Background: The average hours per week of full-time employees have decreased since 1870, however, stayed at 40 hours per week for a long time. Now, in the early 21st century, there is a new interest of lowering the weekly hours even more. The reasoning behind the new interest is because it has been proven to increase a variety of benefits, both on an organizational and individual level.   Research Problem: Even though there is an increased interest for Reduced Working Hours per week globally, the existing research mainly focuses on the employees' side where Work-Life Balance and other benefits is highlighted. We find little research and documentation of the potential differences it entails for managers; therefore, it seems to be of lower interest to document the managers side of the phenomenon. Here we find a lack of research and a gap that needs further attention.   Research Purpose: The purpose of this study is to fill the research gap by identifying the managerial practices and strategies when reducing the weekly working hours within an organization. Thus, with the intention to create a framework for future managers to be able to make use of when implementing this strategy.   Research Question: How do different managerial practices and strategies facilitate the implementation of Managerial Innovation of Reduced Working Hours effectively for better Work-Life Balance?   Research Method: This study is done with a qualitative and inductive approach. Since our research is of this form, a relativistic ontological approach was used together with the epistemological assumptions of constructionism. We conducted a multiple case study to investigate the managerial practices that changed or had the most impact on the implementation of Reduced Working Hours. This is done in combination with grounded theory, where the aim is to develop theory that is grounded in our data.   Conclusion: Our findings show that certain practices had increased impact on the facilitation of Reduced Working Hours but the managerial focus shifts depending on the stage of implementation. We created a framework with the managerial practices that are most important during each stage of the implementation. First, planning is essential in the Pre-implementation stage with gathering knowledge and inspiration and having meetings to prepare before implementing Reduced Working Hours. The second stage, During-implementation presented manage as the essential focus. With guiding, communicating, and involving as the key practices. Lastly, in the Post-implementation stage, managers need to iterate. This is done by collecting feedback, revising the information to improve processes and practices.

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.

