This thesis explores the occupational health and safety risks facing labour hire employees (also known as temporary agency workers) in the Australian state of Victoria. Three questions are considered. First do labour hire employees face greater risk of injury and disease than direct hire employees? Second, if so, which characteristics of labour hire employment contribute to a higher rate of injury? Third, what characteristics of labour hire employment reduce the likelihood of injured employees returning to work and being rehabilitated? The first question is answered by an aggregate analysis of data drawn from all workers' compensation claim files in Victoria between 1994/5 and 2000/1 contrasting the frequency of injury for both temporary agency employees and direct hire employees. Second a unique sub sample of individual investigated claim files was then examined to test employment factors that could account for the higher frequency of injury amongst agency workers. A third data source involved a survey and focus groups of temporary agency workers. This provided supplementary data on the work experiences of labour hire employees. A number of conclusions are drawn. Labour hire employees are more likely to be injured at work than their direct hire counterparts. Factors explaining this include economic pressures, disorganisation at the host workplace, and regulatory failure for agency employees. Several of these factors are uniquely related to the triangular nature of labour hire arrangements. Once injured at work, labour hire employees are especially disadvantaged relative to direct hire employees through the reluctance of many labour hire employers to offer further employment. This reduces the capacity of labour hire workers to return to meaningful employment. Regulatory failure stemming from both employment and occupational health and safety legislation underpins the greater likelihood of agency workers being injured at work and then dispensed with by employers. Until the uniqueness of their triangular relationship with employers and hosts is recognised through appropriate regulatory intervention, their greater occupational health and safety risks will not be overcome.

This thesis explores the occupational health and safety risks facing labour hire employees (also known as temporary agency workers) in the Australian state of Victoria. Three questions are considered. First do labour hire employees face greater risk of injury and disease than direct hire employees? Second, if so, which characteristics of labour hire employment contribute to a higher rate of injury? Third, what characteristics of labour hire employment reduce the likelihood of injured employees returning to work and being rehabilitated? The first question is answered by an aggregate analysis of data drawn from all workers' compensation claim files in Victoria between 1994/5 and 2000/1 contrasting the frequency of injury for both temporary agency employees and direct hire employees. Second a unique sub sample of individual investigated claim files was then examined to test employment factors that could account for the higher frequency of injury amongst agency workers. A third data source involved a survey and focus groups of temporary agency workers. This provided supplementary data on the work experiences of labour hire employees. A number of conclusions are drawn. Labour hire employees are more likely to be injured at work than their direct hire counterparts. Factors explaining this include economic pressures, disorganisation at the host workplace, and regulatory failure for agency employees. Several of these factors are uniquely related to the triangular nature of labour hire arrangements. Once injured at work, labour hire employees are especially disadvantaged relative to direct hire employees through the reluctance of many labour hire employers to offer further employment. This reduces the capacity of labour hire workers to return to meaningful employment. Regulatory failure stemming from both employment and occupational health and safety legislation underpins the greater likelihood of agency workers being injured at work and then dispensed with by employers. Until the uniqueness of their triangular relationship with employers and hosts is recognised through appropriate regulatory intervention, their greater occupational health and safety risks will not be overcome.

