Despite the extensive introduction of digital technologies in working life and the demand for the public sector, including schools, to digitalise, there is limited research on the relationship between digitalisation and the work environment. The aim of this article is therefore to explore how implementation processes of digital administrative and communication systems and teaching tools interact with work-related demands and resources experienced in schools. The Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) and Job Demand-Resources model (JDR) were used to analyse experiences of digitalisation and the work environment of employees, managers, strategists and health and safety officers in schools in Sweden. The study, based on semi-structured interviews with 25 participants, shows that the lack of resources and a too-high workload were reported as problematic and challenging in the introduction of digital technology. Collegial cooperation and decision-making opportunities, on the other hand, seemed to enhance the digitalisation process and to some extent even bridge over the weaknesses of strained time resources and high workload.

In this article, work in Swedish pharmacies is examined.With the Nordic concept of co-workership as a frame, the aim is to examine how employees in pharmacies view and handle their work situations and the reasons behind them. Data were mainly collected with 20 qualitative semi-structured interviews in five different pharmacies. The data were organized and analyzed by using the content analysis process. In the studied pharmacies, it can be summarized as work was carengried out in a self-propelled way. Employees take an overall responsibility for the workplace, have ambition to help others and to be a part of a good team, while most of the work is carried out individually and independently.

Background: Community pharmacies in Sweden merge a state-funded professional community service with a retail business. While previous research has recognized its challenges, less attention has been paid to the potential conflict of interest it could result in regarding the work of pharmacists. This study aims to increase understanding of how pharmacists in Sweden combine their healthcare ambitions and obligations with those concerning being employees in a retail business. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 pharmacists employed by pharmacy chains in Sweden. The data were thematically analysed. Results: In the analysis, three themes were formulated: Different interests, The conflict between professional work & business work, and Strategies to manage the conflicts. The analysis of the data reveals that pharmacists in Sweden experience a conflict of interest. They grapple with balancing being healthcare professionals with a focus on patient care and being valued retail employees that also focus on financial results. This conflict manifests in various situations, such as time management, communication focus, preferred behaviours, and different tasks. The different strategies applied by individual pharmacists to manage the work are results of job crafting. Pharmacists employ strategies such as compromise, mandate stretching, avoidance, and acceptance to manage the conflict. However, these strategies lead to compromises in their work. Conclusion: This study aimed to understand how pharmacists combine their healthcare ambitions and obligations with those of being employees in a retail business. The study demonstrated that Swedish community pharmacists need to perform a juggling act to be both professional healthcare workers and viewed as valuable retail employees. In situations when the conflict of interest occurs, the pharmacists use different strategies when determining how to prioritize between the professional work and the business work. The conflict of interest in the pharmacists’ work need to be taken into consideration when discussing pharmacists practices, the profession, or role it’s in the healthcare system. © The Author(s) 2024.

Inclusive workplaces for people with disability – a rapid literature review

In Sweden, the Discrimination Act (SFS 2008:567), aims to counteract discrimination and promote equal rights and opportunities for all despite factors such as disability, sex, ethnicity, and religion. In practice, this means that work organizations need to work for diversity and inclusion. This work is often manifested through recruitment process and to ensure, for example, that gender and disability do not constitute an obstacle for employment. However, the fact that an organization achieves diversity does not automatically mean that the employees have a sense of inclusion.

Shore et al (2011, p. 1265) define inclusion as “the degree to which an employee perceives that he or she is an esteemed member of the work group through experiencing treatment that satisfies his or her needs for belongingness and uniqueness”. Inclusion in working life leads to many positive aspects such as good working relationships, job satisfaction, intention to stay, improved work performance, sense of organizational belonging and commitment, well-being, increased creativity and career opportunities (Shore et al 2011). Exclusion, on the other hand, risks leading to negative effects on psychological and physical health (Alexanderson, 2004), regardless of whether the exclusion occurs due to obvious prejudices or subtle forms of discrimination (Shore et al 2018). 

The purpose of our presentation is to present a systematic overview of the research on disability and inclusion in working life and identify knowledge gaps relevant for the Swedish context. The study is conducted as a systematic literature study with literature search in international and Nordic databases. The project used predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and all reviewed articles in this project represent research of good standard. 

Furthermore, we will present a short overview of a 3-year research project starting in January 2023, that to some extent builds on the review and aims to examine disability and remote work. 

References

Alexanderson K. (2004) Den könssegregerade arbetsmarknaden - samband med sjukdom: positiva effekter av könsintegration, negativa av könssegregering? / Kristina Alexandersson. Den könsuppdelade arbetsmarknaden: betänkande av Utredningen den könsuppdelade arbetsmarknaden, 2004.

Discrimination Act 2008:567

Shore, LM., Randel, AE., Chung, BG., Dean, MA., Ehrhart, KH. & Singh, G. (2011) Inclusion and diversity in work groups: a review and model for future research. Journal of management, 37(4), 1262-1289.

Shore, LM., Cleveland, JN. & Sanches, D. (2018) Inclusive workplaces: A review and model. Human resource management review, 28, pp. 176-189.

The boundaries between the work and non-work spheres have been challenged through the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT). Individuals may easily engage in non-work (family and private) matters at work and during working hours. Prior research on emotions at work tends to understand all emotions at work as work related. By studying non-work matters managed through ICT in a diary study, we suggest that emotions at work are triggered both by work and non-work matters. Our research shows that these emotions can be both positive and negative and may come from actual engagement in private matters, or as a response to a need or a demand to address a private matter. Since emotions affect work performance, for example, we suggest that HR and managers take the causes of workplace emotions into consideration when addressing issues related to emotions at work.