Affiliations: Department of Community Medicine and Public Health,
Örebro County Council, Örebro, Sweden | National Centre for Work and Rehabilitation.
Department of Health and Society, Linköping University, Linköping,
Sweden | School of Life Science, University of Skövde,
Skövde, Sweden | University of Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy,
Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Göteborg, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Kerstin Nilsson, University of
Gothenburg, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Health and Care Sciences,
Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 31 773 60 28; Fax: +46 31 773 60 50; E-mail:
kerstin.nilsson@fhs.gu.se
Abstract: The aim of this study was to describe how Swedish social insurance
officers experienced their working conditions, when dealing with applications
for disability pensions (DPs). A qualitative research design was selected to
describe their experiences. Open-ended interviews with ten social insurance
officers were analyzed with inductive content analysis. This analysis showed
that the working conditions were influenced by rules and regulations and the
social insurance officers' competence. The social insurance officers' powerful
positions and how their discretion was implemented made them feel responsible
for performing their work well. They felt that the large number of clients
hampered them from being able to offer the clients the activities they were
entitled to, and from paying each client sufficient attention. There was a need
for time to reflect and to improve management, in order to better develop the
way in which DPs were handled. There was a difference in culture between the
older social insurance officers, who had experience-based training, and the
younger social insurance officers, who had academic qualifications. The results
from this study could be used to better develop the organisation of work in the
social insurance agency, and in further educational activities.
Keywords: Social insurance officer, working conditions, street-level bureaucracy