In the past decades, European labour markets have undergone profound changes, witnessing a process of liberalisation and flexibilisation, in part through the spread of various forms of atypical employment. These new forms of employment have been argued to be of generally lower quality than standard employment, presenting several disadvantages across a range of employment-related dimensions. Nevertheless, the disadvantages experienced by atypical workers are argued to differ depending on nationally specific institutional settings, as employment regulations, welfare institutions and collective representation are commonly claimed to play a significant role in the shaping of disadvantage. Within the field of comparative political economy, a literature has emerged dealing with issues of dualisation and insider-outsider divides associated with these new forms of employment, mainly focusing on institutional divides in employment and welfare protection and political representation between standard and atypical workers and their consequences in terms of social inequalities. Authors within this literature have argued divides to be different across groups of countries within Europe. Specifically, an important distinction has been claimed to exist between Liberal countries, where divides are argued to be limited, and Southern European countries, where they are said to be among the highest. But this literature has mostly considered disadvantages from an institutional perspective, without empirically investigating whether institutional divides actually translate into individual disadvantages. At the same time, within sociology, authors have investigated individual disadvantages experienced by atypical workers under the broad concept of precariousness. Nevertheless, these scholars have not provided a systematic analysis of the relation between different institutional frameworks and individual disadvantages. This thesis aims at partly bridging these two literatures, by providing an analysis of how different institutional settings impact on disadvantages as experienced at the individual level. To do this, this thesis explores the disadvantages experienced by a specific category of atypical workers, namely temporary agency workers. It focuses on two countries which have been argued to present very different institutional divides across a broad range of employment-related dimensions. The UK is seen as the main example of Liberal country in the European context, providing limited employment protection to all workers, a fragmented system of industrial relations and a social protection system mainly based on means-testing and mostly aimed at poverty prevention. In contrast, Italy has been considered one of the European countries with the most highly segmented labour market, with high employment protection for core workers but very little for workers at the margin. At the same time, both its industrial relations system and it social protection system are said to strongly discriminate against people in atypical forms of employment. These claims are explored through semi-structured interviews with temporary agency workers in the service sector, trade unionists and other relevant stakeholders involved in atypical employment. The study demonstrates that temporary agency workers in the two countries experience partly different disadvantages. Although differences in the institutional settings can be said to contribute to explaining these differences, the analysis reveals a more complex picture. I show that institutional divides do not necessarily translate into individual disadvantages, as they interact among each other and with other factors in moulding individual experiences in a variety of ways. At the same time, individual disadvantages are present even when no institutional divide exists. Thus, the study argues that considering disadvantages only in terms of institutional divides oversimplifies a more complex and varied reality, and calls for more attention to be paid to how institutional divides are translated into individual disadvantages.

Today, the temporary agency work is a well-established industry in the Swedish labour market. The industry has grown every year since the start 1992 and seemingly, the legislation has not kept up with its’ pace. The reason behind the growth of temporary agency work is their clients impulsion for flexibility as well as making their organisation more efficient. Employers organizations argue that the ability to be flexible is a tool to increase economic growth in the society while the unions argue that the temporary agency workers are paying the price with insecure employment-contracts. The line between cancelation of employment due to redundancy and dismissal due to personal reasons is unclear, with disadvantages to the employment protection, through this triangular relationship between the temporary agency work, user company and the employee. The question is if the goal justifies the means. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the temporary agency work-industry is affecting the temporary agency workers employment protection, in addition, the thesis will investigate which legal impacts the legislation is creating in a diversity perspective. In order to answer the research questions properly, a traditional legal dogmatic method has been used as well as legal sociological perspective.

