De senaste decennierna har chefers arbetsförhållanden i den kvinnodominerade offentliga sektorn genomgått betydande förändringar, att cheferna exempelvis blivit tilldelade fler ansvarsområden i form av kostnads- och effektiviseringsansvar. Senare har det visat sig att chefer i kvinnodominerade yrken har en bristande arbetsmiljö, detta på grund av höga arbetskrav och en hög grad av påfrestningar i arbetet. I samråd med en kvinnodominerad kommunal verksamhet har jag fått uppdraget att i denna studie genomföra en uppföljande undersökning om enhetschefernas upplevelser av sin organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö utifrån krav, kontroll och stöd i arbetet. Denna studie undersöker även hur upplevelserna av arbetsmiljön förstås utifrån ett genusperspektiv. Studien har ett abduktivt angreppssätt och empiriinsamlingen har skett genom sju kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. För att analysera det empiriska materialet har tematisk analys tillämpats. Resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av Karasek och Theorells (1990) krav-kontroll-stödmodell, Connell och Pearses (201) synsätt på genus som socialt konstruerat samt Ackers (1990) synsätt på att genus produceras i organisationer genom genusskapande processer. Resultatet visar att enhetscheferna arbetar i en verksamhet som är gränslös, detta genom att arbetsuppgifterna som tillhör arbetet aldrig tar slut. Inom ramen för enhetschefernas arbete förekommer variationer i upplevelsen av arbetsmiljön, vilket tyder på att förmågan eller möjligheten att sätta gränser i arbetet blir viktigt. Föreställningar om skillnader mellan manliga och kvinnliga egenskaper har betydelse för hur enhetscheferna upplever sin arbetsmiljö. Detta genom att resultatet visade att enhetscheferna upplever att kvinnor är sämre på gränsdragningar och att kvinnor inte respekteras av arbetsgivaren när de sätter gränser i arbetet i lika hög utsträckning som män. / During the recent decades, managers’ working conditions in the Swedish women dominated public sector have undergone important changes. For example, managers’ responsibilities have been expanded to contain more responsibilities of costs and efficiency. Later, it has been found that managers in professions dominated by women have a lack of sustainable working environment, caused by high job demands and a high degree of work strains. In consultation with a dominated municipal function in northern Sweden, I have been commissioned to investigate how first line managers experience their organizational and social work environment (psychosocial work environment) in this study, based on job demands, job control and social support. This study also investigates the work environment out of a gender perspective. The study has an abductive approach and the empiricism have been collected with qualitative semi structured interviews, where the number of interviews was seven. Thematic analysis has been devoted and the results have been analyzed by using Karasek and Theorell’s (1999) job demand-control-support model, Connell and Pearse’s (2015) idea of gender as socially constructed, and Ackers (1990) idea that gender is created in organizations through gender creating processes. The result shows that the first line managers are working in a municipal function that are boundless, which means that the work tasks never run out. Within the frames of the managers’ work there are variations in the experiences of the work environment. The result shows that the ability and possibility of setting boundaries in their work are important. The imagination of differences between male and female behavior are important for how the first line managers experience their work environment. The results also show that the first line managers experience that women are not as god as men to set boundaries in their work, and that women are not respected by the employer equally as men when it comes to set boundaries.

