Ratio is an interdisciplinary research institute, with a research focus on the conditions of business and enterprise.

08-441 59 00 info@ratio.se

802002-5212

Sveavägen 59 4trp

11359 Stockholm

Bankgiro: 512-6578

Publications Seminars People

Popular

Labour market research

Competitiveness research

Climate and environmental research

PublicationArticle (with peer review)

Working from home during lockdown: the association between rest breaks and well-being

Abstract

One of the challenges with working from home (WFH) is the question of its effect on health and well-being. The impact of home working on health has so far not been studied extensively. We address this gap by investigating the association between internal recovery, operationalised as rest break frequency (low, medium, and high) during the working day, on self-reported musculoskeletal pain, and post-work recovery symptoms in WFH knowledge workers (n = 382). The analysis showed that failing to take frequent breaks was associated with a dose-response increased risk of reporting headaches. For post-work recovery symptoms, failing to take rest breaks throughout the day was associated with an increased risk of reporting psychological fatigue, physical fatigue, and sleep problems, and a decreased risk of psychologically detaching from work and experiencing adequate rest. Our findings emphasise the importance of remote workers taking recovery breaks from work demands in the maintenance of health and well-being.

Cropley, M., Weidenstedt, L., Leick, B., & Sütterlin, S. (2022). Working from home during lockdown: the association between rest breaks and well-being. Ergonomics, 1-11.

Details

Author: L., Leick, B., & Sütterlin, S. (2022).
Publication year: 2022
Published in: Ergonomics, 1-11.

Related

Ph.D.
Linda Weidenstedt
+46705259953linda.weidenstedt@ratio.se

Similar content

Article (with peer review)

Tech-entrepreneurs’ psychological contracts with their institutional environment: Insights from Sweden

Eib, C., & Weidenstedt, L.

Publication year

2025

Published in

Economic and Industrial Democracy

Abstract

This qualitative interview study examines how high-tech entrepreneurs in Sweden (N = 11) perceive their contextual prerequisites and the expectations they hold towards their broader social and institutional environment. Findings from a thematic analysis reveal that participants have implicit expectations towards society and the state that are not being met, leading to frustrations, perceptions of unfairness, and cynicism. Through the lens of psychological contract theory, we demonstrate how the contextual framework shapes expectations and experiences of entrepreneurs, contributing to both psychological contract theory and to the contextualization of entrepreneurship.

Article (with peer review)

Stressed or happy – or both? Nuancing gig workers’ experiences with platform work

Weidenstedt, L., Palmtag, E.-L., Leick, B., & Cropley, M.

Publication year

2025

Published in

Economic and Industrial Democracy

Abstract

This study refines the understanding of gig workers’ experiences by showing that stress and job satisfaction can be parallel rather than mutually exclusive outcomes of gig work. By ‘gig work’ we mean piecemeal work using digital apps and platforms as part of the job. Using international survey data (N = 2385), we examine how demographic factors, socio-economic circumstances and work intensity are associated with both stress and job satisfaction of gig workers. Our results show that gig work can be both stressful and satisfying, with high work pace and physical activity enhancing satisfaction without increasing stress. These findings challenge the assumption that by default precarity leads to dissatisfaction, and they underscore the need to measure both stress and satisfaction of gig work. The exploratory study contributes to extant research on platform work by offering a nuanced perspective on gig workers’ well-being, with implications for platform design and policy to improve working conditions in the gig economy.

Article (with peer review)

Under my umbrella? Gig workers’ perspectives on career sustainability as employees in Swedish umbrella companies

Müller, F., Weidenstedt, L., Bernhard-Oettel, C., & Eib, C.Müller, F., Weidenstedt, L., Bernhard-Oettel, C., & Eib, C.

Publication year

2025

Published in

Journal of Vocational Behavior

Abstract

The rise of non-standard work arrangements has increased the need for research on career sustainability within these contexts, yet insights remain limited. In this study, we explore how gig workers employed by so-called umbrella companies understand and navigate their seemingly contradictory work arrangement. Building on the framework of sustainable careers, we conducted a reflexive thematic analysis with gig workers employed by Swedish umbrella companies. Results challenge the common portrayal of gig work as inherently precarious, as workers found ways to create a meaningful and sustainable career sequence. Participants perceived umbrella companies as enabling hyper-flexibility and hyper-individualization, thereby enhancing their person-career fit. However, they also acknowledged the limitations and potential societal challenges of this work model. We discuss how the sustainable career framework can capture the complexity of how employed gig workers made sense of their careers.