Summary
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to a range of restrictions and recommendations and a subsequent economic crisis which affected many individuals’ working and private lives. Thus far, however, few Swedish and international population-based studies have examined changes in the work environment related to the coronavirus pandemic with a focus on different sectors of the labour market – besides the healthcare sector – which are representative of the general working population.
The aim of this report is to examine changes in perceptions of organizational and psychosocial work environment factors, as well as perceptions of the balance between work and private life, across and during the coronavirus pandemic. The objective is also to examine whether possible changes within these areas differed depending on an individual’s background characteristics, such as sex, age, education, socioeconomic status, occupation, or if they differed depending on whether individuals worked remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.
Method
The sample for the analyses in this report is derived from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). This study follows a large sample of initially employed men and women from the Swedish working population every second year with questionnaires. In the years 2021 (midheight of the coronavirus pandemic) and 2022 (at the end of the height of the coronavirus pandemic) a complementary web survey was also performed in a subsample from SLOSH, labelled “SLOSH-corona”, that focused on individuals’ work environment, social situation, and health and well-being in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
This report is based on information from the original SLOSH data collections during spring 2018 (before the onset of the pandemic) and spring 2020 (at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic), SLOSH-corona 2021 and 2022. It includes information from a total of 1345 individuals who participated in both SLOSH 2018 and 2020, and who were working before the coronavirus pandemic and during the data collection periods that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. The respondents in the sample are representative of the entire Swedish labor market, but include a somewhat higher proportion of women than men, a majority of middle-aged and older working-age adults, most of whom are married or cohabiting, have a university education, and are skilled workers. The questionnaires included information about a range of work environment factors categorized into organizational work environment factors, demands and resources, and social work environment.
Potential changes over time were examined by means of regression analyses comparing the responses to the questions administered during the coronavirus pandemic with the responses to the same question administered before the coronavirus pandemic. For some factors, the respondents instead reported a change in their experience compared to before the coronavirus pandemic. The report, therefore, includes both descriptive and analytical statistics and results from supplementary tests of differences depending on background factors and telework/remote work or work at the ordinary workplace.
Results
Organisational work environment
Compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, the overall analyses, performed on the whole sample, primarily showed:
- a considerably higher proportion of respondents working via telework during the coronavirus pandemic
- a lower proportion working long working hours (more than 40 hours per week) during the coronavirus pandemic
- that a relatively large proportion experienced an increase in work tasks, especially during the beginning-to-‘middle of’ the coronavirus pandemic
Changes in the organisational work environment differed mainly when it came to educational level and socioeconomic status. The prevalence of telework, for instance, increased more clearly among those with high education and among skilled workers. At the same time, the prevalence of long working hours decreased more markedly in this group. In contrast, the prevalence of long working hours increased among those in healthcare and other human service professions.
Demands and resources
Compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, the analyses primarily showed:
- slightly lower levels of psychological job demands during the coronavirus pandemic
- slightly higher levels of job control/decision authority during the coronavirus pandemic
- a lower proportion of individuals experiencing job strain (high psychological demands and low control/decision authority) during the coronavirus pandemic
- a relatively large proportion experienced an increase in workload and mental workload/strain (which may include having to adapt and handle emotions in different work situations) to the coronavirus pandemic
- marginally higher levels of job insecurity, but only during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic
An increase in job insecurity in the beginning of the pandemic was most obvious for those working in occupations focused on material manufacturing (such as occupations in the construction, manufacturing, transport, agriculture, gardening, forestry, and fishing sectors). Increases in workload and mental workload/strain were most obvious among women and among those working in healthcare and primary school/childcare occupations. Individuals working in healthcare, however, experienced an increase in job control/decision authority to a higher extent. Increases in workload and mental workload were also the most obvious among those who had worked at their regular workplace during the coronavirus pandemic, while those engaging in telework partly or mostly during the coronavirus pandemic experienced increased control/decision authority and influence to a higher extent.
Social work environment
Compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, the analyses primarily showed:
- a lower level of social support at work at the ‘end’ of the coronavirus
pandemic - a relatively high proportion experienced increased inter-personal conflicts with other people (e.g., patients, customers, pupils, passengers) during the coronavirus pandemic
- a relatively high proportion of working individuals experienced an inferior atmosphere and collaboration at the workplace during the coronavirus pandemic
Social support decreased, especially for individuals working in healthcare and those who worked at the regular workplace. Increased conflicts with other people were also the most obvious among those who remained working at their regular workplace during the coronavirus pandemic. A worsened social atmosphere at the workplace was most obvious among those working in healthcare, primary care/childcare, and other human service professions,as well as those with high levels of education. Worsened atmosphere and collaboration at the workplace were most obvious among those with high levels of education and among skilled workers (at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic) and those who worked remotely
Work-life balance
During the coronavirus pandemic it was more common to experience that the work situation affected private life in a positive than in a negative way. It was also more common to experience that private life affected the work situation in a positive than in a negative way. The experience that the work situation affected private life, or that private life affected the work situation, in a positive way was more common among those who worked remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.
The experience that private life affected the work situation in negative way was, on the other hand, more common among individuals working in healthcare and primary care/childcare.
Conclusions
The results from these analyses indicate several changes in the organisational work environment related to the coronavirus pandemic – especially a general increase in telework and a decrease in working hours. The results were less clear regarding demands and resources. While the slight decrease in psychological demands and increase in control/decision authority may indicate an improvement in the balance between demands and control, there were indications of an increase in certain types of demands such as workload and mental workload, at least among certain groups in the labor market. Furthermore, the results suggested a general deterioration of the social environment and a relatively good balance between work and private life.
However, there were marked differences depending on background factors and telework. For example, an increase in certain job demands and a deterioration in certain social environmental characteristics was indicated among individuals working in the healthcare and educational sectors, and among individuals who had remained working at their ordinary workplace during the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, it was indicated that highly-educated and skilled workers and individuals working remotely had a relatively good balance between work and private life, but experienced deterioration in other social work environment factors.
Authors
- Docent Linda L Magnusson Hanson, Stockholm University
- Docent Cecilia U D Stenfors, Stockholm University
- Doctoral student Maria Wijkander, Stockholm University
- Sandra Blomqvist, PhD, Stockholm University
- Professor Hugo Westerlund, Stockholm University