Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Should I Stay or Should I Go? : Associations between Occupational Factors, Signs of Exhaustion, and the Intention to Change Workplace among Swedish Principals

Arvidsson, Inger LU ; Leo, Ulf ; Oudin, Anna LU orcid ; Nilsson, Kerstin LU orcid ; Håkansson, Carita LU orcid ; Österberg, Kai LU and Persson, Roger LU orcid (2023) p.139-158
Abstract
A high turnover among principals may disrupt the continuity of leadership and negatively
affect teachers and, by extension, the students. The aim was to investigate to what extent various
work environment factors and signs of exhaustion were associated with reported intentions to
change workplace among principals working in compulsory schools. A web-based questionnaire was
administered twice, in 2018 and in 2019. Part I of the study involved cross-sectional analyses of the
associations 2018 (n = 984) and 2019 (n = 884) between occupational factors, signs of exhaustion, and
the intention to change workplace, using Generalized Estimating Equations models. Part II involved
631 principals who participated in both... (More)
A high turnover among principals may disrupt the continuity of leadership and negatively
affect teachers and, by extension, the students. The aim was to investigate to what extent various
work environment factors and signs of exhaustion were associated with reported intentions to
change workplace among principals working in compulsory schools. A web-based questionnaire was
administered twice, in 2018 and in 2019. Part I of the study involved cross-sectional analyses of the
associations 2018 (n = 984) and 2019 (n = 884) between occupational factors, signs of exhaustion, and
the intention to change workplace, using Generalized Estimating Equations models. Part II involved
631 principals who participated in both surveys. The patterns of intended and actual changes of
workplace across two years were described, together with associated changes of occupational factors
and signs of exhaustion. Supportive management was associated with an intention to stay, while
demanding role conflicts and the feeling of being squeezed between management and co-workers
(buffer-function) were associated with the intention to change workplace. The principals who
intended to change their workplace reported more signs of exhaustion. To increase retention among
principals, systematic efforts are probably needed at the national, municipal, and local level, in order
to improve their working conditions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Sustainable Healthy Working Life for All Ages : Work Environment, Age Management and Employability. - Work Environment, Age Management and Employability.
pages
139 - 158
publisher
MDPI AG
ISBN
978-3-0365-6676-4
978-3-0365-6677-1
DOI
10.3390/books978-3-0365-6677-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
68eab832-2d09-4fda-80d0-00e310f707c5
date added to LUP
2025-01-23 17:02:21
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:12:58
@inbook{68eab832-2d09-4fda-80d0-00e310f707c5,
  abstract     = {{A high turnover among principals may disrupt the continuity of leadership and negatively<br/>affect teachers and, by extension, the students. The aim was to investigate to what extent various<br/>work environment factors and signs of exhaustion were associated with reported intentions to<br/>change workplace among principals working in compulsory schools. A web-based questionnaire was<br/>administered twice, in 2018 and in 2019. Part I of the study involved cross-sectional analyses of the<br/>associations 2018 (n = 984) and 2019 (n = 884) between occupational factors, signs of exhaustion, and<br/>the intention to change workplace, using Generalized Estimating Equations models. Part II involved<br/>631 principals who participated in both surveys. The patterns of intended and actual changes of<br/>workplace across two years were described, together with associated changes of occupational factors<br/>and signs of exhaustion. Supportive management was associated with an intention to stay, while<br/>demanding role conflicts and the feeling of being squeezed between management and co-workers<br/>(buffer-function) were associated with the intention to change workplace. The principals who<br/>intended to change their workplace reported more signs of exhaustion. To increase retention among<br/>principals, systematic efforts are probably needed at the national, municipal, and local level, in order<br/>to improve their working conditions.}},
  author       = {{Arvidsson, Inger and Leo, Ulf and Oudin, Anna and Nilsson, Kerstin and Håkansson, Carita and Österberg, Kai and Persson, Roger}},
  booktitle    = {{Sustainable Healthy Working Life for All Ages : Work Environment, Age Management and Employability.}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-0365-6676-4}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{139--158}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{Should I Stay or Should I Go? : Associations between Occupational Factors, Signs of Exhaustion, and the Intention to Change Workplace among Swedish Principals}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/books978-3-0365-6677-1}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/books978-3-0365-6677-1}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}