Translate 
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in working life occurred, even in Sweden, where there was no general lockdown. The aim of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic was perceived as affecting the hindering and enabling factors among young employees with CMD to remain at or return to work, here as investigated from the perspective of young employees and managers. A qualitative design was applied with semistructured interviews with 23 managers and 25 young employees (20-29 years old). The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the parts of the interviews related to the aim of this article were analysed using conventional content analysis. The hindering factors were changed working conditions, decreased well-being when spending more time at home, and uncertainty. The enabling factors were decreased demands, increased balance, and well-functioning work processes. For managers it is important to be aware of warning signals indicating blurred boundaries between work and private life, to create and maintain well-functioning communication, and leave room for recovery. The hindering and enabling factors can be described as two sides of the same coin. Changes in the working conditions during the pandemic led to difficulties for both young employees and managers when the margins of maneuver were insufficient.
Highlights
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 was a public health emergency [1] and a threat to human health [2]
Factors for young employees with Common Mental Disorder to remain at or return to work affected by the Covid-19 pandemic
Factors for young employees with Common Mental Disorder to remain at or return to work affected by the Covid-19 pandemic so-called health debt because of an increase in work demands and work tasks and decrease in time for recovery emerged during the pandemic for those working at the workplace, in human service professions in Sweden [15]
Summary
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 was a public health emergency [1] and a threat to human health [2]. On March 11, 2020, it was declared a pandemic [3], and since it has resulted in fundamental changes for millions of people around the world [2]. Many countries instigated national lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus, Sweden had a more restrained approach throughout the pandemic [2]. Unlike in many other countries, Swedish kindergartens and schools for children aged 6–16 remained open throughout the pandemic [7]. In countries that instigated national lockdowns during the pandemic and where schools and kindergartens were closed, studies examining the effects of COVID-19 on working life have reported both positive and negative effects on the working conditions for employees working from home and at work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in working life occurred, even in Sweden, where there was no general lockdown. The aim of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic was perceived as affecting the hindering and enabling factors among young employees with CMD to remain at or return to work, here as investigated from the perspective of young employees and managers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
