Antalet sjukskrivningar till följd av stressrelaterade sjukdomar har ökat kraftigt för vårdpersonal. Därtill saknas det evidens för internetbaserade interventioner mot stressrelaterad ohälsa för vårdpersonal. Syftet var att undersöka och utvärdera en internetbaserad kognitiv beteendeterapi-intervention (iKBT) avseende graden av samvetsstress, arbetsrelaterad stress samt självmedkänsla hos vårdpersonal. Enkäter bestående av Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ), Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version II (COPSOQ II) och Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) besvarades av deltagarna (N = 8), samtliga var kvinnor mellan 27 – 53 år. Resultaten analyserades med PEM och RCI på individnivå och T-test på gruppnivå. RCI-analysen visade begränsade resultat för SCQ, blandade resultat för COPSOQ II och övervägande positiva resultat för SCS. Analysen på gruppnivå visade en signifikant minskning i Sömnbesvär (p = .032) och Self-Judgment (p = .021) samt signifikant ökning i Self-Kindness (p = .016). Studien behöver replikeras i framtida studier med ett större antal deltagare och en studiedesign som är metodologiskt robust. / The amount of sick leave due to stress-related illnesses has increased significantly for healthcare staff. In addition, there is a lack of evidence for internet-based interventions for stress-related illness for healthcare staff. The aim was to examine and evaluate an internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) intervention regarding the degree of stress of conscience, work-related stress and self-compassion among healthcare staff. Questionnaires consisting of Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ), Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version II (COPSOQ II) and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) were answered by the participants (N = 8), all were women between 27 - 53 years. The results were analyzed with PEM and RCI at the individual level and T-tests at group level. The RCI analysis showed limited results for SCQ, mixed results for COPSOQ II and predominantly positive results for SCS. The analysis at group level showed a significant decrease in Sleep Disorders (p = .032) and Self-Judgment (p = .021) as well as a significant increase in Self-Kindness (p = .016). The study needs to be replicated in future studies with a larger number of participants and a study design that is more methodologically robust.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka om biståndshandläggares arbete inom äldreomsorgen har förändrats i samband med utskrivningsprocessen från sjukhus mot bakgrund av den nya lag som tillkom januari 2018, lag (2017:612) om samverkan vid utskrivning från sluten hälso- och sjukvård. Vi har velat synliggöra vilka förändringar av arbetet som skett i och med att lagändringen trädde i kraft, vad dessa i praktiken inneburit för biståndshandläggarna i arbete med äldre samt undersöka vad de upplever sig behöva för hanteringen av detta. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och det empiriska materialet består av totalt åtta intervjuer med yrkesverksamma socionomer inom biståndshandläggning äldreomsorgen vid en stadsdelsförvaltning belägen i Stockholms kommun. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats genom användningen av en perspektivanalys och analysschema av Håkan Jönson. Vidare har vi analyserat våra resultat utifrån Michael Lipskys teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater och även använt oss av teoretiska begrepp som handlingsutrymme och makt. Resultatet av studien visar att det finns flera bakomliggande faktorer som påverkar biståndshandläggarnas upplevelser av sin yrkesroll utifrån den nya lagändringen, en har medfört ett förändrat arbetssätt och bland annat ställt krav på en högre grad av effektivisering i deras arbete. Respondenterna uttrycker att arbetssättet blivit mer akutstyrt, kravfyllt och de har svårigheter att förfoga över sin egen arbetstid vilket leder till att utskrivningar prioriteras framför hembesök och uppföljningar som därmed skjuts upp. Vidare framgår att det har blivit en sämre kvalité i arbetet då biståndshandläggarna pressas till att arbeta bakvänt i handläggningen till följd av bristande och uteblivna ADL-bedömningar (aktiviteter i det dagliga livet) från vårdens sida och de förkortade handläggningsdagarna i samband med utskrivningsprocessen. Biståndshandläggarna påverkas av stress i arbetet då tempot avsevärt har ökat vilket kan leda till felaktigheter i handläggningen och i förlängningen en känsla av otrygghet och rättsosäkerhet för den äldre. / The purpose of this study has been to investigate how the work of care managers has changed in connection with the discharge process from hospital against the background of the new law that was added in January 2018, Law (2017:612) on collaboration during discharge from inpatient health care. We wanted to make visible the changes to the work that took place as a result of the change in law coming into force, what these meant in practice for the care managers, and to examine what they feel they need to handle this. The study has a qualitative approach and the empirical material consists of a total of eight interviews with professional care manager in the field of elderly care assistance at a district administration located in Stockholm municipality. The collected material has been analyzed through the use of a perspective analysis and analysis scheme by Håkan Jönson. Furthermore, we have analyzed our results based on Michael Lipsky's theory of the street-level bureaucrats and also used theoretical concepts such as discretion and power. The results of the study show that there are several underlying factors that affect the care managers experiences of their professional role based on the new law change, one has brought about a changed way of working and, among other things, set demands for a higher degree of efficiency in their work. The respondents express that the way of working has become more urgent, full of demands and they have difficulties managing their own working hours, which leads to discharges being prioritized over home visits and follow-ups, which are therefore postponed. Furthermore, it appears that there has been a lower quality in the work as the care managers are pressured to work backwards in the processing as a result of insufficient and absent ADL assessments (activities in daily life) from the care side and the shortened processing days in connection with the discharge process. The care managers are affected by stress at work as the pace has increased significantly, which can lead to errors in the processing and, by extension, a feeling of insecurity and legal uncertainty for the elderly.

