Shortened Working Hours for Nurses in Elderly Care and Municipal Home Care - Work Environment, Work-life Balance & Well-being

NCT07520058 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: HIG-FORSK 2026/81
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 190
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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?

Conditions

Registered Nurses

Keywords

Shortened Working Hours; Elderly Care; Home Care; Work Life Balance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• 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.

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and then 6 and 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection). For the 6-months data collection only nurses in the group with shortened working hours, at 12 months all nurses.

• 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.

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 6 and 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection). For the 6-months data collection only nurses in the group with shortened working hours, at 12 months all nurses.

Secondary Outcomes (24)

• Well-being - Work-life balance - dimension "personal life enhancement of work"

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 6 and 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection). For the 6-months data collection only nurses in the group with shortened working hours, at 12 months all nurses.

• Well-being - Recovery experience

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection).

• Well-being - Thriving

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection).

• Well-being - Intention to quite/leave the job

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection).

• Well-being - Intention to remain at this workplace

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection).

Other Outcomes (2)

• Well-being - Work-life balance - dimension "personal life interference with work"

  Data collection before the changes (pre-), and thereafter 6 and 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection). For the 6-months data collection only nurses in the group with shortened working hours, at 12 months all nurses.

• Work environment - Influence/impact in work

  Data collection before the changes (pre-) and 12 months after the first data collection (post data collection).

Study Arms (2)

Registered nurses working in elderly care and/or municipal home care

Registered nurses in elderly care and/or municipal home care with shortened working hours

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.

Other: Shortened working hours

Interventions

Shortened working hours OTHER

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.

Registered nurses in elderly care and/or municipal home care with shortened working hours

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Registered nurses from six municipalities, one of which will introduce shortened working hours for its nurses.

You may qualify if:

• Registered nurses working in elderly care or in municipal home care.

You may not qualify if:

• Registered nurses on long-term leave.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Gavle: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Gävle

Gävle, 80176, Sweden

Location

Study Officials

• Maria Engström, PhD Professor

  University of Gävle

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Maria Engström, Professor, PhD

CONTACT

+4626648215; maria.engstrom@hig.se

Charlotte Roos, PhD

CONTACT

charlotte.roos@regiongavleborg.se

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 2, 2026
• First Posted: April 9, 2026
• Study Start: April 25, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Last Updated: April 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SE (1)