The purpose of this study was to explore the career and life paths of male and female Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs). The study used Super’s components of Work Salience and Career maturity to examine gender differences and commonalities of individuals in their climb to a SSAO position. Specifically, the study examined the role of family and personal life and the intersection with career. Employing qualitative methods in the form of semi-structured interviews, this study investigated the following research questions: 1. How do female SSAOs describe their life and career development according to Super’s factors of Work Salience and Career Maturity? 2. How do male SSAOs describe their life and career development according to Super’s factors of Work Salience and Career Maturity? 3. How do male and female SSAOs life and career development experiences compare to one another according to Super’s factors of Work Salience and Career Maturity? The transcripts were analyzed using open and focused coding to find themes present in the data. The coding process was reviewed by a peer as well as a panel of experts to ensure trustworthiness. The findings of the study indicated themes regarding caregiving, work experience, leisure activities, marital status, scheduling, and career planning. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to explore job satisfaction among pre-tenured faculty. More specifically I was interested in examining demographic and personal fit factors, fit with the norms and values of the institution among pre-tenured faculty in different institutional types. The sample for the study included all pre-tenured faculty members who completed the COACHE 2009- 2010 job satisfaction survey. The COACHE survey was administered to pre-tenured faculty at 149 four-year colleges and universities in 2009-2010. The conceptual framework for this study is grounded in a modified version of the structural model of job satisfaction by Olsen et al., (1995). The application of exploratory factor analysis followed by stepwise multiple-regression was used to construct and discover dimensions or factors that predict global job satisfaction affecting pre-tenured faculty members. The results of the stepwise multiple-regression revealed that the three constructs of variables differ by institution type. A combination of five variables: effectiveness of work-life balance policies, satisfaction with time available for faculty work, satisfaction with tenured collegiality, satisfaction with autonomy of faculty work, satisfaction with compensation, and satisfaction with support services were the most significant predictors of job satisfaction for pre-tenured faculty members. Institutional fit variables were stronger significant predictors of fit and job satisfaction compared to demographic and personal fit variables. The findings of this study underscore the importance of university administrators to pay particular attention to extrinsic dimension of the faculty work to job satisfaction to fulfill institutional mission. / Ph. D.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of recovery on various health aspects among olderemployees and how the different dimensions of recovery relate to health. The dimensions of recoveryinclude: psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery and control. Data were analyzed from twopublic organizations in northern Sweden, with survey responses from employees aged 55 years orolder. The methodology included factor-, mean- and regression analyses to identify the dimensions ofrecovery and understand their impact on health. The results of the study showed that psychologicaldetachment, mastery and control were positively associated with health whilst relaxation had anegative effect. Furthermore, associations were observed between health and control variables such asage, gender, education and the degree of influence in the workplace. Here, the results showed thatwomen generally reported worse health than men, a finding that is consistent with previous research.Older, highly educated individuals with high levels of influence reported better health compared toother studied groups. Respondents living together with a partner, and those that also had childrenreported better health. The study provided insights into the need for strategies when it comes topromoting health among older employees, emphasizing recovery and other factors. Limitationsincluded challenges with representativeness and difficulties in establishing causality. Further researchshould focus on gaining a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between recovery, healthand work-related factors- with a particular emphasis on investigating more organizations and sectors.

The study’s aim is to explore and explain the strategies working women without children use to manage their work-life balance. In order to do this, the study utilizes border theory to explain how the women handle the borders between the domains of their private life as well as their work. To complement this, the theory of doing gender is also utilized to explain why certain strategies are needed and used, as well as what obstacles the women may face and why. The study uses a qualitative approach and consists of seven interviews with working women over 30 who do not have children. The study showed that women without children primarily utilize the strategy of regulating their time borders in order to maintain a satisfactory work-life balance. Furthermore, their colleagues and managers served as important border keepers who ensured that the interviewees did not work more than they ought to. The results also showed that the interviewees did gender through fulfilling the ideal of the male worker, but that this ideal also was rejected and actively worked against. The ideal of the male worker was fulfilled primarily through adapting to expectations, both from managers and colleagues, of availability and priorities. These ideals acted as obstacles in the work towards a good work-life balance, and the women used strategies to reject the ideals and protect their private spheres. Furthermore, the results show that an absence of children does not necessarily mean that work-life balance is achieved more easily. Instead, a new set of challenges present themselves and require specific strategies for defining and maintaining borders.

No / This article presents a vivid account of the day to day reality of a female manager in a busy UK city centre food retail store. Insights into some of the transformations in retail work are illuminated, namely restricted store budgets, lean staffing and a long-hours culture. The combination of these factors has resulted in increasing workplace demands and time pressures, with health and well-being consequences. This unique account enhances understandings of the twin challenges for managers in attempting to accommodate work-life balance for their staff and themselves personally. Despite these workplace pressures, the narrative is peppered with instances of practical and emotional concern and support.

