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Flex-ability - a key concept to promote occupational health in everyday life beyond sick leave
Halmstad University, School of Health and Welfare. Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0037-2504
Halmstad University, School of Health and Welfare.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5865-2632
University of Borås, Borås, Sweden.
Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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2025 (English)In: Work: A journal of Prevention, Assessment and rehabilitation, ISSN 1051-9815, E-ISSN 1875-9270, Vol. 81, no 1, p. 2370-2379Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Sick leave and ill health due to stress are significant concerns today and negatively affect the individual, the organisations, and the community. High demands, multitasking, and inexplicit boundaries between different occupations contribute to an explanation. However, research shows that more qualitative studies are needed to better understand this issue and how to promote health in the working population.

Objective: The study aims to explore participants’ experiences of maintaining or regaining occupational health in their everyday life, including paid work, several years after sick leave.

Method: Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using inductive content analysis. The analysis resulted in one major theme and three categories describing the current experiences handling their everyday life and work situations.

Results: The result showed that returning to work and maintaining occupational health after sick leave due to occupational ill health calls for “flex-ability”. The term describes that individuals need to be open to change and adapt to new challenges at work and in everyday life.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of health-promotive organisations where the individual factor is more considered. Furthermore, a broader view of health-promotive work in society where work is included in everyday life, instead of divided into and outside of work, is needed. © The Author(s) 2025.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Thousand Oaks: Sagamore Publishing, 2025. Vol. 81, no 1, p. 2370-2379
Keywords [en]
everyday life, health, health promotion, occupational balance, rehabilitation, stress, work
National Category
Occupational Therapy Occupational Health and Environmental Health Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Research subject
Smart Cities and Communities, TRAINS
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-55957DOI: 10.1177/10519815251317338ISI: 001464052800001PubMedID: 39973651Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105005531168OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-55957DiVA, id: diva2:1956786
Funder
Halmstad UniversityRegion SörmlandAvailable from: 2025-05-07 Created: 2025-05-07 Last updated: 2025-10-01Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Navigating everyday life to promote occupational health – from an individual, group and organisational perspective
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Navigating everyday life to promote occupational health – from an individual, group and organisational perspective
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

With the upcoming challenges of an aging population, it is crucial that individualsof working age experience good health and can work and contribute to society.Occupational ill health is a widespread issue in Sweden with many negative effectsboth on an individual, group, and societal level. Therefore, it is important to gainmore knowledge on what is causing this ill health and, more so, how occupationalhealth can be promoted.The overall aim of this thesis was to broaden the knowledge regarding what isneeded to promote occupational health in everyday life, including paid work,within the working population. In Study I, the aim was to analyse the relationshipsbetween sociodemographic factors, occupational value, occupational balance, andperceived health in people suffering from occupational ill health to explore themain risk factors for developing occupational ill health. The results showed thathaving a low sense of occupational balance, followed by a low number ofoccupations that had a high level of socio-symbolic values, were stronglyconnected to experiencing occupational ill health. Study II aimed to describe whatis needed to improve/regain a balanced everyday life, including paid work,described by individuals who had/were experiencing occupational ill health. Theresults illustrated a highly relational process, where private life and work aredifficult to separate, presupposing balance in everyday life in multiple dimensions.Therefore, the individuals included in the study had to take control of theireveryday life as a whole. They needed to focus on structuring and prioritisingsocial interactions, boundary settings, and occupational meaningfulness. In StudyIII, the aim was to describe the individuals’ experiences of maintaining orregaining occupational health in everyday life, including paid work, two to fiveyears after participating in Study II. The results showed that “flex-ability” in theworkplace is crucial for regaining or maintaining occupational balance and healthin everyday life. The term flex-ability (flexibility + capability) refers to theindividual’s need to be open to change and adapt to new challenges, both at workand in everyday life, but also to be met with flex-ability from their surroundings.To understand employers' perspectives on this, Study IV aimed to describe how agroup of managers promote a healthy work environment and to what extent theyconsider their employees' everyday lives. The results showed the importance ofviewing health promotion as a shared responsibility for occupational health beyondthe workplace, which included: Handling a multifaceted responsibility, tweakingthe organisational culture, shaping supportive work conditions, and bridgingboundaries between private and working life. The overall results illustrate the needto understand how occupations in everyday life influence not only each other andour lifestyle, but also the overall experience of health. Promotion of health ineveryday life, including work, is a complex effort that involves navigatingmultiple, interwoven processes and roles. Central to this is the concept of perceivedoccupational balance, which this thesis identifies as a key component ofoccupational health. Therefore, it seems beneficial to value the concept ofoccupational health in the broader context of everyday life, as a whole.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Halmstad: Halmstad University Press, 2025. p. 66
Series
Halmstad University Dissertations ; 135
Keywords
everyday life, health, health promotion, occupational balance, work
National Category
Occupational Therapy Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy Rehabilitation Medicine Other Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-57238 (URN)9789189587885 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-09-25, S1022, Kristian IV väg, Halmstad, 10:34 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2025-08-26 Created: 2025-08-26 Last updated: 2025-10-01Bibliographically approved

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