Swedish Workplaces Research Articles

Lack of adjustment latitude at work as a trigger of taking sick leave-a Swedish case-crossover study.

ObjectivesResearch has shown that individuals reporting a low level of adjustment latitude, defined as having few possibilities to temporarily adjust work demands to illness, have a higher risk of sick leave. To what extent lack of adjustment latitude influences the individual when making the decision to take sick leave is unknown. We hypothesize that ill individuals are more likely to take sick leave on days when they experience a lack of adjustment latitude at work than on days with access to adjustment latitude.MethodsA case-crossover design was applied to 546 sick-leave spells, extracted from a cohort of 1 430 employees at six Swedish workplaces, with a 3–12 month follow-up of all new sick-leave spells. Exposure to lack of adjustment latitude on the first sick-leave day was compared with exposure during several types of control periods sampled from the previous two months for the same individual.ResultsOnly 35% of the respondents reported variations in access to adjustment latitude, and 19% reported a constant lack of adjustment latitude during the two weeks prior to the sick-leave spell. Among those that did report variation, the risk of sick leave was lower on days with lack of adjustment latitude, than on days with access (Odds Ratio 0.36, 95% Confidence Interval 0.25–0.52).ConclusionsThis is the first study to show the influence of adjustment latitude on the decision to take sick leave. Among those with variations in exposure, lack of adjustment latitude was a deterrent of sick leave, which is contrary to the à priori hypothesis. These results indicate that adjustment latitude may not only capture long-lasting effects of a flexible working environment, but also temporary possibilities to adjust work to being absent. Further studies are needed to disentangle the causal mechanisms of adjustment latitude on sick-leave.

Awareness and understanding of occupational exposure limits in Sweden

The efficiency of a risk management tool, such as occupational exposure limits (OELs), partly depends on the responsible parties’ awareness and understanding of it. The aim of this study was to measure the awareness and understanding of OELs at Swedish workplaces and to collect opinions on their use and function. Through a web-based questionnaire targeting workers that are exposed to air pollutants or chemicals, and persons working with occupational health and safety or in management at workplaces where workers are exposed to air pollutants or chemicals 1017 responses were collected. The results show that awareness and understanding of Swedish OELs is low among workers, as well as managers and occupational health and safety employees. Statistically significant, but small, differences were found depending on the size of the company and the position in the company. Based on the results, it is recommended that authorities and the social partners target this lack of awareness and understanding regarding OELs. Also, other tools to ascertain a safe working environment with regards to chemicals exposure might be useful for Swedish workplaces.

The Prevalence of Alcohol Prevention Efforts in Swedish Workplaces

This article presents results from a survey aimed at identifying the extent of alcohol prevention efforts in Swedish workplaces focusing on the dissemination of a model for secondary prevention — the ‘Risk Drinking model’. From a random sample of 929 human resource managers at Swedish workplaces, 374 answered a web-based questionnaire (response rate = 40%). Results showed that about 70% had an alcohol policy at their workplace, 51% were engaged in alcohol prevention efforts and about 19% used the Risk Drinking model. Regression analyses showed that large workplaces, workplaces where employees received training on alcohol, public sector and female-dominated workplaces were significantly associated with alcohol prevention activities. We conclude that training is important for the implementation of alcohol prevention at Swedish workplaces, and is of particular importance in small enterprises.

Low Workload as a Trigger of Sick Leave

To investigate if exposure to an unusually low workload when ill can trigger taking sick leave. A case-crossover design was applied to 546 sick-leave spells obtained from a cohort of 1430 employees within six Swedish workplaces. New sick-leave spells were reported from the workplaces during 3 to 12 months follow-up. Exposure was assessed in structured participant interviews at sick leave. Case and control periods from the same individual were sampled according to the matched-pair and usual-frequency approaches. Results are presented as odds ratios with surrounding 95% confidence intervals. The odds ratio of sick leave on a day with an unusually low workload was 2.57 (confidence interval, 1.07-6.16). Becoming ill on a day with a lower workload than usual can trigger the decision to take sick leave.