This study examines how temporary agency workers experience the working climate in client firms, i.e. how their psychological climate is affected. The study has a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with temporary agency workers. The purpose of the study is to contribute with knowledge about the triangular relationship between the temporary worker, the temporary employment agency and the client firm. Another purpose is to describe how the temporary workers experience the working climate and how this experience is influenced by a number of circumstances. The research question this study aims to answer is How do temporary agency workers experience the working climate in client organisations? And What factors influence this experience? The conclusion of this study shows that the volun- tariness of the psychological contract positively influence the psychological climate, and also whether the temporary workers’ expectations correspond to those of the client firm or not. The treatment of the temporary worker in the client firm as well as positive social relations with other employees, also have an impact on the psychological climate. Finally, a temporary employment agency that has a prominent role in the triangular relationship might intensify the role stress of the temporary agency worker, particularly if the psychological contracts between the temp and the two firms lack in congruence. / Bemanningsbranschen har sedan 1993, då det blev lagligt att hyra in arbetskraft, expanderat kraftigt, något som kommit att bli ett kontroversiellt ämne. Vissa menar att företag utnyttjar bemanningsanställda för att undvika lagen om anställningsskydd och att det innebär en otrygg tillvaro på arbetsmarknaden för bemanningsanställda. Andra menar att bemanningsbranschen behövs för att företag ska klara marknadens krav på flexibilitet.  Något som komplicerar saken är den triangulära relationen mellan bemanningsföretag, bemanningsanställd och kundföretag, då den bemanningsanställde har två chefer. En fråga som uppstår är hur den bemanningsanställde förhåller sig till denna triangulära relation, samt rollen som tillfällig resurs hos kundföretagen. Med bakgrund av detta avser uppsatsen besvara följande frågeställningar:  • Hur upplever bemanningsanställda arbetsklimatet hos kundföretag?  • Vilka faktorer påverkar denna upplevelse?  Syftet med uppsatsen är bidra till en större förståelse av den triangulära relationen mellan kundföretag, bemanningsföretag och bemanningsanställd som uppstår då en organisation hyr in personal. Uppsatsen syftar även till att bidra med kunskap om hur arbetsklimatet påverkas, utifrån den bemanningsanställdas perspektiv, samt vad som påverkar deras upplevelse. För att kunna svara på frågeställningen har kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts med tre personer som arbetar som bemanningsanställda.  Som teoretisk referensram har dels Eisenhardts (1989) agentteori använts för att förklara den triangulära relationen, där den bemanningsanställde är agent till två principaler; kundföretaget samt bemanningsföretaget. Fokus i uppsatsen är på relationen mellan bemanningsanställd och kundföretag, och det psykologiska kontrakt som gäller mellan parterna. Det psykologiska kontraktet handlar om den subjektiva tolkningen av ömsesidiga löften och åtaganden, och dess utformning har betydelse för den anställdes attityder och beteende (Isaksson & Bellaagh 2005). Arbetsklimatet har analyserats utifrån ett individperspektiv, och definieras då som psykologiskt klimat (Baltes et al. 2009). Locke (1976) menar att det finns fyra underliggande faktorer som påverkar det psykologiska klimatet, nämligen önskan om (1) klarhet, harmoni och rättvisa, (2) utmaning, självständighet och ansvar, (3) stöd, erkännande och underlättande i arbetet samt (4) varma och vänskapliga sociala relationer.  I studien framkommer det att ett psykologiskt kontrakt präglat av frivillighet ha en positiv inverkan på det psykologiska klimatet. Även hur väl en bemanningsanställds förväntningar i det psykologiska kontraktet överensstämmer med kundföretagets, är av betydelse. Ett positivt bemötande från ordinarie personal och chefer på kundföretaget samt goda sociala relationer till övrig personal, påverkar det psykologiska klimatet positivt. Slutligen kan det vara av betydelse huruvida bemanningsföretaget har en framträdande roll eller inte, dvs engagerar sig i den bemanningsanställdes situation, då detta kan leda till rollstress ifall den bemanningsanställdes psykologiska kontrakt till de två principalerna inte är kongruenta.

Purpose: To identify among temporary agency workers at Proffice AB in Jönköping, which de-motivators constitute a problem with-in the industrial sector, and further propose a framework that can be used as an indicative tool for alleviating these prob-lems for companies working in the sector. Background: Temporary agency work is an increasingly growing industry. In the EU it has been the fastest growing market the last 20 years. At the same time, the rate at which temporary agency workers (TAWs) quit their jobs due to dissatisfaction is high-er than for most industries. Research on the subject has dis-covered that this is due to underlying reasons that emerge in the everyday work of the TAWs. These are labeled de-motivators. This research is aimed at the industrial sector, a sector within temporary agency work that has been over-looked in previous research. Due to the special working con-ditions, it contains many de-motivational factors, making it an interesting area to research. Method: In order to answer the purpose, interviews with managers at Proffice (a Swedish temporary agency), TAWs at Proffice, and managers at host companies have been conducted in or-der to test de-motivational theories, discover new de-motivators, and gain knowledge in order to develop a new framework for dealing with de-motivators subjected to TAWs within the industrial sector. Since the interviewees are differ-ent types of respondents, the methods of interviewing have varied between being semi-structured, and unstructured. Conclusion: As a result of the case study, the authors suggest a framework for how managers at temporary agencies and host companies could prioritize dealing with the most important de-motivators in accordance with the empirical findings. This framework indicates that previous research done on de-motivators among TAWs does not completely correspond to TAWs within the industrial sector.