Smarta kläder är en kroppsnära teknik som består av kläder som har i sig integrerade/invävda sensorer vilka mäter kroppssignaler, arbetsställningar och rörelser och visar information om eventuella överbelastningar. Syftet i denna studie var att utvärdera prototyp 1 av ett smart arbetsklädersystem genom att utreda användarnas upplevelse (user experience) och användbarhet av prototypen samt prototypens påverkan på testpersonernas arbetsbeteende. En kombinerad studiedesign valdes. Den experimentella studien kompletterades med enkät och intervju. Tolv testpersoner deltog i undersökningen, fördelade lika på tre grupper: en kontrollgrupp och två experimentgrupper. Via tekniska mätningar samlades kinematisk data gällande: handledens vinkelhastighet och tummens tryckkraft; överarmens vinkel för höger- och vänster arm; överarmens vinkelhastighet för höger och vänster arm samt bålens vinkel vid fram- och bakåtböjningar. Signifikanta arbetsbeteendeförändringar kunde ej konstateras, men det förekom stora skillnader i de individuella resultaten i varje grupp. Dock kunde inte något specifikt mönster i arbetsbeteendeförändringar från de olika grupperna urskiljas. Hypotesen att arbetsbeteendeförändringar kan tillskrivas påverkan från prototypen stöddes inte av data. Resultatet från intervju- och enkätundersökning kring användarnas upplevelse och användbarhet visade att prototypen skattades som användarvänlig och användbar i sin helhet. Testpersonerna önskade förändringar i prototypens konstruktion gällande prototypens material och storlek, typ av feedback samt placering av sensorer. Vissa brister i design och utförandet av användartesterna och experimentmätningen konstateras och deras inverkan på studiens validitet och reliabilitet diskuteras. Rekommendationer ges gällande framtida testning av nästa prototyp utifrån de upptäckta bristerna. / Smart clothes are a group of technical aids that consist of clothing that has integrated/built-in sensors that measure body postures and movements and display information about possible physical overload. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prototype 1 of a smart workwear system by investigating its user experience and usability, as well as the impact of the prototype on the test subjects' work behavior. A combined study design was chosen. The experimental study was supplemented with questionnaire and interview. Twelve test subjects split in three equal groups participated in the study: one control group and two experimental groups. Through technical measurements, kinematic data was collected: angular velocity of the wrist and thumb pressure; right and left arm's angle; angular velocity for the right and left arm as well as the torso angle during forward and backward bending. Changes in work behavior were found. However, large differences in the individual results within each group were observed, with no obvious pattern of changes in work behavior between groups. The collected data did not support the hypothesis that work behavior changes can be associated with the impact of the prototype.  The result of analysis of the interviews and questionnaires about user experience and usability showed that the prototype was considered user-friendly and useful in general. Test subjects requested changes in the prototype’s construction regarding the prototype’s material and size, type of feedback and location of sensors.  Some shortcomings are observed in the test design, data collection and also in how the tests were conducted. Their impact on the validity and reliability of the study is discussed; accordingly, recommendations addressing the detected shortcomings are given regarding the future testing of the next prototype.