The Mobility of Immigrants and Natives: Evidence from Internal Migration Following Job Displacement

Boman A. The mobility of immigrants and natives: evidence from internal migration following job displacement, Regional Studies. In times of change in the labour market, differences in migratory behaviour between groups affect the labour market outcome of these groups. One important group in society is that of immigrants, for which human capital migration theory presents two potentially conflicting hypotheses. One is based on immigrants having less location-specific human capital, increasing their probability of migration. The other is based on ethnicity: immigrants living in ethnic enclaves have higher costs of leaving the enclave, reducing their probability of migration. This paper disentangles and finds support for both hypotheses using high-quality data on a wide range of variables for essentially all individuals involuntarily displaced due to closures or substantial cutbacks of Swedish workplaces in 1987 and 1988. Boman A. La mobilité des immigrés et de la population autochtone: des preuves provenant de la migration interne suite au déplacement des emplois, Regional Studies. Au moment de la transformation du marché du travail, les différences du comportement migratoire des groupes touchent les possibilités d'emploi de ces derniers. Les immigrés constituent un groupe important de la société pour lequel la théorie de la migration du capital humain présente deux hypothèses qui risquent d'être en contradiction. L'un repose sur le principe suivant: les immigrés ont moins de capital humain qui dépend de la localisation, ce qui augmente la probabilité de la migration. L'autre repose sur la notion d'ethnicité: les frais de déplacement sont plus élevés pour les immigrés qui habitent des enclaves ethniques, ce qui réduit la probabilité de la migration. Cet article cherche à dévoiler et soutenir les deux hypothèses à partir des données très sûres relatives à une gamme de variables très large pour, avant tout, tous les individus qui ont été déplacés involontairement à cause des fermetures ou d'importantes réductions des lieux de travail en 1987 et en 1988. Mobilité géographique Migration interne Enclaves ethniques Immigrés Déplacement des emplois Boman A. Mobilität von Immigranten und Einheimischen: Belege aus der internen Migration nach einem Arbeitsplatzverlust, Regional Studies. In einer Zeit der Veränderungen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt wirken sich Unterschiede hinsichtlich des Migrationsverhaltens verschiedener Gruppen auf den Erfolg dieser Gruppen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt aus. Eine wichtige Gruppe in der Gesellschaft ist die der Immigranten, für die in der Theorie der Humankapital-Migration zwei potenziell widersprüchliche Hypothesen aufgestellt werden. Die eine stützt sich darauf, dass Immigranten über weniger standortspezifisches Humankapital verfügen, was ihre Wahrscheinlichkeit einer Migration erhöht. Der zweite stützt sich auf die Ethnizität: Für in ethnischen Enklaven lebende Immigranten ist ein Verlassen der Enklave mit höheren Kosten verbunden, was ihre Wahrscheinlichkeit einer Migration verringert. In diesem Beitrag werden diese beiden Hypothesen entwirrt, und es werden Belege zur Unterstützung beider Hypothesen gefunden. Hierfür werden hochwertige Daten über ein breites Spektrum von Variablen für praktisch alle Personen genutzt, die aufgrund von Schließungen oder erheblichen Verkleinerungen von schwedischen Arbeitsplätzen in den Jahren 1987 und 1988 auf unfreiwillige Weise ihren Arbeitsplatz verloren. Geografische Mobilität Interne Migration Ethnische Enklaven Immigranten Arbeitsplatzverlust Boman A. La movilidad de inmigrantes y autóctonos: evidencia de la migración interna tras el desplazamiento laboral, Regional Studies. En tiempos de cambio en el mercado laboral, las diferencias en el comportamiento migratorio entre grupos afecta a los resultados de estos grupos en el mercado laboral. Un grupo importante en la sociedad es la de inmigrantes para los que la teoría de migración de capital humano presenta dos hipótesis potencialmente conflictivas. Una se basa en que los inmigrantes tienen menos capital humano inherente a la localización lo que aumenta su probabilidad de emigrar. La otra se basa en la etnia: los inmigrantes que viven en enclaves étnicos tienen costes más altos a la hora de abandonar el enclave lo que reduce su probabilidad de migración. En este artículo simplificamos y encontramos argumentos para ambas hipótesis usando datos de alta calidad sobre toda una serie de variables para básicamente todos las personas desplazadas involuntariamente debido a cierres o recortes substanciales de los puestos de trabajo en Suecia entre 1987 y 1988. Movilidad geográfica Migración interna Enclaves étnicos Inmigrantes Desplazamiento laboral

