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.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att redogöra för de utmaningar och möjligheter anställda upplever med att bibehålla en sund work-life balance när de arbetar på distans.  Metod: Studien har sin utgångspunkt i teorin, därmed innebär det att en deduktiv forskningsansats har använts. En kvalitativ forskningsstrategi har använts och studiens empiriska data har samlats in genom strukturerade intervjuer för att testa teoretiska utgångspunkter gentemot respondenternas upplevelser. Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att arbete på distans till största del bidrar med fördelar som flexibilitet och kontroll, vilket kan förbättra livstillfredsställelse, arbetsprestation samt reducera rollkonflikter. Det ger anställda mer tid för sina olika roller och uppgifter, vilket främjar välbefinnande. Arbete på distans bidrar även till utmaningar som otydliga gränser mellan arbete och privatliv, särskilt för de med småbarn, och kan resultera i isolering och minskat engagemang. För att bibehålla en sund balans mellan arbete och privatliv är det viktigt med tydliga gränser och effektiva strategier för att hantera kraven från båda sfärerna.

The increased pace of life can create difficulties for individuals to manage their time efficiently and sustainably, this in turn could lead to more stress. As a result of this, work- life balance has become a frequently used term to describe the relation between work and life. Since the increased awareness regarding work-life it has also been important for organizations to apply strategies to provide employees with the tools necessary to withhold a balanced lifestyle to become an attractive employer. Factors that can influence work-life balance that an organization can implement are to give the ability to work remotely and have more flexible conditions. The employee attitudes we set out to find if they have relation with work-life balance were: Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, employee engagement and employee health. These were chosen due to the fact that there had been little research connecting work-life balance influence on these topics. Furthermore, these employee attitudes have been found to create a better organizational performance and overall create better employee well-being. As found in earlier studies, work-life balance has shown to increase employees' life and job satisfaction. Furthermore, it also showed that it had some influence on employees' well-being, meaning reduced stress, risk for burnouts, depression and anxiety due to the fast pace of life and work (Haar, 2013, p. 3319). Furthermore, it also indicates that work- life balance is defined as having a balance between professional and personal interests (Kelliher et al., 2019, p. 98; Hall et al., 2013, p. 548). This research set out to answer the following question: “How does work-life balance influence different employee attitudes?”. To be able to answer our research question we conducted qualitative research and gained a deeper understanding of the reality of the subject. Furthermore, our data was gathered using six semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, this study provides practical implications which might be of use to managers and organizations. First, this study showed that work-life balance does in fact have an influence on different employee attitudes. Secondly, the study also provides insights into which attitudes relate to each other and what factors influence work-life balance. This could be taken into consideration of managers and organizations when planning to implement new policies or strategies to better increase organizational performance and retention rates.

Arbetstidsförkortning är ett begrepp som avser en reducerad arbetstid, exempelvis att gå från en standardiserad åtta timmars arbetsdag till en sex timmars arbetsdag. I denna kandidatuppsats var syftet att undersöka medarbetares upplevelse av en sex timmars arbetsdag. För att uppfylla syftet utfördes en kvalitativ studie med en induktiv ansats. I studien användes ett målstyrt bekvämlighets urval där 10 deltagare med en sex timmars arbetsdag deltog. Intervjuerna som genomfördes var semistrukturerade och samtliga intervjuer spelades in och transkriberades. Därefter utfördes en tematisk analys på det insamlade materialet, vilket resulterade i tre huvudteman med tillhörande underteman. Resultatet visade att nästan samtliga deltagare hade liknande upplevelser av en sex timmars arbetsdag och därav resonerat likartat gällande tre huvudteman. Vidare framkom det att deltagarnas upplevelse av en sex timmars arbetsdag är positiv, dock tillkommer utmaningar som ojämn fördelning av vardagssysslor och försämrad dynamik bland kollegor. Studiens resultat diskuterades i förhållande till tidigare forskning, som till stor del stämde överens med det som framkommit i studien.