Syftet med studien var att belysa socialsekreterarnas psykosociala arbetsmiljö och undersöka om det fanns ett samband mellan deras psykosociala arbetsmiljö och kvaliteten på arbetet de utför där hypotesen var att ett sådant samband existerar. Undersökningen genomfördes bland alla socialsekreterare i Värmlands län genom en webbenkät. Populationen bestod av 284 socialsekreterare varav 171 svarade på enkäten vilket gav en svarsfrekvens på 60,2 %. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna för studien har varit Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll-stöd modell samt Socialtjänstlagen, 3 Kap. 3 §, tillsammans med Socialstyrelsens kvalitetsområden. Vid studien användes kvantitativ metod. Resultaten har analyserats genom univariata samt multuvariata analyser, logistiska regressionsanalyser, χ²-test och Cronbach´s Alpha test. Studien visar att många socialsekreterare upplever sig ha en psykosocial arbetsmiljö med höga krav, låg kontroll och lågt socialt stöd. En hög andel upplever även en arbetsmiljö med hög kontroll, låga krav och högt stöd. Resultatet tyder även på ett samband mellan den psykosociala arbetsmiljön mätt utifrån krav-kontroll-stöd modellen samt den upplevda kvaliteten på arbetet, vilket bekräftar studiens hypotes. Faktorn krav har det starkaste sambandet med upplevd kvalitet utav de variablerna som undersökts. Höga krav i arbetet ger lägre upplevd kvalitet oavsett om socialsekreterarna har högt eller lågt stöd och kontroll. / The purpose of this study was to illuminate the psychosocial work environment of social workers and to examine whether there is a correlation between their psychosocial work environment and quality of the work that they do. The hypothesis in the study was that such correlation exists. A web survey was sent to all social workers in the county of Värmland. Population consisted of 284 social workers, of whom 171 answered the survey, giving a response rate of 60.2%. The theoretical framework for the study has been the demand-control-support model by Karasek & Theorell and quality based on the Law for Social Services together with quality fields from Socialstyrelsen. Quantitative method was used in the study. The results have been analyzed with univariate and multivariate analysis, logistic regeression analysis, χ²-test and Cronbach´s Alpha test. The study reveals that many social workers experience that their psychosocial work environment contains high demands, low control and low social support. A high share is also experiencing a work environment with low demands, high control and high social support. The results of the survey also indicate that there is a correlation between the psychosocial work environment measured on the basis of demand-control-support model and the perceived quality of work, which confirms the hypothesis. Demand has the strongest correlation with quality of the studied variables. High work demands result in lower perceived quality whether the workers experience high or low support and control or not.

Denna kandidatuppsats inom offentlig förvaltning handlar om hur mellanchefer inom statliga förvaltningar upplever arbetsrelaterad stress. Vi har studerat hur kombinationen mellan krav och möjligheten till kontroll av arbetsuppgifter ser ut då arbetsrelaterad stress framkallas hos män respektive kvinnor. Studien visar också vilken koppling det sociala stödet på arbetsplatsen har för dessa faktorer.Uppsatsen börjar med ett inledande kapitel följt av syfte och den frågeställning som ska besvaras. Kapitlet tidigare forskning leder till en problemdiskussion och referensramen som följer ligger till grund för intervjufrågorna. Intervjuerna har besvarats av sju respondenter som representerar tre olika organisationer inom statlig förvaltning. Efter transkribering av intervjuerna har dessa analyserats med koppling till referensramen och avslutningsvis lett till vår diskussion och slutsatser.Slutsatserna som kan dras av studien är att de mellanchefer vi har intervjuat inte är särskilt stressade. Stundtals kan det förekomma perioder som kan vara stressade men de flesta av respondenterna tycker att det är hanterbart.Vi tror att det finns en del som är särskilt viktig för att en mellanchef ska klara av att hantera krav och negativ stress och detta är det sociala stödet på arbetsplatsen. Nästan alla våra respondenter säger någonstans i intervjun att de drabbas av arbetsrelaterad stress men de säger sig vara stresståliga individer. En del upplever att de har höga krav i sin arbetssituation, antingen från sig själv eller från omgivningen, men har då andra faktorer som väger upp detta som till exempel socialt stöd av chefskollegor och ledning. En känsla av kontroll över sin arbetssituation verkar vara en viktig faktor för god hälsa. Vår studie pekar på att våra respondenter upplever att de har detta.Några av mellancheferna upplever en ökad stress när de ser att medarbetare stressar, men genomgående tycker de svarande att det är ens eget ansvar att hantera eventuella stressfaktorer och se till att det inte blir för mycket. / This bachelor thesis in public administration is about how middle managers in state administrations are experiencing work-related stress. We have studied how the combination between demands and the possibility of control of tasks looks when it comes to how work-related stress is induced in men and women. The study also shows what influence social support in the workplace has for these factors.The essay begins with an introductory chapter followed by the purpose and our questions. The chapter previous research leads to problems discussion and reference framework that follows is the basis for the interview questions. The interviews have been answered by seven respondents representing three different organizations within the government administration. After transcribing the interviews, these were analyzed in connection to the reference frame and finally led to our discussion and conclusions of the study.The conclusions to be drawn from the study is that the middle managers we interviewed are not particularly stressed. Occasionally there may be periods that can be stressful but most of the respondents find it manageable.We think there is one part which is particularly important to a middle manager so they are able to handle the demands and negative stress, and this is the social support at the work place. Almost all of our respondents say somewhere in the interview that they suffer with work related stress from time to time but they say they are stress-resistant individuals. Some feel that they have high demands in their work situation, either from themselves or from the environment, but other factors weigh this up, such as social support. A sense of control over their work situation seems to be an important factor for good health. Our study suggests that our respondents feel that they have this.Some of the respondents are experiencing increased stress when they see that the employees stress, but consistently they feel that it is one's own responsibility to deal with potential stressors and make sure it does not get too much.The study is written in swedish