Since COVID-19 pandemic, flexible work arrangements have been in vogue. People have started to rethink their way of living and especially their way of working. The well-being of employees has become a priority in this fast-changing economy. Improving well-being includes finding balance between personal and professional lives, which can be achieved through different flexible work arrangements. In this thesis, we explore the specific model of the four-day workweek (4DWW). The 4DWW can be implemented with condensing the same number of hours of a 5-day workweek in 4 days or simply with the reduction of the number of hours worked in total. In this thesis, we choose to focus on a reduced number of working hours, as we believe a condensed version of a 5-day workweek in 4 days would not be sustainable and would possibly lead to burn-out.  The 4DWW has received a lot of attention in the 1970s, but only as a condensed version of the five-day workweek and has come back in the literature since the Covid-19 pandemic. It has mostly been studied during a trial run of a few months, measuring its impact only while being under study. The Hawthorne effect shows that data can be biased while being under study, and the fact that the 4DWW is observed only for a few months can make the analysis seem out of time. We wanted to dig deeper and observe the influence of the 4DWW when it has been implemented for several years. This study investigates the influence of the 4DWW on employees and the organizing of work in the long run, paying attention to changes that are persistent after several years of implementation and stretch beyond the ones that are mainly present in the beginning.  The 4DWW is a flexible work arrangement that can have different purposes such as improving well-being and increasing productivity. The aim of the study was to analyse the influence of the 4DWW on both levels, the individual employee level and the level of the organization as a functioning dynamic between employees. Our thesis aims to observe how the well-being and productivity of employees are influenced by the 4DWW, and how the coordination can be adjusting to this fast-paced work rhythm, focusing on the collaboration and the surveillance at work. This thesis gains perspective on this subject and aims to expose practical implications for employees and their ways of working together to inform and broaden people’s minds and theoretical knowledge about flexible work arrangements, especially the 4DWW concept.

While there is abundant research and literature on the transition to becoming a mother while working and on mothers and work-life balance, literature on clergy and, in particular, clergywomen and work-life balance is scarce. This study contributes to that literature by utilizing role theory and grounded theory methods to investigate the experience of 12 clergywomen who negotiated maternity leave with their congregations and the implications of that process on how they understood and managed their roles as mothers and pastors. The result is a model for role management through the process of negotiating maternity leave which identifies and describes the causal conditions; personal, church and intervening factors; overall experience of negotiation and consequences of the negotiation, including decisions about role management. Major findings include the observations that the most influential church factor seems to be the overall stability and organizational health of the congregation and its leadership and that a presbytery level policy may be the only effective intervention in a difficult negotiation. Limitations of the study, as well as recommendations for future study, clinical implications, and recommendations for denominational leaders are also discussed. / Master of Science

Research Question: How does the availability of remote work options influence employee     motivation and subsequently impact employee performance in a hybrid workplace setting? Purpose: The purpose of this research is to delve into the dynamics involved in hybrid work environments and evaluate the factors that contribute to employee motivation and consequently, performance. The research aims to determine how intrinsic, extrinsic and other facilitators influence employee motivation in these recently implemented work environments. Additionally, it seeks to explore two perspectives: that from an employee perspective and from a managerial perspective.  Method: A qualitative research method was employed in this thesis, with empirical data being collected through semi-structured interviews with managers and employees who work in office-based roles. Additionally, this study examines the relevant motivation theories to help understand the interview findings, providing a comprehensive framework for analyzing employee motivation in the context of hybrid work.  Conclusion: The employee interview respondents indicate that fulfillment of autonomy,   relatedness and work-life balance are crucial for maintaining motivation in a hybrid work setting. Although overall performance levels did not experience significant changes, managers reported encountering delays and challenges during the initial transition to remote work. Competence was one of the basic needs with little to no evidence of being impacted, however work efficiency tended to decline in a remote setting.

I det moderna arbetslivet suddas gränsen mellan arbete och privatliv ut, samtidigt ökar stressrelaterade sjukskrivningar, särskilt för kvinnor. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vad kvinnor i arbetsledande roll behövde för att uppnå balans mellan arbete och privatliv samt vilka strategier som användes. 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och analyserades tematiskt. I analysen identifierades tre teman som var gynnande och fyra teman som var hindrande avseende balans mellan arbete och privatliv samt fem strategier som aktivt användes för att skapa en god balans. Resultatet visade att inflytande över och möjlighet till planering för det egna arbetet var av stor vikt och att aktiv fritid användes för återhämtning. En attraktiv arbetsgivare behöver ge stöd, struktur och tydligt ledarskap för att främja god balans. Studiens resultat stämmer väl överens med tidigare forskning inom området, men den bidrar med ökad förståelse kring självledarskapets betydelse avseende att stärka kvinnors egenansvar och förmåga att sätta gränser.

Syftet med undersökningen är att fördjupa vår förståelse för hur undersköterskor som arbetar inom kommunal äldreomsorg upplever gränsdragningen mellan arbete och privatliv till följd av att de anpassar och justerar sina känslor i vardagen. Eftersom vi båda har arbetat inom kommunal äldreomsorg finns viss förförståelse för ämnet. Den teoretiska referensramen fokuserar på det emotionella arbetet samt work life balance, vilket ligger till grund för hur vårt insamlade material tolkas. Materialet har insamlats genom åtta telefonintervjuer, vilka vi sedan har analyserat och kopplat samman med den teoretiska referensramen. Resultatet visar på att det emotionella arbetet upplevs olika av undersköterskorna. Däremot uppfattar samtliga undersköterskor att de ofta kan behöva gå in i en roll och uttrycka sig på ett sätt som inte alltid stämmer överens med vad de egentligen känner. Studien visar även att de flesta undersköterskorna upplever att deras balans mellan arbete och privatliv är bra, men det går att se att gränsdragningen mellan arbete och privatliv påverkas av att de har ett känslomässigt arbete.