Bakgrund: I den här studien undersöks ett projekt i en kommun i Mellansverige. Kommunen har infört arbetstidsförkortning för personal inom hemtjänst och äldreboenden. Debatten kring arbetstidsförkortning har pågått under en lång tid och pågår i dagsläget. Vilket kan bero på att det finns de som både är för och emot arbetstidsförkortning. Tidigare studier och forskning visar dock att arbetstidsförkortning leder till positiva effekter såsom minskad stress och mer tid över till familj och fritidsaktiviteter. Arbetstidslagen reglerar bland annat arbetstiden, dygnsvila, raster samt pauser. Vården har genom kollektivavtal gått ifrån normen om 40 timmars arbetsvecka, inom Kommunals avtalsområde har redan en arbetstidsförkortning införts som innebär 37 timmars arbetsvecka och detta har genomförts på grund av att de arbetar på obekväm arbetstid. Arbetstiden är sammankopplad med arbetsmiljön och en utmaning är att skapa balans mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Enligt Arbetsmiljölagen ska förhållandena anpassas till varje enskild individ vilket är en betydande faktor då hela människan, med sina egna känslor och behov, går till arbetet. Syfte: Studien syftar till att undersöka om omvårdnadspersonal inom hemtjänst och äldreboende i en kommun i Mellansverige upplever en bättre balans mellan arbete och fritid efter införandet av arbetstidsförkortning. Metod: Den här studien har utgått från en kvalitativ forskningsmetod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer där både gruppintervjuer och enskilda intervjuer har genomförts. Att det var en kvalitativ forskningsmetod som valdes till studien är för att det skulle hjälpa oss att skapa en större förståelse för hur arbetstidsförkortning påverkar medarbetarna. Intervjuerna genomfördes på deltagarnas arbetsplatser och det var totalt 23 personer som deltog. Slutsats: Studien visar att balansen mellan arbete och privatliv har förbättrats för medarbetarna, detta genom att de lättare kan hantera de krav som ställs både på och utanför arbetsplatsen. / Background: This study examines a project in a mid Sweden region. The region has introduced reduced working hours for staff in home care and nursing homes. The debate about shorter working hours has been going on for a long time and is still ongoing, which may be due to the fact that there are those who are both for and against shorter working hours. However, previous studies and research show that reduced working hours leads to positive effects such as reduced stress and more time for family and personal activities. The law of work-time regulates, among other things, working hours, daily rest, breaks and pauses. Through collective agreements, the healthcare sector has moved away from the norm of a 40-hour working week, and one trade union has already introduced a reduction in working hours to a 37-hour working week, which has been implemented because they work irregular hours. Working hours are linked to the work environment and one challenge is to create a balance between work and private life. According to the law of the work environment, the conditions must be adapted to each individual, which is a significant factor as the whole person, with their own feelings and needs, goes to work. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether nursing staff in home care and nursing homes in a region in mid Sweden experience a better work-life balance after the introduction of reduced working hours. Method: This study has been based on a qualitative research method in the form of semi-structured interviews where both group interviews and individual interviews have been conducted. A qualitative research method was chosen for the study because it would help us to create a greater understanding of how a reduction in working hours affects employees. The interviews were conducted at the participants' workplaces and a total of 23 people participated. Conclusion: The study shows that the work-life balance has improved for employees, making it easier for them to cope with the demands they face both inside and outside the workplace.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka socialsekreterares upplevelser av förkortad arbetstid med bibehållen heltidslön, samt hur förkortad arbetstid påverkar socialsekreterarnas intentioner att stanna kvar inom socialtjänsten. För att besvara studiens syfte användes en kvalitativ metod i form av individuella intervjuer med åtta socialsekreterare som arbetat både 40 timmars arbetsvecka och 30 timmars arbetsvecka inom socialtjänsten. Work-life balance och Herzbergs tvåfaktorsteori var de teoretiska utgångspunkterna som genomsyrat studien. Resultatet visade att socialsekreterare upplever att förkortad arbetstid medför flera positiva faktorer såsom ökad effektivitet i arbetet, bättre återhämtning och mer arbetsglädje. Personalgruppens sammanhållning, mer begränsad tillgänglighet samt möjligheter till fortbildning var faktorer som fungerade bättre vid 40 timmars arbetsvecka. Resultatet visade därtill att socialsekreterarnas intentioner att stanna kvar inom socialtjänsten har ökat i samband med införandet av förkortad arbetstid. Att förkortad arbetstid är kompatibelt med familjeliv, pendling och ett ökat välbefinnande fick fler socialsekreterare att stanna kvar inom socialtjänsten. Slutsatsen som kunde dras var att förkortad arbetstid effektiviserar arbetet inom socialtjänsten samt förbättrar balansen mellan arbete och privatliv för socialsekreterare. Därtill kunde vi konstatera att förkortad arbetstid är en gynnsam investering i socialtjänsten som verksamhet för att öka socialsekreterares intentioner att stanna kvar, likaså attrahera nya medarbetare och på så vis få bukt på den personalflykt som råder inom svensk socialtjänst. / The purpose of the study was to investigate social workers experiences of reduced working hours, with maintained full-time salary, as well as how reduced working hours affect the social workers intention to remain in social services. To answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative method was used through individual interviews with eight social workers who worked both 40- hour work weeks and 30-hour work weeks in social services. Work-life balance and Herzberg ́s two-factor theory are the theoretical points that permeated the study. The result showed that social workers experience that reduced working hours bring several positive factors such as increased efficiency at work, better recovery and more job satisfaction. The cohesion of the staff group, more limited availability and opportunities for continuing education were factors that worked better with a 40-hour work week. The result also showed that the intentions of the social workers to remain in the social service have increased since reduced working hours. The fact that reduced working hours are compatible with family life, commuting and increased well- being caused more social workers to remain in social services. The conclusion that could be drawn was that reduced working hours make work in social services more efficient and improve the balance between work and private life for social workers. In addition, we were able to state that reduced working hours is a necessary investment to increase social workers intentions to stay, as well as attract new employees and thereby overcome the staff flight that prevails within Swedish social services.

Stora förändringar har skett på arbetsplatser under de senaste 40 åren.  Arbetsgivare ställer allt högre krav på sina arbetare att täcka upp längre och mer av arbetstiden det vill säga olika delar av dagen, veckan och året. Organisationers ständiga omstrukturering och nedskärning bidrar till underbemanning, vilket ökar arbetsbelastning samt stress på arbetarna som måste vara tillgängliga längre timmar för att klara av arbetskraven. Även att inte enbart arbetsplatsen ställer höga krav på individer, utan familjelivet och särskilt barnomsorg kräver mycket energi och tillgänglighet. Samt genom långa arbetspass så minskar automatiskt tiden och energin till att hinna spendera med familj och barn. Detta bidrar till konflikter mellan arbete-familjelivet. / Major changes have taken place in workplaces over the last 40 years.  Employers are increasingly demanding on their workers to cover up longer and more of working hours, i.e. different parts of the day, week and year. Organisations permanent restructuring and cutbacks contribute to understaffing, which increases workload and stress on the workers who must be available for longer hours to cope with the work requirements. Also that not only the workplace places high demands on individuals, but family life and especially child care requires a lot of energy and availability. As well as through long shifts, the time and energy are automatically reduced to spend with family and children. This contributes to conflict between work-family life.