<p> </p><p><strong>Purpose</strong>: To identify among temporary agency workers at Proffice AB in Jönköping, which de-motivators constitute a problem with-in the industrial sector, and further propose a framework that can be used as an indicative tool for alleviating these prob-lems for companies working in the sector.</p><p><strong>Background</strong>: Temporary agency work is an increasingly growing industry. In the EU it has been the fastest growing market the last 20 years. At the same time, the rate at which temporary agency workers (TAWs) quit their jobs due to dissatisfaction is high-er than for most industries. Research on the subject has dis-covered that this is due to underlying reasons that emerge in the everyday work of the TAWs. These are labeled de-motivators. This research is aimed at the industrial sector, a sector within temporary agency work that has been over-looked in previous research. Due to the special working con-ditions, it contains many de-motivational factors, making it an interesting area to research.</p><p><strong>Method</strong>: In order to answer the purpose, interviews with managers at Proffice (a Swedish temporary agency), TAWs at Proffice, and managers at host companies have been conducted in or-der to test de-motivational theories, discover new de-motivators, and gain knowledge in order to develop a new framework for dealing with de-motivators subjected to TAWs within the industrial sector. Since the interviewees are differ-ent types of respondents, the methods of interviewing have varied between being semi-structured, and unstructured.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> As a result of the case study, the authors suggest a framework for how managers at temporary agencies and host companies could prioritize dealing with the most important de-motivators in accordance with the empirical findings. This framework indicates that previous research done on de-motivators among TAWs does not completely correspond to TAWs within the industrial sector.</p><p> </p>

Socialsekreterare är en utsatt yrkesgrupp med ansträngd arbetssituation. Inom kommunerna arbetar även inhyrd personal, socionomkonsulter. Studien syftade till att undersöka skillnaderna i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön mellan socialsekreterare och socionomkonsulter avseende socialt stöd mellan kollegor och chef, uppmuntrande ledarskap och socialt klimat. Det gjordes en webbenkät, utifrån QPS Nordic 34+, där 26 Socialsekreterare och 11 Socionomkonsulter svarade (n=37). På grund av få deltagare har några generella slutsatser inte varit möjliga. Dock visade studien vissa skillnader mellan gruppernas skattningar gällande stöd från kollega och chef samt socialt klimat. Detta är i linje med tidigare forskning som visar att inhyrd personal har färre sociala kontakter än fast anställda. Socialsekreterarna skattade högre än referensdata avseende socialt stöd. Flera andra faktorer påverkar dock den psykosociala arbetsmiljön och vidare studier behövs. / Social workers are an exposed profession due to strained working situation. The municipalities also use temporary agency workers in social authority work. The purpose of the study was to investigate the differences in the psychosocial work environment between regular social workers and agency social workers regarding social support between colleagues and managers, encouraging leadership and social climate. A web survey, QPS Nordic 34+ was done. 26 regular social workers and 11 agency social workers participated (n=37). Since it was few participants it has not been able to make any general conclusions. Significant differences were found for support from colleague and manager and social climate. Regular social workers estimated higher than reference data on the variables included in social support. Several other variables than social support affects the psychosocial work environment and further studies are needed.

