Mid Sweden University

Hybrid work, in which employees divide their time between on-site collaboration with colleagues at the office and homeworking, is expected to become prevalent in the future (Engelen et al., 2019; Bloom, 2021). These work arrangements are frequently integrated with activity-based workplaces (ABWs), which organize the workspace into designated zones tailored to different levels of interaction. These zones typically include a completely silent area, a space for quiet conversations, and a zone where unrestricted discussions and phone calls are permitted (Eismann et al., 2022).

Sweden has one of the highest proportions of employees working from home (Eurofound, 2024). However, according to a review by Carrasco-Garrido and De-Pablos-Heredero (2023), there is a lack of research on these work arrangements within public sector workplaces. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of attendance behaviors among both employees and managers in public sector organizations operating in ABWs alongside hybrid work. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study analyzes data from a survey with open-ended questions conducted among 448 employees. It compares an intervention group, which adopts a holistic approach to the transition to ABWs, with a reference group that follows a top-down approach. The study examines differences in attendance behaviors, remote work practices, psychosocial factors, and expectations, opportunities and risks related to the transition.

The main findings reveal that a broader, more comprehensive, and holistic transition process outperformed an expert-oriented and less integrated process. Participants in the intervention group provided more favorable assessments of the transition process, reported more satisfactory psychosocial conditions, exhibited higher self-rated health, and experienced lower levels of sickness presenteeism. The qualitative findings highlight both positive and negative expectations, as well as potential risks and opportunities associated with hybrid work and ABWs.

The way office workers work was greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, when most office workers had to start working from home. Since the restrictions following the pandemic lifted people started going back to their offices, but for many the possibility to work from home remained. Hybrid work, when the office worker can alter between working in the office and from home, is now very common.

Earlier research has shown conflicting results whether office workers’ productivity is affected by working from home or not. Some studies shows that there is no difference in productivity outcomes between people who work from home compared to those who work in offices. Other studies suggest that productivity outcomes are higher among office workers working from home than the ones who only work at the office.

There is a trend among some employers wanting their staff to come back to work in offices full time again. With this study we search to investigate if this is conflicting with productivity output (and by extension economical goals) and if it is in the best interest of the office workers’ health.

This study has two aims:

1. To compare self-rated productivity between office workers who work a small amount of their working hours from home, office workers who work a medium amount of their working hours from home and office workers who work a large amount of their working hours from home.
2. To investigate if and how productivity and health related variables (such as stress/burnout) can be explained by work-life balance, emotional demands, proportion of hours working from home and aspects of the physical work environment (such as disturbing noise).

The study population is office workers who work in a municipality in northern Sweden. They have answered two different surveys, one was based on the COPSOQ III-survey with some additional questions and the other one compiled of questions about the physical work environment and work productivity. The later survey was originally designed and used in their research project in another municipality in northern Sweden. 

Many public organizations are striving to develop sustainable workplaces with a focus on employee engagement. Different models are used in different countries and contexts to measure employee engagement. In Swedish public sector workplaces, a model consisting of three components is used: motivation, leadership and strategic management. There is a need to enhance understanding of the model and its relation to employee advocacy. This study aimsto provide greater understanding of employee engagement dynamics in the public sector, including team climate and work-life balance components,and how this relates to aspects of employee advocacy. Statistical analyses of key components were carried out using survey results from 6020 employees and managers in municipal workplaces.The findings highlight significant relations between the components investigated and the employee-advocacy-related measurement employee Net Promotor Score. Based on OLS regressions, motivation emerged as the most influential component, followed by leadership. It was possible to classify the participants into three categories: Promoters, Passives and Detractors.The promoters exhibited higher scores on all components, and managers had higher scores on several components compared to employees. The results confirm that it is important to use a multi-dimensional approach when studying employee engagement in public sector workplaces.

