This thesis considers the nature of lifestyle-oriented work, i.e. making a livelihood based on leisure interest or personal lifestyle, and focuses on the perspective of employees within the Swedish equine sector. The purpose was to gain an increased understanding of the characteristics of lifestyle-oriented work and the consequences for health and well-being. 

The thesis has a case study research design with two embedded units, riding schools and trotting stables, and a mixed methodological approach based on questionnaires and interviews. 

The findings show that employees experienced their work as both important and attractive with loyalty, relations, and stimulation being important factors for work attractiveness (Paper I). The employees found their work meaningful and worked primarily to achieve self-realization and quality of life. Person–environment fit, task significance, and occupational culture emerged as important factors for meaningfulness. However, the work had an inherent duality as the same factors both promoted and challenged the experiences of work attractiveness and meaningfulness (Paper II). The safety climate was found to be relatively good, despite some risk acceptance (Paper III), although the results indicated shortcomings regarding occupational health and safety management (OHSM) (Papers III and IV). Moreover, motivation, management, occupational culture, and resources affect both participation and compliance in OHSM (Paper IV).

Lifestyle-oriented work within the equine sector can be described as double-sided, i.e. both satisfying and demanding. The work is characterized by attraction, meaningfulness, prosocial behavior, and a strong occupational culture but also an acceptance of challenging working conditions, overwork and deficient conditions for OHSM. A systematic OHSM, where both health-promoting factors and risk factors are considered, is necessary to enhance employee health and well-being and to create attractive and sustainable employment.

Many people dream of turning their hobby into a profession so that they can earn a living while doing work they enjoy. Making a livelihood based on hobbies and leisure interests, i.e. employment in the intersection of the work and leisure spheres, can be defined as lifestyle-oriented. However, lifestyle-oriented work can be experienced as double-sided as it contains inherent characteristics that both promote and challenge health and well-being which, in turn, raise issues concerning sustainable employment. 

The aim of this thesis was to gain an increased understanding of the nature of lifestyle-oriented work and what consequences it may have for employees. The thesis brings together the issues of attractive work, meaningful work, occupational culture, and occupational health and safety management. 

Creating attractive working conditions and meaningful work content in a healthy and sustainable way is important in many aspects, not only for an organization’s ability to recruit and retain employees but also to foster employee motivation and commitment as well as health and well-being throughout the working life. The results contribute to the understanding of how work can be organized and designed to offer attractive and sustainable employment in lifestyle-oriented work.