Cognitive functioning is important for managing work and life in general. However, subjective cognitive complaints (SCC), involving self-perceived difficulties with concentration, memory, decision making, and clear thinking are common in the general and in the working population and can be coupled with both lowered well-being and work ability. The present thesis investigated the extent to which SCC among people in the work force can be explained by objective cognitive functioning (study I &amp; II) and working conditions (study III), utilizing samples from the working population. The potential roles of other common psychological problems which often co-occur with SCC were also investigated in studies I-III. In Study I, high levels of SCC were associated with significantly poorer episodic memory performance during high executive demands and a trend was found towards poorer episodic memory, while not being associated with semantic memory. In Study II, high levels of SCC were associated with significantly poorer executive cognitive performance on all three executive cognitive tests used. Symptoms of depression, chronic stress and sleeping problems were found to play an important role in the relations between SCC and episodic memory during divided attention in study I and executive cognitive functioning in study II. In Study III, in all cross-sectional data analyses, high quantitative demands, information and communication technology (ICT) demands, underqualification in the work situation and inter-personal conflicts were positively associated with SCC, whereas social support, good resources at work and overqualification in the work situation were negatively associated with SCC. In all prospective data analyses, quantitative job demands, ICT demands and underqualification were positively associated with future SCC, including when adjusted for baseline cognitive complaints. The findings may guide prevention of and interventions for SCC among people in the work force. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Submitted. Paper 2: Accepted.</p>

Denna studie grundar sig i Arbetsmiljöverkets föreskrift om organisatorisk och social arbetsmiljö, AFS 2015:4, som tagits fram i syfte att främja en god arbetsmiljö och förebygga risk för ohälsa. Utifrån de ökande antalet anmälningarna om arbetssjukdom med stress och psykiska påfrestningar som orsak ligger fokus i studien på ohälsosam arbetsbelastning och om det inom kommunen finns kunskaper att förebygga och hantera dessa risker. Syftet har varit undersöka hur kommunen praktiskt arbetar med föreskriften inom tre organisatoriska nivåer och hur de anställda uppfattar sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Fokus låg även på att undersöka hur de anställda är delaktiga i ovanstående arbetsmiljöarbete. Studien utgick från ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv med en kvalitativ ansats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. En gruppintervju bestående av två medarbetare som representerade HR-avdelningen och två individuella intervjuer på chefsnivå. På medarbetarnivån genomfördes två gruppintervjuer med tre medarbetare vardera från de avdelningarna som respektive chef leder. Av studien framgår att goda resultat kan uppnås i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön när alla organisatoriska nivåer integrerar frågorna i sitt systematiska arbetsmiljöarbete och upprättar rutiner för att förebygga och hantera ohälsosam arbetsbelastning. Studien bekräftar att socialt stöd, kunskap, kommunikation och delaktighet är viktiga framgångsfaktorer för en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö. I diskussionen lyfts vikten av att avsätta tid i syfte att förebygga ohälsa och förslag lyfts om att använda krav/kontroll/stöd-modellen som verktyg att analysera och reflektera kring de anställdas arbetsbelastning. / This study is based on the Swedish work environment authority statute book about organisational and social work environment, AFS 2015:4 provisions, that has been developed to promote a good work environment and prevent risks of ill health. Because of the increasing numbers of work-related ill health due to stress and mental strain, the focus in this study was unhealthy workloads and if there is knowledge in the municipality about preventing and dealing with these risks. The aim was to examine how the municipality practically work with the provision within three organizational levels and how the employees perceive their psychosocial work environment. There were also focus on investigating how employees participate in the above environment work. The study was based on a hermeneutic perspective with a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews. One group interview consisting two employees representing the HR department and two individual interviews at the managerial level. At the employee level, two group interviews were held with three employees from the departments headed by the managers. The outcome of the study shows that good results can be obtained in the psychosocial work environment when all organizational levels integrates these issues in their systematic work environment and establish routines to prevent and dealing with unhealthy workload. The study confirms that social support, knowledge, communication and employee participation are important factors for a healthy psychosocial work environment. The discussion shows the importance of taking time for preventing ill health and suggestions about using the demand/control/support-model as a tool for analysing and reflect over the employee workload.