Abstract  The concept of balancing work and life has been actively discussed for over 150 years. Whereas people today are experiencing difficulties managing their work and life and the time spent on each, something that is causing them feelings of stress, fatigue and conflicts between their job and life sphere appear. This is an indication of a non-working work-life balance. Meanwhile, organizations both globally, and in Sweden, are getting more pressure on how the social environment and social aspects of an organization is doing and being handled, i.e., the employees and their wellbeing. New directives, like the EU's CSRD, are reshaping how organizations approach social sustainability alongside the established CSR framework, prompting a heightened focus on employee wellbeing and work-life balance. The purpose of this research paper was to gain a broader understanding if the concept and implementation of a four-day work week (4DWW) could help improve and affect the work-life balance among Swedish employees.  To conduct this study, both a literature review and a theoretical framework were performed. The literature review was conducted to gather information on the concept of a 4DWW, work-life balance, CSRD, CSR and I-CSR. Whereas the theoretical framework presents work-life balance theories. Further, seven in-depth interviews were conducted with people living between the north and south of Sweden and that worked full-time Monday through Friday. The respondents were given the choice to choose between an in-person interview or a video call. The answers were to be analyzed using a thematical analysis method.  The results indicated that there is a need for Swedish organizations to improve how they work with providing work-life balance to their employees since the results showed that full-time workers today are experiencing, among other things: lack of time, tiredness and not having time for leisure. However, all respondents expressed that a 4DWW, speculatively thinking, would help them improve their work-life balance and were positive against the idea of working four instead of five days a week. This also had the respondents thinking they would become more excited and productive at work and have more time left for other important areas of life. Finally, what was found was that the 4DWW concept does not solve all the problems faced by employees regarding work-life balance but would, speculatively, solve many of them.

In contemporary society, work and home represent the two most significant domains in the life of working individuals. South Africa’s socioeconomic, political, and societal circumstances will influence employees’ experiences of work-life balance differently, compared to that of employees in other countries, suggesting that the construction of work-life balance amongst different race and cultural groups may differ. The present study used in-depth qualitative interviews with ten black women and men employed in a customer care environment, to explore their construction of work-life balance. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data and identify themes. This study suggests that work-life balance is a unique experience for individuals, which varies over time and in different situations. The study confirmed that attaining work-life balance is a process of balancing ever-changing experiences over time, and in different life stages. The results of this study are also discussed in relation to the relevant literature. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The objectives of the study were (1) to determine the relationship between career adaptability (measured by the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale) and employee engagement (measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale), and (2) to determine whether age, race, gender and tenure groups differ significantly regarding career adaptability and employee engagement. A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample (N = 131) of employees within a business unit of a large insurance company in South Africa. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed significant relationships between career adaptability and employee engagement as well as significant differences between age and race groups on some dimensions of the constructs. These findings contribute valuable insight and knowledge to the field of Organisational Psychology and Career Psychology that can be applied in engagement strategies as well as in career guidance and counselling. The study concluded with recommendations for future research and practice. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The research revolves on the emergence of globalisation, change, competition, work pressure, and risks among others which have exposed insurance employees to work stress that can interfere with home activities. The research purpose was to determine the relationship between work stress, work-home interference, and organisational culture among insurance employees in the Zimbabwean context. The sample consisted of 240 participants, from which data was collected from 190 employees who responded to the questionnaires. The questionnaires were analysed using SPSS, internal consistency reliability analysis, and the inter-correlation analysis. The inferential statistics used were multiple linear regression and one way ANOVA. Substantial positive and negative correlations were noted for the six sub-scales of the Occupational roles questionnaire (ORQ), negative work-home interference (NWHI) and positive work-home interference (PWHI) scales, and the three sub-scales of the Organisational culture index (OCI). The research concluded that different measures should be taken to manage work stressors, depending on the organisational culture, and its employees to prevent spill-over which contributes to negative work-home interference. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)