The purpose of this study was to explore how Generation Y engineers in South Africa experience their work and based on this to determine how companies should be orientated toward their retention and engagement. I followed a qualitative research approach informed by the hermeneutic phenomenological paradigm, making use of a case study approach and in-depth unstructured interviews with six Generation Y engineers. My findings showed that even though retention cannot be ensured, hygiene retention factors are needed for initial retention and task and work-setup engagement for prolonged retention. Personal passion and commitment relating to career engagement are valued above organisational engagement and commitment. Companies should focus on the identified hygiene retention factors and on engaging these participants through providing for certain elements in their task and work setup. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Le concept de « risques psychosociaux au travail » rassemble plusieurs phénomènes de souffrance liés au travail. Ces risques se réfèrent à la fois aux actes porteurs de souffrance et aux expressions de cette souffrance sur la santé des salariés. Malgré sa formulation, ce concept renvoie à des événements qui portent atteinte tant à la santé psychique que physique des travailleurs. Ces atteintes d’origine professionnelle ont pour trait commun leur caractère avant tout social. En effet, les risques psychosociaux sont principalement causés par des organisations du travail, des méthodes de management ou des relations interpersonnelles néfastes. Si l’expression de risques psychosociaux a émergé hors du champ juridique, elle est désormais communément utilisée en droit pour traiter des questions de santé et de sécurité au travail. L’appréhension juridique de ces risques n’est pourtant pas évidente. Ceux-ci sont difficiles à délimiter, teintés de subjectivité et peu enclins à être appréhendés au vu de l’histoire du droit social. Toutefois, le droit est de plus en plus sensible à l’appréhension des différentes dimensions de la personne du salarié. En outre, si la consécration des risques psychosociaux en tant que catégorie juridique est marginale, les événements auxquels renvoie ce concept sont saisis par les textes de droit nationaux et extranationaux ainsi que par la jurisprudence. Dès lors, les dispositifs et solutions juridiques applicables aux relations de travail de droit privé sont en capacité de prévenir ces risques, de les sanctionner ou de les réparer. À ce titre, une multitude d’acteurs internes ou externes à l’entreprise sont en capacité d’agir face à ces risques. / The concept of "psychosocial risks at work" gathers several work-related suffering risks. These risks are, at the same time, related to the generating acts of pain and to the expressions of suchpain on employees’ health. Despite its formulation, this concept refers to events affecting both mental and physical health of workers. Such affecting events share the same social ground. Indeed, psychosocial risks are mainly caused by the companies’ organization themselves, management methods or harmful relationships. Even though the expression of psychosocial risks was formerly developed out of the legal environment, it is now generally used in law to deal with issues of health and safety at work. However, the comprehensive understanding of such risks is not yet obvious from a legal perspective. These are complicated to define and delimit, tinged with subjectivity and unlikely to be understood in light of the employment law history. However, law is increasingly taking into account the different dimensions of the workers’ individuality. Also, if the psychosocial risks fail to be recognized, so far, as an independent and entire legal concept, both laws (domestic and international) and case law are more and more referring to it. Therefore, measures and legal solutions applicable to the working relationships in private companies enable to prevent such risks, punish or compensate them. As such, a wide range of people, whether related or not to the company, are able to duly face these factors.

Text in English / With the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), first recognised in 1981 as a new disease that subsequently took on pandemic proportions, home-based caregivers became instrumental to ensure that, notwithstanding the encumbered health care systems, people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) receive care, support and treatment within their households to live prolonged dignified lives. Despite their pivotal role in the field of HIV and AIDS care, there seems to be a dearth of literature, and research locally and internationally, from the ambit of Social Work on the topic of how HBCGs manage and cope with the work-related challenges they experience when caring for PLWHA and their need for Social Work support. Through this exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological qualitative study, I scrutinised the HBCGs’ experiences and associated challenges and the coping strategies they employ to address these challenges as well as their views on how social workers could support them in overcoming these challenges in the specific case on home-based care to PLWHA. Twenty-five HBCGs were identified and recruited through purposive and snowball sampling techniques from twelve home-based care organisations in South African provinces, namely, North West, Limpopo and Gauteng. Data was collected through individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews using an interview-guide. Data analysis was conducted through Tesch’s eight steps (in Creswell 2014:189) while Guba’s model (in Shenton, 2004) was adopted for data verification. Cast against Loretta Williams’ (2014) middle range theory of caregiving dynamics (Williams 2014), the coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) and the strength-based perspective (Saleebey, 2013) adopted as theoretical frameworks for this study, the following findings were revealed. The HBCGs were motivated by, among other factors, their mere desire to care for PLWHA; their personal experiences of caring for an ill relative; and future career aspirations to become