Elderly care and municipal home care have and are facing several challenges with an increasing number of elderly people and fewer people of working age. In addition, welfare staff also have more sick days on average than other areas. Stress, mental ill health and intention to leave work are common. Furthermore, there is a national and international shortage of staff and especially a shortage of specialist nurses, e.g., elderly care and primary care. Strengthening the positive aspects will be central and creating good conditions for staff and thus hopefully also better care and welfare. A sustainable working life where the staff thrive, experience learning, meaning, well-being, good structural conditions, work-life balance and want to stay in the long term.
In one of the municipalities in this research project, they will introduce shortened working hours for registered nurses. A shortened working hours (reduced full-time standard by 3.25 hours/week with maintained salary) during a one-year pilot project for nurses in elderly care and municipal home care. Current full-time standard 38.25 hours/week. The municipality has initiated, decided and will implement the changes and the researchers are asked to follow the project.
Nurses from the municipality implementing reduced working hours and nurses from municipalities without changed working hours will be invited to participate in the study. The nurses will answer a questionnaire before and after the changes (6 and 12 months after the first data collection).
The overall aim of the research is to investigate registered nurses' experiences of their work environment, health, well-being and intention to quit/remain, as well as the quality of care, nurse turnover and sick leave. To study the relationship between shortening working hours or not, nurses' assessments of the work environment, intention to quit/remain, health, well-being and quality of care.
The main research questions are:
* What are the relationships over time between working hours reduction or not, sociodemographic factors, nurse-rated work environment, intention to quit/remain, health, well-being and nurse-rated quality of care (follow-up after 12 months)? * What changes occur over time in nurses' assessments of work environment, intention to quit/remain, health, well-being and quality of care, and are there any differences compared to a comparison group/municipalities?
Registered nurses working in elderly care or in municipal home care.
Registered nurses on long-term leave.
Registered nurses from six municipalities, one of which will introduce shortened working hours for its nurses.
Other
Prospective
Shortened working hours
Other interventionIn one of the municipalities in this research project, they will introduce shortened working hours for registered nurses. A shortened working hours (reduced full-time standard by 3.25 hours/week with maintained salary) during a one-year pilot project for nurses in elderly care and municipal home care. Current full-time standard 38.25 hours/week. The municipality has initiated, decided and will implement the changes and the researchers are asked to follow the project.
Well-being - Work-life balance - dimension "work interference with personal life"
A scale will be used for nurses' self-rated work-life balance - "the 17-item work/non-work interference and enhancement scale", response options 5-grade 1) not at all to 5) almost always. Four dimensions: work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work, work enhancement of personal-life, and personal life enhancement of work. For this outcome, it is the dimension "work interference with personal life" and higher scores represent imbalance/an undesirable outcome.
Well-being - Work-life balance - dimension "work enhancement of personal life"
A scale will be used for nurses' self-rated work-life balance - "the 17-item work/nonwork interference and enhancement scale", response options 5-grade 1) not at all to 5) almost always. Four dimensions: work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work, work enhancement of personal life, and personal life enhancement of work. For this outcome, it is the dimension "work enhancement of personal life" and higher scores represent balance/a desirable outcome.
Well-being - Work-life balance - dimension "personal life enhancement of work"
A scale will be used for nurses' self-rated work-life balance - "the 17-item work/nonwork interference and enhancement scale", response options 5-grade 1) not at all to 5) almost always. Four dimensions: work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work, work enhancement of personal life, and personal life enhancement of work. For this outcome, it is the dimension "personal life enhancement of work" and higher scores represent balance/a desirable outcome.
Well-being - Recovery experience
The Recovery Experience Questionnaire will be used , response options 5-grade Likert-scale, item scores are averaged and higher scores represent a better recovery experience.
Well-being - Thriving
The 10-item Thriving scale will be used to measure thriving, 5-point response alternatives. For total score the mean is calculated and a higher score represent higher thriving.
Well-being - Intention to quite/leave the job
One question on intention to leave from the Satisfaction with work questionnaires, 'Have you recently seriously considered quitting your job on the unit because you don't enjoy it?', with response alternatives 1) No, 2) Yes, but I have not done anything and 3) Yes, and I have taken action.
Well-being - Work-life balance - dimension "personal life interference with work"
A scale will be used for nurses' self-rated work-life balance - "the 17-item work/nonwork interference and enhancement scale", response options 5-grade 1) not at all to 5) almost always. Four dimensions: work interference with personal life, personal life interference with work, work enhancement of personal life, and personal life enhancement of work. For this outcome, it is the dimension "personal life interference with work" and higher scores represent imbalance/an undesirable outcome.
Work environment - Influence/impact in work
Two questions about the possibility of influence/impact in work from the Satisfaction with work questionnaires, 5-grade reseponse options for each item, scores are averaged and higher scores represent more influence/impact
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