Detta är en diskursanalytisk uppsats om hur vissa aktörer på den svenska arbetsmarknaden talar om bemanningsbranschen och deras anställda. För att få en uppfattning av det har vi behövt kartlägga vilka diskurser som existerar och hur de uttalanden vi hittat beskriver båda subjekten. Vi har utgått från Ernesto Laclau och Chantal Mouffes diskursteori men har också tagit inspiration från Norman Faircloughs analysmetod. Aktörerna vi har granskat har varit arbetstagarorganisationerna Handelsanställdas förbund och Svenska kommunalarbetareförbundet samt arbetsgivarorganisationen Kompetensföretagen. Vi har använt oss av rapporter som vi funnit på respektive aktörs hemsida, rapporter som ska vara representativa för aktuella debatter. Vårt huvudsakliga resultat är ett kartläggande av två huvuddiskurser, Regleringsdiskursen och Möjlighetsdiskursen. Dessa bygger till stor del på interdiskursiva blandningar av redan starkt etablerade diskurser på arbetsmarknaden eller i samhället. Resultatet är en av många möjliga tolkningar av hur branschen och deras anställda beskrivs utifrån respektive sida. Vi har presenterat tydliga bilder för att ge en generell bild av vilka åsikter som florerar på arbetsmarknaden. Vi hoppas att våra resultat kan vara en grund för kommande forskning. / This paper is a discourse analytical paper regarding how some participants on the Swedish labour market talk about the staffing industry and their employees. To gain a perception of this we have been required to map which discourses that exist and how the statements we have found establish both of our subjects. We have used Ernesto Laclaus and Chantal Mouffes discourse theory as basis but have also taken insights from Norman Faircloughs analytical method. The participants we have studied are the labour union organizations Handelsanställdas förbund and Svenska kommunalarbetareförbundet as well as the employer organization Kompetensföretagen. We have used reports that we have found from each participants website, reports that are meant to represent current debates. Our primary conclusion is a mapping of two main discourses, the Regulation discourse and the Possibility discourse. These are interdiscursive products of already established discourses on the labour market or in society. The result is one of many possible interpretations of how the industry and their employees are described by each participant. We have presented clear pictures to give a general understanding of which views are present on the labour market. We hope that our result can contribute to future research.

Syftet med studien är undersöka hur visstidsanställda inom bemanningsbranschen upplever sin anställningsform, samt hur de upplever att anställningsformen påverkar deras psykosociala mående. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod där semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes med åtta informanter. Empirin analyserades utifrån en abduktiv ansats och teorier om anställningsotrygghet, identitet och stress har använts för att tolka och analysera resultatet. Resultatet visar att bemanningsanställda upplever att de befinner sig i osäkra anställningar och oftast vill bli övertagna av kundföretaget för att få en tillsvidareanställning, och därmed en trygghet. Det som också framkommer är att samtliga informanter upplever att de har en bra lön, men att den ekonomiska situationen blir ett stressmoment eftersom individerna inte vet hur länge anställningen fortlöper och därför inte vet om de kommer ha en fortsatt lön eller inte. Resultatet visar på att visstidsanställda inom bemanningsbranschen uppleveren anställningsotrygghet som tar sig uttryck i stress och osäkerhet, till följd av sin anställningsform. / The purpose of this study was to study how temporary employees in the gigindustry experience their form of employment, as well as how they feel that the form of employment affects their psychosocial well-being. The study was conducted using a qualitative method where semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight informants. The empirical evidence was then analyzed based on an abductive approach and theories of job insecurity, identity and stress have been used to interpret and analyze the results. The results draw attention to the fact that temporary agency workers feel that they are in an insecure employment situation, and usually want to be taken over by the client company in order to get permanent employment and security. What also emerges is that the informants feel that they have a good salary, but that the financial situation becomes stressful because the individuals don’t know how long the employment will continue, and therefore do not know whether they will have a continued salary or not. Thus, the results show that fixed-term employees in the staffing industry experience Job Insecurity Theory, which is expressed in feelings of stress and uncertainty, as a result of their form of employment.