involved in this care work. HBCGs were found to face various work-related challenges in connection with reactions from community members, the patients and their relatives; their unsafe working conditions; as well as from their colleagues, other role players and their own organisations. It was found that for most of the HBCGs their care work saddened, pained and discouraged them. In the midst of feeling sorry for their patients, they feared getting infected themselves, in addition to their work-related challenges that caused them to experience feelings of failure. The strategies adopted to cope with their work-related challenges included getting support from employers, receiving counselling and becoming involved in support groups. Finally, several suggestions were directed to the management structures of HBC organisations, the HBCGs themselves and social workers on how they could address the work-related challenges. Based on the research findings, some recommendations are forwarded concerning guidelines for Social Work support directed at work practice, policies and programmes; associated education and training endeavours; and continuous professional development initiatives, as well as avenues for further research. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

The purpose of this study was to explore how Generation Y engineers in South Africa experience their work and based on this to determine how companies should be orientated toward their retention and engagement. I followed a qualitative research approach informed by the hermeneutic phenomenological paradigm, making use of a case study approach and in-depth unstructured interviews with six Generation Y engineers. My findings showed that even though retention cannot be ensured, hygiene retention factors are needed for initial retention and task and work-setup engagement for prolonged retention. Personal passion and commitment relating to career engagement are valued above organisational engagement and commitment. Companies should focus on the identified hygiene retention factors and on engaging these participants through providing for certain elements in their task and work setup. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Psykisk ohälsa i arbetslivet är ett stort och växande problem i välfärdssamhället. Problemet har flera bottnar och väcker många frågor om vem som har ansvar, vad det egentligen är för ett slags fenomen och hur det bör hanteras. Den här studien undersöker hur arbetsrelaterad psykisk ohälsa hanteras av yrkesverksamma inom vården, med fokus på företagshälsovård och primärvård. Intresse riktas mot hur yrkesverksamma personerna resonerar kring arbetsrelaterad psykisk ohälsa, vilka dilemman de ställs inför och de strategier de har för att hantera dessa. Den söker också svar på ansvarsfrågan kring detta komplexa problem, inte minst i ljuset av privatiseringen av företagshälsovården. I studien används ett tvärvetenskapligt perspektiv, där begrepp från teknik- och vetenskapsstudier (STS), professionssociologi och organisationsteori kombineras för att analysera olika aspekter av vårdens hantering av arbetsrelaterad psykisk ohälsa. Det empiriska materialet bygger i huvudsak på intervjuer med läkare, psykoterapeuter, kuratorer, arbetsterapeuter, psykologer, rehabiliteringskoordinatorer och  beteendevetare, men inkluderar även observationer inom primärvård och företagshälsovård. Hanteringen av arbetsrelaterad psykisk ohälsa i vårdens vardag präglas av att orsaksbilden till problemet är komplext, ansvarsfördelningen otydlig och att psykosociala orsaker till sjukdom är kontroversiellt. I studien diskuteras utmaningarna och möjligheterna kring hanteringen av detta komplexa problem i bred bemärkelse. I analyserna uppmärksammas de yrkesverksammas gränsdragningar kring både ansvar och fenomenet arbetsrelaterad psykisk ohälsa. Begreppet kunskapsinfrastruktur används för att förklara och förstå den kunskapsmässiga och materiella struktur som de yrkesverksamma verkar inom. Analyserna visar att de yrkesverksamma har ett pragmatiskt förhållningssätt och använder olika strategier för att skapa sig handlingsutrymme i hur de hanterar arbetsrelaterad psykisk ohälsa. / Mental ill health in working life is a major and growing problem in the welfare society. The problem is multifaceted and raises many questions about who is responsible, what kind of phenomenon it is and how it should be managed. This study examines how care professionals manage work-related mental ill health. Focusing on occupational healthcare and primary care, interest is directed towards how care professionals argue about workrelated mental illness, what dilemmas they face and the strategies they rely on in managing them. It also seeks to answer the question of responsibility regarding this complex problem, not least in the light of the privatization of occupational healthcare. The study uses a multidisciplinary perspective, combining concepts from technology and science studies (STS), sociology of professions and organizational theory in order to analyze various aspects of care management of work-related mental ill health. The empirical material is mainly based on interviews with physicians, psychotherapists, counsellors, occupational therapists, psychologists, rehabilitation coordinators and behavioral scientists, but also includes observations in primary care and occupational health care. The management of work-related mental ill health in everyday healthcare practice is characterized by the fact that the cause of the problem is complex, the division of responsibility unclear and that psychosocial causes of disease are controversial. The study discusses the challenges and possibilities of managing this complex problem in a broad sense. The analysis pays attention to the drawing of boundaries by the care professionals regarding both responsibility and the phenomenon of work-related mental illness. The concept of knowledge infrastructure is used to explain and understand the knowledge and material structures that the care professionals work within. The analysis shows that the care professionals have a pragmatic approach and use different strategies to create scope for dealing with work-related mental health.