Chefers ledarskap är centralt i en organisation och hur ledarskapet utförs påverkar såväl orga-nisatoriska resultat såsom kvalitet och produktivitet samt medarbetarnas hälsa och upplevelse av sin arbetsmiljö. Studier om chefers arbetsmiljö har identifierat att chefers arbetsdag ofta är fragmenterad med många korta arbetsuppgifter, ständigt ny information som kräver reaktiva handlingar, höga prestationskrav och att dagen generellt är svårplanerad. Att utveckla sitt le-darskap i en sådan situation kan vara en stor utmaning för chefer, samtidigt som ledarskaps-utveckling är nödvändigt för många chefer. Dessutom kan det vara svårt för chefer att få en nyanserad bild över sitt eget ledarskap som stöd i den egna utvecklingen. Denna presentation beskriver utvecklingen av en ledarskapsutvecklingsprocess, som använder enkätundersök-ningsresultat för att ge chefer ett verktyg för ledarskapsutveckling och företag ett sätt att över-blicka ledarskapsbeteenden i hela eller delar av företaget. Ledarskapsutvecklingsprocessen har genomförts och kopplats till undersökningar kring chefers arbetssituation, organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö samt ledarskapsbeteenden. Dessa aspekter har studerats genom återkom-mande enkätundersökningar i ett gruvföretag. Även chefernas underställda har deltagit i undersökningen. I samband med att enkätundersökningarna genomförts har resultaten åter-kopplats till utvalda chefer som också erbjudits individuell coaching från företagshälsovården som stöd för att utveckla sitt ledarskap och sin arbetsmiljö i relation till de återkopplade resul-taten. Upplevelsen av återkoppling och coaching har utvärderats kvalitativt via intervjuer vid upprepade tillfällen och påverkat och förädlat processens utformning. Kärnan i denna ledar-skapsutvecklingsprocess är Ledarskapsvisionsindexet (LVI), som eftersträvar operationalisera och mäta det studerade företagets ledarvision. Ledarvisionen förordar ett relations- och tillits-baserat ledarskap. Indexet är baserat på validerade frågor kring relationsbaserat ledarskap (från den så kallade tredimensionella modellen bestående av relations-, struktur- och föränd-ringsbaserat ledarskap) samt fyra tillitsfrågor (vertikal och horisontell) från COPSOQ. Dessa frågor har besvarats av både chefer och medarbetare. I LVI presenteras chefens och medarbe-tarnas resultat sida vid sida i två sköldar, vilket ger en bild över skillnaderna i skattning och kritiska insatsområden. Preliminära resultat visar att ledarskapsvisionsindexet med tillhö-rande coaching är ett uppskattat sätt att jobba på för att utveckla sitt ledarskap. Tidiga statist-iska analyser tyder på att medarbetare vars chefer deltagit i processen skattar chefens ledar-skap högre än medarbetare vars chefer inte deltagit i processen. Preliminära resultat visar även att indexet kan identifiera arbetsplatser där ledarskapet fungerar bra samt riskområden. In-dexet ger också en nyanserad bild av chefers ledarskap. Tidigare resultat från studien i vilken utvecklingen av indexet ingått i visar att obalansen i, gapet mellan, chefers och medarbetares skattningar är av betydelse för bland annat medarbetares hälsa och arbetstillfredsställelse, där en balans mellan skattningar är associerat med positiva skattningar kring medarbetares hälsa (där nivån inte nödvändigtvis behöver vara väldigt hög för positiva associationer). Nästa steg i projektet är att koppla ledarskapsvisionsindexet till utmattningssymptom och säkerhetskli-mat, båda aktuella frågor i gruvindustrin.

Bakgrund Arbetets organisering har genomgått stora förändringar under de senaste decenni-erna, särskilt i relation till COVID-19-pandemin. Under denna period blev distans- och digitala arbetsformer, där en väsentlig del av det betalda arbetet utförs i hemmet, allmänt accepterade och praktiserade. Ytterligare forskning krävs dock om hur flexibiliteten i arbetslivet, och sär-skilt distansarbete, påverkar engagemanget i olika arbetsformer och därmed den könsmässiga fördelningen av insatser i lönearbete och obetalt hemarbete. Syfte och forskningsfrågor Syftet med denna studie är att analysera relationer mellan att arbeta hemifrån och engagemang i hushållsarbete och lönearbete bland kvinnor och män anställda inom den offentliga sektorn i Europa. Följande frågor analyseras: Hur påverkar hemarbete graden av engagemang i hus-hållsarbete och lönearbete? Finns det signifikanta skillnader mellan kvinnor och män i dessa relationer? Bekräftar resultaten idén om att arbete hemifrån förstärker traditionell könsmässig fördelning av arbete mellan kvinnor och män eller motverkar snarare arbete hemifrån denna traditionella fördelning? Metod Analysen baseras på data från den sjätte omgången av Euro-pean Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). Totalt omfattar EWCS svar från över 40 000 an-ställda i 35 europeiska länder och ger värdefulla insikter om olika aspekter av arbetsvillkor och sysselsättning. I denna studie har urvalet begränsats till respondenter anställda inom den of-fentliga sektorn, en grupp som i materialet omfattar cirka 10 000 individer. Denna avgräns-ning möjliggör en analys av hur distansarbete påverkar yrkesmässigt och hushållsrelaterat an-svar för personer som arbetar inom offentlig sektor. Resultat Preliminära resultat pekar på att hemarbete påverkar graden av engagemang i såväl hushållsarbete som lönearbete. Analysen visar att hemarbete för kvinnor är signifikant positivt korrelerat med antal rapporterade tim-mar i lönearbete, vilket tyder på att hemarbete för kvinnor är förknippat med ett ökat engage-mang i betalt arbete. För män påvisas i stället en signifikant positiv relation mellan hemarbete och hushållsarbete, vilket indikerar att män som arbetar hemifrån i högre grad deltar i hus-hållsarbete jämfört med män som huvudsakligen arbetar på arbetsplatsen. Dessa resultat ger en mer nyanserad bild än den som ofta beskrivs i tidigare forskning, där distansarbete beskrivs som en företeelse som vanligen förstärker könsmässiga skillnader i hushållsarbete och lönear-bete. Våra resultat indikerar i stället att arbete hemifrån tycks utmana den traditionella könsmässiga arbetsfördelningen genom att något jämna ut yrkesmässigt och hushållsrelaterat ansvar mellan kvinnor och män.

