When the coronavirus spread globally in early 2020, many governments issued national lockdowns of schools, institutions, and businesses. As the epidemic turned into a pandemic, the health crisis also became a societal crisis, and many universities and research foundations issued COVID-19 grants to study the societal implications of the crisis. In this article, we discuss sociological research during the corona crisis and ask the questions: What role did sociology play in the pandemic – and how did the pandemic affect sociology? We argue that trends of a fast-track sociology can be observed, whichhas implications for methods, theory, analysis, and societal impact. Fast-track sociology is often faster, more interdisciplinary and dialogue-based, disseminates more preliminary results, and has potential of more societal impact. However, it also contains challenges if it is not interlinked with more critical and slower research processes, which are core to the sociological profession.
{"title":"Fast-track Sociology? Reflections on Research during a Pandemic","authors":"Anna Ilsøe, Pelle Korsbæk Jørgensen","doi":"10.18291/njwls.138997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.138997","url":null,"abstract":"When the coronavirus spread globally in early 2020, many governments issued national lockdowns of schools, institutions, and businesses. As the epidemic turned into a pandemic, the health crisis also became a societal crisis, and many universities and research foundations issued COVID-19 grants to study the societal implications of the crisis. \u0000In this article, we discuss sociological research during the corona crisis and ask the questions: What role did sociology play in the pandemic – and how did the pandemic affect sociology? We argue that trends of a fast-track sociology can be observed, whichhas implications for methods, theory, analysis, and societal impact. Fast-track sociology is often faster, more interdisciplinary and dialogue-based, disseminates more preliminary results, and has potential of more societal impact. However, it also contains challenges if it is not interlinked with more critical and slower research processes, which are core to the sociological profession.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49129073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
There have probably not been any greater disruptions in working life since the Second World War than those experienced during the corona pandemic. This article examines how different occupational groups experienced the changes in their work life during the different phases of thecorona pandemic. The study contributes to the growing literature on how the Nordic labor markets managed the corona pandemic and what we can learn from experiences to improve working life in the future.The data material consists of longitudinal interviews with representatives of five occupational groups in different work life situations four times during the pandemic. Across the interviews, we find that the corona pandemic reinforced three incremental trends in working life: (1) the workplace as an important social arena, (2) reflections on work life balance, and (3) the potentials of homework and online meetings.
{"title":"The Corona Pandemic and Working Life: Findings from a Longitudinal Danish Study","authors":"T. Bredgaard","doi":"10.18291/njwls.138568","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.138568","url":null,"abstract":"There have probably not been any greater disruptions in working life since the Second World War than those experienced during the corona pandemic. This article examines how different occupational groups experienced the changes in their work life during the different phases of thecorona pandemic. The study contributes to the growing literature on how the Nordic labor markets managed the corona pandemic and what we can learn from experiences to improve working life in the future.The data material consists of longitudinal interviews with representatives of five occupational groups in different work life situations four times during the pandemic. Across the interviews, we find that the corona pandemic reinforced three incremental trends in working life: (1) the workplace as an important social arena, (2) reflections on work life balance, and (3) the potentials of homework and online meetings.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48216564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In Europe, the self-employed typically have greater career longevity than employees. In Finland, self-employment is becoming more prevalent among older workers. Digitalization complicates the workforce attachment of older workers because of the need to acquire new skills and manage technological interruptions. Few studies have explored how self-employed workers are affected by digitalization. First, this article explores what aspects of transformative digitalization are challenging for the self-employed in particular. Second, it identifies strategies used by the older self-employed to address digitalization-related challenges. The study presents three case studies of self-employed Finns aged over 60. While each participant adopted new digital technologies at work, they spent different amounts of time managing technological interruptions. The study shows that diverse technological requirements of different clients increase the digital complexity at work for the self-employed, and that the self-employed pursue diverse strategies to manage digitalization-related work demands, ranging from avoidance of technology to technological specialization.
{"title":"Self-employment and Adaptation to Transformative Digitalization during Later Working Life","authors":"Visa Rantanen, Kathrin Komp-Leukkunen","doi":"10.18291/njwls.137865","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.137865","url":null,"abstract":"In Europe, the self-employed typically have greater career longevity than employees. In Finland, self-employment is becoming more prevalent among older workers. Digitalization complicates the workforce attachment of older workers because of the need to acquire new skills and manage technological interruptions. Few studies have explored how self-employed workers are affected by digitalization. First, this article explores what aspects of transformative digitalization are challenging for the self-employed in particular. Second, it identifies strategies used by the older self-employed to address digitalization-related challenges. The study presents three case studies of self-employed Finns aged over 60. While each participant adopted new digital technologies at work, they spent different amounts of time managing technological interruptions. The study shows that diverse technological requirements of different clients increase the digital complexity at work for the self-employed, and that the self-employed pursue diverse strategies to manage digitalization-related work demands, ranging from avoidance of technology to technological specialization.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44584906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The second issue of volume 13 of Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies includes four research articles.
