At the centre, we conduct multidisciplinary research focused on work life and organisation. Our research concerns work environment, collaboration, leadership and organisation. We develop tools and methods that can contribute to the application of research. CTA is a hub where researchers and practitioners can meet, discuss, and learn more.

Working life is a major part of most people's lives. Working life research focusing on social and organisational aspects is important for creating healthy, sustainable, inclusive organisations and workplaces.

Lisa Ringblom, Coordinator

Our research

We conduct multidisciplinary and practice-oriented research to improve working conditions and contribute to an equal working life. The research profile focuses on organisational and social work environment issues. The link to society is strong, and the centre has the ambition to improve conditions in people's working lives. The Centre for Work Life Studies (CTA) was established by the Vice-Chancellor in the autumn of 2007 and started its research activities as a centre in January 2008.

All researchers at Malmö University who conduct working life research with a focus on the conditions and prerequisites for management and organisation as well as social relations in working life are welcome to be part of CTA.

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Current

Event, 20 May

Malmö Work Life Symposium

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Workshop, 20 May - 22 May

COPSOQ International Network Workshop

Studenter väntar mellan föreläsningar.

On Friday 26 September 2025, we invite researchers and practitioners to the 3rd Malmö Work Science Meeting. This event aims to advance work science by fostering dialogue between researchers and practitioners on pressing issues in the field. Topics include: Labour market and transitions, Working life and work environment, Work and livelihood. Deadline for abstracts: 30 May 2025.

Kristoffer Holm

Employees who have previously been the subject of incivility at the workplace run a greater risk of later being bullied at work. These are the findings of a study by Kristoffer Holm, a researcher at Malmö University and PhD in psychology focusing on work and organisational psychology.

Working in healthcare - current research

Workload, stress and staff turnover

        Why do carers leave and how can staff turnover be reduced?

A few studies, primarily cross-sectional, indicate associations between illegitimate tasks and stress, exhaustion, and depression. This study investigates how illegitimate tasks affect the health and well-being of different groups in the workforce over time.

Threat and violence against healthcare professionals

The research study investigates the prevalence and experiences of threats and violence caused by patients or relatives in surgical wards.

Read more about the study on threats and violence against healthcare professionals

Researcher: Jenny Jacobsson

Elderly care

The project aims to increase the knowledge of responsible municipal politicians about the organisational and social work environment in elder care. 

More about the project to increase the knowledge about the work environment in elderly care

Researcher: Susann Porter

Research projects and publications

Anyone who conducts research within work life and evaluation studies is welcome to join the cohesive and multidisciplinary research centre CTA. Our interests include management, organization, social relations in working life as well as interactions between working life and leisure.

Find out more about our ongoing projects.

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More about the research program OSSC

The research program contributes to the field with a new concept, organisational and social safety climate. The concept is inspired from two different directions, partly psychosocial safety climate, partly the new regulations from the Swedish Work Environment Agency, organisational and social work environment. Together with the JD-R model, this forms the theoretical framework for the program.

The program is based on ongoing and planned research projects which serve as a knowledge base for the development of new projects, and contribute to creating continuity and a long-term perspective within the research area. The overall goal is to develop approaches, empirically validated and reliable tools that can be used for research, practice and interventions in order to develop a sustainable work environment in human care organisations.

This will be achieved by including the perspectives of senior management, first line managers and employees on the organizational and social safety climate within various human care organisations.

During the first three years of the program, we aim to:

  • continue to develop existing methods and instruments that can be used to assess the organizational and social safety climate within various human care organisations,
  • conduct studies of the work situation for employees and first-line managers,
  • conduct studies on bullying in working life and abusive behaviour with a focus on victims and witnesses.

The subsequent three years of the program will be devoted to intervention-oriented studies with the aim of developing work methods that promote a healthy organisational and social safety climate within human care organisations. The results can contribute to meeting future challenges such as stress, abusive discrimination, high staff turnover and recruitment problems within these organisations.

Researchers active in CTA

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Biblioteket på Odontologiska fakulteten Malmö universitet

Problems related to the organisational and social work environment are the most common cause of work-related ill health. A research team headed by Hanne Berthelsen, Associate Professor in Organisation and Leadership, has been responsible for further developing and validating the COPSOQ measurement tool for the Swedish labour market.

Collaboration

Are you or your organisation interested in collaborating with CTA? Contact the coordinator Lisa Ringblom or the researcher you are interested in collaborating with.

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