Cette thèse s’applique à explorer dans quelle mesure et par quels mécanismes lamondialisation, au travers de ses différentes composantes, impacte la santé des travailleurseuropéens. Dans une première partie, nous exposons les conséquences socio-économiques de cephénomène. Dans une deuxième partie, nous montrons que l’exposition concurrentielleinternationale constitue un facteur de risque pour la santé des travailleurs non qualifiés. Lesfacteurs individuels et organisationnels sont néanmoins les plus à même d’expliquer la prévalencede troubles physiques et mentaux chez l’ensemble des travailleurs. La mondialisation impliqueaussi de nouvelles pratiques organisationnelles liées à l’internationalisation des firmes, une autrefacette de la mondialisation. Nous soulignons que les travailleurs doivent ainsi trouver lesressources nécessaires pour rester attractifs dans ce monde en perpétuelle évolution. Dans unetroisième partie, nous exposons que la mondialisation favorise le développement des activités deservices dans les pays industrialisés. En parallèle, l'organisation de type "lean" est mise en placedans ces secteurs et la pression concurrentielle s’accroit. Ces changements impactent les conditionsde réalisation du travail. Dans ce contexte, la santé se trouve dégradée par des facteurs de risqueen évolution, parmi eux l’intensité du travail liées aux relations interpersonnelles. Enfin, nousmontrons que la Responsabilité Sociale de l’Entreprise apparait comme une solution dont lesentreprises peuvent s’emparer pour améliorer la santé de leurs travailleurs et par conséquent, leurperformance sociale et financière. / This thesis aims at exploring to what extent globalization, through its diversecomponents, impacts the health of European workers. In a first part, we expose the socio-economicconsequences of this multi-faceted phenomenon. In a second part, we show that internationalcompetition, one of the essential components of globalization, is a risk factor for non-skilledworkers. Nevertheless, individual and organizational factors are the most likely to explain mentaland physical disorders prevalence in the population as a whole. Globalization also implies newpractices linked to firms’ internationalization strategy, another component of globalization. Weunderline that workers must acquire the skills to stay attractive in a constantly changing worldand they do not find much support in their companies. In a third part, we show that globalizationenhances the surge of the service sector in industrialized countries. In addition, the leanmanagement is implemented in those sectors and competitive pressure increases. These changesimpact the way the work is performed. Within this context, the health of workers deterioratesbecause they are exposed to changing risk factors, among them: intense of work related tointerpersonal relationships. Finally, we find that the Corporate Social Responsibility comes as ananswer to improve workers’ health and as a consequence, firms’ social and financial performance.

Text in Afrikaans / The purpose of this research study is to determine the extent to which employee assistance programmes can be utilised by welfare agencies to ensure that work-related and personal problems do not negatively influence the productivity of social workers. The group of respondents consisted of ten social work supervisors from ten different welfare agencies, which included civil sevice organisations, specialist organisations and family welfare organisations. The conclusion that was reached based on the findings of the empirical study is that social workers have a need for services that will prevent, relieve or eliminate their work-related and personal problems, in order to improve the productivity and general functioning of social workers. It is recommended that welfare agencies in accordence with their unique nature and functioning and the specific needs of the social workers, utilise employee assistance programmes so as to ensure optimal productivity of social workers / Die doel van die navorsingstudie is om te bepaal tot watter mate werknemerhulpprogramme deur welsynsinstansies aangewend kan word ten einde te verseker dat werkverwante en persoonlike probleme nie die produktiwiteit van maatskaplike werkers negatief beinvloed nie. Die ondersoekgroep het bestaan uit tien maatskaplikewerksupervisors van tien verskillende welsynsinstansies, te wete staatsdiensorganisasies, spesialiteitsorganisasies en gesinsorgorganisasies. Na aanleiding van die empiriese ondersoek is daar tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat maatskaplike werkers 'n behoefte aan dienste het wat hul werkverwante en persoonlike probleme voorkom, verlig of uit die weg ruim ten einde produktiwiteit en algemene funksionering van maatskaplike werkers te bevorder. Daar word aanbeveel dat welsynsinstansies, na gelang van hul unieke aard en funksionering en die spesifieke behoeftes van die maatskaplike werker, werknemerhulpprogramme sal aanwend ten einde optimale produktiwiteit van maatskaplike werkers te verseker. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)