《北欧工作生活研究杂志》第13卷第2期收录了4篇研究论文。
{"title":"Introduction to NJWLS 2023-2","authors":"Anders Buch","doi":"10.18291/njwls.137722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.137722","url":null,"abstract":"The second issue of volume 13 of Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies includes four research articles.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134928839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tuuli Turja, J. Hakanen, O. Krutova, Pertti Koistinen
Digitalization adds demands to contend with technological developments for both employees and organizations. At the same time, technological changes transform work to become more intensive and hectic. This study examined determinants of technological well-being after digitized work. Technological well-being was operationalized as Digi-downshifting where decreased workload associates with job satisfaction and as Digi-uplifting where increased workload associates with job satisfaction. A subsample (N = 3321) of workers at digitalized workplaces from the Finnish Quality of Work Life Survey was used in mean comparisons and binary logistic regression analysis. Digi-uplifters emerged as the most predominant profile among categories of technological well-being and ill-being. Extensive working time with technologies and employees’ influencing opportunities at the workplace stood out as the most consistent determinants of technological well-being. Thus, Nordic countries with skilled, technologically oriented workforce and democratic working cultures have particular promise in fostering Digi-uplifting and Digidownshifting at work.
{"title":"Traces of Technological Well-being: Digi-uplifters and Digi-downshifters","authors":"Tuuli Turja, J. Hakanen, O. Krutova, Pertti Koistinen","doi":"10.18291/njwls.137541","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.137541","url":null,"abstract":"Digitalization adds demands to contend with technological developments for both employees and organizations. At the same time, technological changes transform work to become more intensive and hectic. This study examined determinants of technological well-being after digitized work. Technological well-being was operationalized as Digi-downshifting where decreased workload associates with job satisfaction and as Digi-uplifting where increased workload associates with job satisfaction. A subsample (N = 3321) of workers at digitalized workplaces from the Finnish Quality of Work Life Survey was used in mean comparisons and binary logistic regression analysis. Digi-uplifters emerged as the most predominant profile among categories of technological well-being and ill-being. Extensive working time with technologies and employees’ influencing opportunities at the workplace stood out as the most consistent determinants of technological well-being. Thus, Nordic countries with skilled, technologically oriented workforce and democratic working cultures have particular promise in fostering Digi-uplifting and Digidownshifting at work.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45542336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study examines the extent and predictors of employees’ help and care to their old parentsand aims to contribute to policy development enabling employees to combine full-time workand caregiving to parents. Analyzing responses from 3332 Norwegian employees aged between45 and 67 years with at least one living parent, we identified frequencies of different help andcare types and tested competing predictors. Assistance with digital technology was frequent, andvarious types of practical support were common, but personal care provision was rare. Parents’health and parents living alone were substantial predictors. Public home care services seemedinsufficient and were associated with employees providing more help and care. The findingsemphasize the family as a comprehensive care provider when the welfare state falls short. Thestudy concludes that adult children play a critical role in helping older people cope with limitedpublic services and challenges posed by the digital society.
{"title":"Help and Care to Older Parents in the Digital Society","authors":"Heidi Gautun, C. Bratt","doi":"10.18291/njwls.137453","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.137453","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the extent and predictors of employees’ help and care to their old parentsand aims to contribute to policy development enabling employees to combine full-time workand caregiving to parents. Analyzing responses from 3332 Norwegian employees aged between45 and 67 years with at least one living parent, we identified frequencies of different help andcare types and tested competing predictors. Assistance with digital technology was frequent, andvarious types of practical support were common, but personal care provision was rare. Parents’health and parents living alone were substantial predictors. Public home care services seemedinsufficient and were associated with employees providing more help and care. The findingsemphasize the family as a comprehensive care provider when the welfare state falls short. Thestudy concludes that adult children play a critical role in helping older people cope with limitedpublic services and challenges posed by the digital society.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41450358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ethnic diversity has received increased research attention in Nordic countries; however, only a fewstudies have looked at it from the perspective of firms. In this study, we analyze whether changesin ethnic diversity among staff and in management affect firm performance. We also test whetherproductivity gains from diversity are due to immigrants being hired in low-paying jobs by analyzinghow the association between diversity and productivity is affected by immigrants’ positions in firms’wage distributions. Our results suggest a positive relationship between changes in ethnic diversitywithin firms and firm productivity. The association strengthens if firms have more diversity in management and immigrants higher up in their wage distribution. This suggests that our results are not driven by firms that hire immigrants in low-paying positions. Possible mechanisms to increase firm productivity through ethnic diversity include wider recruitment and activation of diversified humancapital and more inclusive firm policies.
