How to Handle Changes in Job Satisfaction Based on Workplace Setting - A Case Study of Swedish Municipalities

Sammanfattning

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have faced significant changes regarding workplace settings, primarily a shift from in-person to remote environments. The fact that remote work is generally increasing has impacted what employees experience in work and can potentially impact their job satisfaction. Therefore, it is important to learn what has changed and how to handle the change in this new context. To mitigate the impacts of these shifts in workplace settings, change management is hypothesized to be a way to limit decreases in job satisfaction. To answer these questions and conduct this study, a two-part data collection method took place: first, with surveys of employees in the selected municipalities in Skåne; and second, with interviews of managers at these same municipalities. Existing research on job satisfaction, remote work, and change management is extracted to form a managerial understanding of the relationship between these three concepts. Then, this framework is applied to public sector organizations, which are relatively understudied in this context. The findings of this thesis reveal that employees consider factors related to remote work as more important to their job satisfaction compared to some of the previously important factors. In addition, managers can maintain employees’ satisfaction by including them in the change management process. Clear communication and shared goals are two key practices to avoid increased job dissatisfaction in the event of a significant change. However, conducting change management in the context of a crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, is complicated.