Syftet med studien var att studera enhetschefers upplevelse av arbetsrelaterad stress, samt hur stressupplevelsen och balansen på deras privatliv varierade. En kvalitativ metod genomfördes med hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Utifrån syfte och Karaseks och Theorells krav-kontroll och stödmodell utformades fyra frågeställningar. Sex enhetschefer intervjuades och det insamlade materialet analyserades med hjälp av en deduktiv tematisk analys. De fyra huvudtemana: krav på arbetsplatsen, kontroll över arbetssituationen, vikten av socialt stöd samt balansen mellan arbete och privatliv var förutbestämda utifrån teorin. Det övergripande resultatet visade på att respondenterna upplevde höga krav och låg kontroll på arbetsplatsen. Vidare framkom det att det sociala stödet var av stor vikt i respondenternas arbetssituation. Modellens förutsedda stressupplevelse stämde överens med enhetschefernas faktiska stressupplevelse och balansen mellan arbete och privatliv visade sig vara begränsad. / The purpose of this study was to study unit managers' experience of strenuous work and work-related stress, as well as how the stress experience impacted on their privacy. A qualitative method was carried out using a semi-structured interview guide. Based on the purpose and Karaseks and Theorell's demand-control and support model, four questions were formulated. Six unit managers were interviewed, and the collected material was analyzed using a deduction thematic analysis. The four main themes: workplace requirements, control of the work situation, the importance of social support and the balance between work and privacy were predetermined based on theory. The overall result showed that respondents experienced high demands and a low level of control at the workplace. Results also showed that social support was of great importance in the respondents' work situation. The model's predicted stress experience was in line with the unit managers' actual stress experience and the balance between work and privacy proved to be limited.