{"title":"Ethnic Diversity and Firm Performance in Norway","authors":"Janis Umblijs, Ida Drange, Julia Orupabo","doi":"10.18291/njwls.137274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.137274","url":null,"abstract":"Ethnic diversity has received increased research attention in Nordic countries; however, only a fewstudies have looked at it from the perspective of firms. In this study, we analyze whether changesin ethnic diversity among staff and in management affect firm performance. We also test whetherproductivity gains from diversity are due to immigrants being hired in low-paying jobs by analyzinghow the association between diversity and productivity is affected by immigrants’ positions in firms’wage distributions. Our results suggest a positive relationship between changes in ethnic diversitywithin firms and firm productivity. The association strengthens if firms have more diversity in management and immigrants higher up in their wage distribution. This suggests that our results are not driven by firms that hire immigrants in low-paying positions. Possible mechanisms to increase firm productivity through ethnic diversity include wider recruitment and activation of diversified humancapital and more inclusive firm policies.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41693333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article aims to explore what working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic means forworkplace relationships. This study is based on semi-structured interviews with Swedish knowledgeworkers. Three approaches are identified as regards how employees maintain their workplacerelationships when working from home: (1) being selective as regards social interactions, (2) beingcompliant and resistant during digital meetings, and (3) having less spontaneity and creativitywhen in the digital space. Further, our findings also point to the prioritization of the individual’sinterests and needs over those of the collective. The study indicates the importance of understanding the dynamics of the workplace relationships when working remotely.
{"title":"Working from Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Workplace Relationships","authors":"Malin Espersson, Alina Lidén, U. Westrup","doi":"10.18291/njwls.137244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.137244","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to explore what working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic means forworkplace relationships. This study is based on semi-structured interviews with Swedish knowledgeworkers. Three approaches are identified as regards how employees maintain their workplacerelationships when working from home: (1) being selective as regards social interactions, (2) beingcompliant and resistant during digital meetings, and (3) having less spontaneity and creativitywhen in the digital space. Further, our findings also point to the prioritization of the individual’sinterests and needs over those of the collective. The study indicates the importance of understanding the dynamics of the workplace relationships when working remotely.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46015343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marcus Persson, Lisa Ferm, David Redmalm, C. Iversen
Robotic animals are increasingly discussed as a solution to challenges connected to the aging population and limited resources in care. While previous research focuses on the robots’ effect on the patients’ well-being, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the hands-on experience of caregivers’ use of robots. Therefore, the aim of the study is to explore the competences that caregivers draw upon when facilitating interaction between residents and robots. The study was conducted through ethnographic observations and interviews with caregivers at dementia care homes in Sweden. The notion of ‘competence’ is understood as knowledge about the ways of working and social norms that are valued within a community of practice, which members develop through engagement in the community. The findings show that caregivers’ use of robotic animals as caregiving tools rests on embodied, social, and ethical competences.
{"title":"Working with Robotic Animals in Dementia Care: The Significance of Caregivers’ Competences","authors":"Marcus Persson, Lisa Ferm, David Redmalm, C. Iversen","doi":"10.18291/njwls.136521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.136521","url":null,"abstract":"Robotic animals are increasingly discussed as a solution to challenges connected to the aging population and limited resources in care. While previous research focuses on the robots’ effect on the patients’ well-being, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the hands-on experience of caregivers’ use of robots. Therefore, the aim of the study is to explore the competences that caregivers draw upon when facilitating interaction between residents and robots. The study was conducted through ethnographic observations and interviews with caregivers at dementia care homes in Sweden. The notion of ‘competence’ is understood as knowledge about the ways of working and social norms that are valued within a community of practice, which members develop through engagement in the community. The findings show that caregivers’ use of robotic animals as caregiving tools rests on embodied, social, and ethical competences.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44377698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article argues that part-time employment has several features of precarity tied to both institutional and individual factors. The consequences can be increased inequality, insecurity, and instability. It studies the relationship between part-time employment for individuals with weak labor market attachment, with periods of social assistance reception in Norway. The article used Norwegian register data to analyze this relationship. Findings show that individuals with a low employment percentage have significantly longer social assistance recipiency compared to those who work full-time, prior to social assistance reception. The empirical evidence supports an individual risk from part-time employment in this group, as well as the claim that non-standard employment is associated with increased vulnerability for individuals with weak labor market attachment. The findings relate to theoretical framework regarding the precarity and mechanisms of the labor market on several aspects, especially how institutional and individual elements link part-time employment to economic and social insecurity.
{"title":"The Association Between Part-time Employment and Social Assistance Recipiency in Norway","authors":"Bård Smedsvik","doi":"10.18291/njwls.136462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.136462","url":null,"abstract":"This article argues that part-time employment has several features of precarity tied to both institutional and individual factors. The consequences can be increased inequality, insecurity, and instability. It studies the relationship between part-time employment for individuals with weak labor market attachment, with periods of social assistance reception in Norway. The article used Norwegian register data to analyze this relationship. Findings show that individuals with a low employment percentage have significantly longer social assistance recipiency compared to those who work full-time, prior to social assistance reception. The empirical evidence supports an individual risk from part-time employment in this group, as well as the claim that non-standard employment is associated with increased vulnerability for individuals with weak labor market attachment. The findings relate to theoretical framework regarding the precarity and mechanisms of the labor market on several aspects, especially how institutional and individual elements link part-time employment to economic and social insecurity.","PeriodicalId":45048,"journal":{"name":"Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47868843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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