and effectively gather data. The researchers are interested in seeing the likelihood of nurses to recommend their company to a friend based on perceived effort and rewards. The sample included a random selection of 40 reviews from 40 randomly selected hospitals. To collect these random samplings, we used an excel random generator formula. We selected the 40 hospitals based on the corresponding number of the excel random generator and utilized the same method to select the 40 reviews. Sample words were developed through reviewing previous research. The frequency of each type of word was summed to create a numerical variable for effort and reward. Not only was the actual content of the review assessed, but the overall rating the user gave on Glassdoor for each particular variable was also used as reference to maintain accuracy. Bivariate correlations were conducted on the data to determine the strength of the effort-likelihood to recommend relationship and the reward-likelihood to recommend relationship. Results indicated that nurses who reported putting more effort into their company, were significantly more likely to recommend their company to a friend. Results also indicated that nurses who reported more rewards such as raises, compensation, and benefits were significantly more likely to recommend their company to a friend.

Smartphones är för flertalet ett arbetsverktyg som möjliggör arbete utanför den fysiska arbetsplatsen och reglerad arbetstid. Gränsen mellan arbete- och privatliv tenderar suddas ut och brist på återhämtning kan innebära ohälsa. Syftet med studien var att undersöka samband mellan användning på smartphonen utanför arbetstid och upplevelse av stress. En webbenkät sändes till fyra industriföretag, två konsultföretag och en kommun, samtliga i norra Sverige. Svarfrekvensen var 46%. Sammanlagt deltog 94 medarbetare och chefer, 22 var kvinnor och 72 män, medelåldern var 45 år. De validerade enkätinstrumentet Perceived Stress Scale (PSS- 10) och Overcommitmentdelen ur Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire användes tillsammans med egenkonstruerade frågor kring tillgänglighet, krav, förväntningar och policys. Studien visar att användningen utanför arbetstid är högfrekvent, även under semestern och det är främst mail som används. Inga signifikanta samband mellan stress och grad av tillgänglighet hittades. Resultat visar på signifikanta samband mellan overcommitment och inre krav, samt overcommitment och ålder, vilket är en aspekt för vidare forskning. Inre krav tycks vara faktorn som driver smartphoneanvändningen och resulterar i längre arbetsveckor och gratisarbete. Användningen kan tyckas harmlös i stunden, men avbruten återhämtning kan på sikt leda till ohälsa. Ett dolt arbetsmiljöproblem som behöver diskuteras vidare för att synliggöra arbetsgivaransvaret och medvetandegöra hälsoeffekterna för individen. / Smartphones often constitute a work tool which makes it possible to perform work outside the workplace and working hours. The boundary between work and privacy tends to blur and lack of recovery can lead to illness. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between accessibility on smartphones outside working hours and stress levels. A web-based poll was sent to one municipality, four industrial and two consulting companies, all in the northern parts of Sweden. The response rate was 46%. 94 employees and managers were included in the study, 22 women and 72 men, the average age was 45 years. The validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Overcommitment part of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire was used together with self-designed questions regarding accessibility, demands, expectations and policies. The study shows that the use of smartphone is high frequent, even during holidays. Mail is primarily used. Stress and degrees of availability was not significant. Results shows significant associations between overcommitment-internal demands, and overcommitment-age, which needs further researches. Internal demands seem to be the factor that drives smartphone usage which results into longer working weeks and unpaid work. The use may seem harmless at the moment but interrupted recovery may lead to illness. It ́s a hidden workplace problem that needs to be discussed further to make the organizations responsibility visible and individuals aware of health effects.