Abstract for EAWOP Small Group Meeting, Hybrid work environments, Berlin 2025 Impact of Hybrid and Activity-Based Work Environments on Employee Engagement and Advocacy in Public Sector Workplaces: A Longitudinal Study 

Pär Löfstrand*, Erika Wall & Stig Vinberg Mid Sweden University 

Although research on the consequences of hybrid work has grown in recent years, there remains a limited body of studies focusing specifically on the public sector. This is noteworthy, as in many countries, the public sector constitutes a significant portion of the workforce. In Sweden, for example, approximately 1.5 million out of the country’s total workforce of around 5 million are employed in public sector roles. These jobs are often characterized by challenging psychosocial working conditions, which can contribute to health issues and high rates of sick leave. 

The aim of the present study is to explore the perceptions of managers and subordinates on how sustainable employee engagement and employee advocacy is impacted by the shift from traditional cell-office configurations to hybrid and activity-based working environments in public sector workplaces. 

In the Swedish public sector, many organizations measure sustainable employee engagement for shaping public employer policies. Extensive research show that motivation is extensively related to work performance and job satisfaction and used items measure aspects of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Considerable attention has been devoted about the impact of leadership behaviours for well-being and working conditions, as well as organizational outcomes for both managers and subordinates. In addition, research point at challenges related to leadership in the context of hybrid and activity-based work. Also, strategic management, is closely related to aspects as job design and performance management. It is also known that many public sector organizations measure employee advocacy (employee Net Promoter Score) for evaluating individuals’ propensity to recommend their employees to others. From this background, the present study focuses on these concepts. 

Data were collected in a Swedish municipality. The survey included 13 items across five key variables: sustainable employee engagement (measured by nine items related to motivation, leadership, and strategic management), and employee advocacy (measured by four items). The material includes 4 991 employees through two survey waves: the first in October 2023 (T1), prior to the transition, and the second in October 2024 (T2,), approximately 10 months after the shift to hybrid and activity-based working environments. Based on a longitudinal design, an intervention group divided in three subgroups that have implemented this new environment (N=850) are compared to a reference group that has not changed their office solutions (N= 1 800). In addition, comparisons of results (T2-T1) regarding sex, hierarchical position and operations will be performed. Statistical analyses consist of descriptive-, correlation- and regression analysis, and multivariate repeated measures (MANOVA) to examine changes of the study variables over time. Results from the statistical analysis will show differences of changes regarding sustainable engagement and employee advocacy variables between the three studied groups and other sub-groups in the empirical material. 

The results section will present the findings from the statistical analysis of the data, exploring the extent to which employee engagement and advocacy changed after the shift to ABW and hybrid work. The results will be discussed in the context of existing literature of transition processes of hybrid and activity-based working environments, particularly regarding public sector workplaces. Implications for organizational change practices and future research will also be addressed. 

*Corresponding author, par.lofstrand@miun.se 

Despite growing research on hybrid work, studies on leadership in the public sector remain limited. Hybrid work is sometimes combined with activitybased workplaces (ABW). ABW is a workplace strategy that promotes flexibility and self-leadership by providing employees with various activityspecific workspaces. However, this transition poses significant challenges for managers, particularly in performing key behaviors related to leadership behaviors and strategic management. Quantitative data from 4200 employees showed managers are more positive than subordinates about motivation, leadership, and strategic management. Furthermore, managers scored higher on advocacy measures, indicating that they are more likely than employees without leadership positions to recommend the municipality as an attractive workplace. This study employs a mixed-methods design to explore changes in managers' perceptions of leadership challenges one year before and after the implementation of Activity-Based Working (ABW) in a hybrid work setting within the public sector. First, a content analysis of 71 managers' written perceptions of the shift from cell offices to ABW was conducted. The analysis identifies key themes, including challenges such as ergonomic issues, organizational and social risks, reduced productivity, stress, noise, distractions, and concerns related to confidentiality and privacy, highlighting the difficulties managers face in adapting to this new work environment. To further deepen the understanding of leadership challenges in ABW environments, six qualitative interviews were conducted with managers from a single department. The interviews indicate that managers encounter challenges in communicating goals and expectations, monitoring and assessing performance, and cultivating trust and engagement among employees within a decentralized and flexible work environment. While challenges emerged, the analysis also highlighted positive aspects, such as autonomy and flexibility among employees adapting to ABW. The study aims to provide valuable insights into the role of leadership in ABW settings and offer practical recommendations to support managers in effectively navigating the challenges associated with this work environment. 

The present study, employing a mixed-methods approach, explores leaders and sub-ordinates measures of sustainable employee engagement. Further it explores leadership behaviors in the changing work environment of today, where many traditional office spaces have transitioned to work from home (WFH) and or/together with activity- based work environments (ABW) at the workplace.   This study focuses specifically on leadership dynamics and behaviors within the public sector and is part of a broader collaborative research initiative conducted in partnership with two municipalities.