The workplace is an arena that most individuals spend time at. Work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints are problems for the society. Work-related stress has increased in Sweden over the past decades. The aim was to investigate the difference between men and women in work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints among working adults in the Swedish population, and to see if there is a relationship between work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints. The author posted an online survey on Facebook and Discord and 95 adults answered the survey. The result showed that there is a relationship between work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints. Psychosomatic complaints are more common among those who experience more work-related stress. There were no differences between men and women when it comes to work-related stress and psychosomatic complaints. The model Job demand control support model was used in this study. The model is measured with scales such as workload, time pressure and role conflicts. It can be used to see the relationship between job decision latitude and stress indicators. Psychosomatic complaints are more common among those who experience more stress. There are no differences between men and women when it comes to psychosomatic complaints and work-related stress.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka relationen mellan chefens personlighet utifrån femfaktorsmodellen och anställdas arbetsupplevelse utifrån krav-kontroll-stödmodellen när arbete skedde på distans. Pearsons korrelationsanalys genomfördes för att ge en översikt över relationen mellan chefens personlighet och anställdas arbetsupplevelse. Vidare undersöktes hur mycket av chefens personlighet förklarade variationer i anställdas arbetsupplevelse samt om och hur respektive personlighetsdimension predicerade anställdas arbetsupplevelse samt delkategorierna krav, kontroll och stöd. Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) användes för att mäta chefens personlighet. Fem delskalor från QPS Nordic (34+) med koppling till krav-kontroll-stödmodellen användes för att mäta anställdas arbetsupplevelse. Resultaten påvisade signifikanta samband mellan respektive personlighetsdimension och anställdas arbetsupplevelse. 57.9% av variationer i anställdas arbetsupplevelse kunde förklaras av chefens personlighet baserat på femfaktorsmodellen. Samvetsgrannhet var den enda personlighetsdimensionen hos chefen som enskilt hade en signifikant prediktion på anställdas totala arbetsupplevelse och samtliga delkategorier.  Extraversion hos chefen hade en signifikant prediktion på anställdas upplevelse av kontroll. / The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the leader's personality and employees experience of work in a distance context. The study investigated if there was a significant correlation between the leader's personality, based on the five-factory-model, and employees' experience of work, based on the demand-control-support-model. Furthermore, the study explored how much the leader's personality explained the variation in employees' experience of work. Ten Item Personality (TIPI) was used to measure the personality of the boss. Ten questions from QPS Nordic (34+) were used to measure work-experience. The results showed a significant correlation between the leader's personality and distance-workers' experience of work. 57.9% of the variation in the employees' experience of work could be explained by the leader's personality. Concisentiousness was the only dimension that had a significant effect on employees' total experience of work. Extraversion had a significant effect on employees' sense of control.

På senare år har den arbetsrelaterade psykiska ohälsan stått för stora delar av sjukskrivningarna. Man har sett ett mönster mellan långtidssjukskrivningar och de yrkeskategorier som upplevt en ökning mellan psykiska krav och möjligheten för individerna att anpassa sitt egna arbete. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur trafikkonsulenter inom flygsektorn subjektivt upplevt sin psykosociala arbetsmiljö under pandemin. I studien användes QPSNordic som mätverktyg. Totalt var det 82 deltagare som besvarade enkäten, och 72% av de var kvinnor. Studiens resultat jämfördes med QPSNordics referensdata (N=2010) och två separata Pearson korrelationsanalyser genomfördes. Resultatet visade ett positivt signifikant samband mellan socialt stöd och kontroll i arbetet. Medelvärdena i referensdata skiljde sig framförallt åt i skalan ”kontroll av arbetstakt”. Resultaten visade att trafikkonsulenter som upplevde hög grad av socialt stöd också upplevde en hög grad av kontroll i sitt arbete, vilket också stöds i tidigare forskning. / In recent years, work-related mental ill-health has increasingly caused long-time sick leave, and a pattern has been seen, showing increased long-term sick leave for the occupational categories that have increased mental demands and less possibility for employees to control their own work. The purpose of this study was to study how traffic consultants in the aviation industry subjectively experienced their psychosocial work environment during the Covid-19 pandemic. QPSNordic, a questionnaire designed to study psychological, social and organizational working conditions, was used as measurement tool. A total of 82 participants answered the survey, 72% women and 28% men. The results of the study were compared with QPSNordic's reference data (N = 2010), and two separate Pearson correlation analyzes were performed. The results showed a positive significant relationship between social support and individual control of work. The mean values in the reference data differed mainly in the scale range: control of work rate. The results showed that traffic consultants who experienced a high degree of social support also experienced a high degree of control in their work, which corresponds with prior research.

Middle managers have a complex task where it is important to achieve results while at the same time being there for their employees. To succeed in this, a good structure in the work and the right type of support from both management and employees are required. This study aims to investigate how middle managers experience the support that the respective companies provide and how the experiences can be understood based on the JDCS model. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with middle managers at two different businesses. The interviews were transcribed orthographically and then analyzed thematically. The results showed that the support function is central when it comes to handling the high demands that are made, as well as how management forums can contribute to increasing community and collegial support among middle managers. The conclusion that could be drawn was that in order to avoid burdensome work and increase satisfaction, a comprehensive support function is required.