Work conditions within the public health care sector are physically and psychosocially demanding. This means that balancing work with recovery is essential for employees in order to avoid ill health and stay healthy. This thesis is based on four studies. Study I investigated the prevalence of upper extremity disorders (UED) in female dental personnel. Results showed that 81% reported UED. Consequently, interventions aimed at reducing these risks were called for. Study II investigated the health-related effects of two work-place interventions, physical exercise (PE) and reduced working hours (RWH). Health-improvements were more consistent in the PE group, suggesting that PE may be an appropriate intervention to reduce health-risks. However, there were no effects on recovery from work or fatigue, which may result from other factors, such as overcommitment (OC), that prolong or sustain stress-related activity. Study III showed that high OC was associated with poorer next-day recovery and increased fatigue. Also, OC was a more important predictor of lack of recovery and fatigue than were psychosocial work characteristics. This highlights the importance of considering perseverative cognitions in relation to recovery from work and fatigue, and has implications for interventions targeting work-related ill health. Study IV related lack of recovery and fatigue to cumulative biological risk, allostatic load (AL), and to individual biomarkers. Women with a profile characterized by fatigue, sleep difficulties and lack of short-term recovery had a 2.9 increased risk of AL. This was not shown in analyses of individual biomarkers. In sum, this thesis shows that recovery from work is an important factor in relation to women’s work-related health. Fatigue and recovery should be considered interrelated but distinct concepts and recovery should be assessed as an early risk factor for stress-related disease with early risk being investigated using AL rather than individual biomarkers.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Fastighetsmäklarbranschen kantas av hög personalomsättning, vilket kan ses som en signal på en stressig arbetsmiljö. Dessutom har branschen ett utpräglat system där prestationsbaserad lön i form av provision förekommer i stor utsträckning. Enligt tidigare forskning är stress en indikator på en ohälsosam arbetshälsa, vilken i sin tur påverkar motivationen att prestera. Med denna utgångspunkt sågs behovet att utforska fastighetsmäklarnas arbetssituation vilket ledde till studiens syfte: att bidra med kunskap om hur fastighetsmäklare i Sverige upplever sin arbetshälsa utifrån lön, belöning och motivation, samt att undersöka vilken betydelse dessa faktorer har för prestationen. En kvantitativ metod med tvärsnittsdesign användes. Datainsamlingen genomfördes genom en webbenkät som utformats delvis med hjälp av Effort Reward Imbalance-modellen (ERI-modellen), samt beprövade mätinstrument för att mäta motivation. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i studien var att olika typer av lön och belöning, samt inre och yttre motivation kan påverka medarbetares mående både positivt och negativt. ERI-modellen kan mäta stress i arbetssituationen genom att identifiera om det föreligger en obalans mellan en individs ansträngning och belöning, samt om överengagemang föreligger.  Studiens resultatkapitel påvisar att fastighetsmäklare är en stressad yrkesgrupp. Genom att analysera den sammanställda datainsamlingen med hjälp av studiens teoretiska referensram landade diskussionen i ett antal slutsatser. En slutsats var att minoriteten av fastighetsmäklarna upplever en negativ obalans i kombination med högt överengagemang, samt att de löper stor risk för negativ arbetshälsa. Studiens resultat visade även att typ av löneform inte har påverkan på stressnivån. Vidare drogs slutsatsen att ickemonetär belöning har störst positiv betydelse för stressnivån bland de som har provisionslön. Ytterligare en slutsats var att mäklare generellt drivs mer av inre motivation än yttre motivation, vilket är positivt då inre motivation bidrar till bättre arbetshälsa. Slutligen konstaterades att mäklare är motiverade och kan prestera väl trots den stressiga arbetssituationen. / The real estate industry has a high level of staff turnover, which can be a sign of a stressful environment at work. In addition, the industry has a distinct system where performance based remuneration in the form of commission occurs to a large extent. According to previous research, stress is an indicator of poor work health, which in turn affects the motivation to perform. Considering this, the purpose of this study was to examine how real estate agents in Sweden experience their occupational health based on salary, reward and motivation, and to examine what significance these factors have for their performance. A quantitative method with cross-sectional design was used. The collection of data was carried out through a web survey which was partially designed by using the Effort Reward Imbalance model (ERI-model), as well as evidence-based tools for measuring motivation. The theoretical starting point of the study was that different types of salary and rewards, as well as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can affect employees' well-being both positively and negatively. The ERI-model can measure stress in the work situation by identifying whether there is an imbalance between a person’s effort and reward, and whether overcommitment occurs. The results of the empirical data showed that real estate agents are a group that suffers from work-related stress. By analyzing the compiled data collection, using the theoretical framework of the study, the discussion resulted in several conclusions. One of the conclusions was that a minority of the real estate agents experience a negative imbalance in combination with a high level of overcommitment. Consequently, they run a high risk of negative work health. The results of the study also showed that the type of salary does not influence the stress level. Moreover, it was concluded that non-monetary rewards are the most important factor to reduce stress among those who have commission pay. Another conclusion was that real estate agents are generally more driven by intrinsic motivation than extrinsic motivation, which is positive because intrinsic motivation contributes to better work health. Finally, it was found that real estate agents are highly motivated and can perform well despite their stressful work environment