Low level of adjustment latitude--a risk factor for sickness absence

The prerequisite for obtaining sickness benefit is reduced work ability for medical reasons in combination with work demands which cannot be adjusted accordingly. The aim of this study was to investigate if low levels of adjustment latitude, defined as the possibility to temporarily adjust work demands in case of ill health, influence sickness absence. A prospective cohort study of 1420 employees (47% participation, aged 19-68; 56% women) was conducted at six Swedish workplaces. Exposure to two general and nine specific types of adjustment latitude was ascertained at baseline. Outcome was defined as the first new employer-reported sick-leave spell during a follow-up of 3-12 months. Hazard ratios (HR) of sick leave, with 95% confidence intervals (CI), were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression. The incidence of sickness absence was 2.85/1000 person-days. The self-reported reasons for sick leave were mainly minor complaints such as colds, influenzas and headaches. Employees lacking adjustment latitude had an adjusted HR of sickness absence of 1.51 (95% CI 1.08-2.11). Among specific adjustment latitude types, those not having the possibility to work from home generated an HR of 1.86 (95% CI 1.31-2.64). The effects of lack of adjustment latitude were similar for men and women but seemed to vary between different occupations. A low level of adjustment latitude at work is a risk factor for sickness absence.

Does sickness presenteeism have an impact on future general health?

The primary aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether working despite illness, so called "sickness presenteeism", has an impact on the future general health of two different working populations during a follow-up period of 3 years. The study was based on two bodies of data collected at a number of Swedish workplaces from 1999 to 2003. The first material comprised 6,901 employees from the public sector and the second 2,862 subjects from the private sector. A comprehensive survey was issued three times: at baseline, after 18 months and after 3 years. Apart from the explanatory variable sickness presenteeism, several potential confounders were considered. The outcome variable was good/excellent versus fair/poor self-reported health. Sickness presenteeism at baseline was consistently found to heighten the risk of fair/poor health at both the 18-month and 3-year follow ups even after adjusting for the detected confounders. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to show that sickness presenteeism appears to be an independent risk factor for future fair/poor general health.

The Gender Composition of Workplaces and Men's and Women's Turnover

Using a data set of 721,123 employees in 1,890 Swedish workplaces, the author tests whether employees’ propensity to leave a workplace is dependent on the share of the employees of the opposite sex in a workplace. Net of time-invariant workplace heterogeneity, the probability to leave a workplace is found to decrease with the share of employees of the opposite sex. This is true for men as well as women. The results contradict theories suggesting that men and women prefer to work in work settings with a high proportion of employees of their own sex. On the contrary, a plausible explanation of the results is that both men and women prefer work settings with a high proportion of employees of the opposite sex.

Mechanisms of Organizational Sex Segregation

This study examines the process underlying sex segregation at the organizational level by focusing on the process through which organizations renew their workforce. The authors used a sample of 1,460 Swedish workplaces that recruited 75,261 employees during the period 1991 to 1995. The results indicate that the most important factor in reproducing segregation at the organizational level is sex segregation in the occupations from which organizations recruit their personnel. Organizations’ sex composition is to a very high degree determined by the sex composition of the occupations they employ. In addition, large organizations and expanding organizations tend to make more sex-atypical recruitments compared with other organizations.

Health effects of ‘the Paperless Office’ – evaluations of the introduction of electronic document handling systems

Electronic document handling (EDH) systems can result in increased risks of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and stress-related mental and somatic symptoms. The effects of introducing an EDH system on the physical and psychosocial work environment, and on self-reported health, were studied in two studies at eight Swedish work places. In the first study data were collected on three occasions: before and 6 and 18 months after the introduction of the EDH system. In the second study data were collected 5 months after the introduction. The methods used were interviews, observations, questionnaires, video recordings, technical measurements and expert observation and examination. The results showed an important increase in time spent at a computer after introduction of the EDH system. The findings indicated (a) an increase in workload, (b) participants felt more constrained and controlled, (c) a higher frequency in static work postures, (d) frequent problems with handling the computer system and (e) an increase in health symptoms.

Extent and conditions of exposure in the Swedish chrome plating industry

The total air concentration of chromium and the concentration of Cr(VI) during hard and decorative chrome plating were measured with stationary and personal air samples at 13 chrome plating plants. Cr(VI) was determined by the Zephiramin method. The investigation covers nearly all Swedish work places where five or more platers are employed. The levels of exposure during hard plating at the different work places varied markedly. At one factory the daily mean values, recorded in the vicinity of three different baths, ranged between 20 and 46 Vg Cr(VI)/m3, while at another factory the exposure level at all baths was below 1 μg/m3. In decorative chrome plating the exposure level was practically always below 0.5 μg/m3. Near the baths and in fitting work, Cr(VI) accounted for about half of the total exposure to chromium; in polishing operations it only amounted to 10 to 20%. In order to elucidate variations in the level of exposure at the same work place, the exposure was measured every day for a whole week at four factories, comprising more than 100 test intervals. On about 90% of these occasions the values recorded differed less than 50% from the median for the same sampling site.