En studie om psykosociala arbetsmiljöfaktorer på ett dykföretag i Thailand med fokus på motivation och välmående

Abstract

Problem: Diving companies are distinguished by seasonal work just as many other tourism companies. The all year around staff work with few tourists and colleagues during the low season and during the high season they work intense for six months together with seasonal workers in a destination full of tourists. When the low season approaches, both the tourists and seasonal workers decrease. It is a lifestyle for both groups, but a temporary period for the seasonal workers and an everyday life for the all year around workers. So the staff have different conditions, interests and needs and their work motivation differ depending on if they work all year around or seasonal. It is significant to have understanding for these differences as an employer to be able to motivate the employees in the best way possible, both during the tranquil and hectic work periods.

Purpose: The purpose is to clarify which motivation and well-being factors that strive the all year around workers and seasonal workers at Kon-Tiki to work in a business with such special work conditions, what motivates them to perform to their fullest both for their own and the companies sake. This contributes to a greater understanding for how managers can lead and work with motivation and the well-being of employees in a diving company and in the tourism business. The purpose is also to see if there are differences or similarities between the groups.

Methodology: We chose to do a qualitative study to be able to get a deeper understanding of our problem and purpose. It includes literature about psychosocial work environment, motivation, well-being and tourism employee management. The theories are mainly based on Herzbergs two-factor theory, Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model and Job Design as well as Karasek and Theorell's demand-control model. The empirical material was collected through interviews with employees at Kon-Tiki. The interview questions are based on 25 factors that have significance for the psychosocial work environment.

Results: Together the factors create a comprehensive view of the experience of being an employee at Kon-Tiki, why they are equally important for the employees' motivation and well-being. The all year around staff are generally more pleased at Kon-Tiki than the seasonal workers. Reasons might be the fact that the all year around staff have been employed for a long time, work all year around and therefore have a greater knowledge of the company and a better contact with the leadership, which gives them more influence and responsibility. The seasonal staff only work for shorter periods and might not have the same business think as the others, which might cause their different opinions. In spite of this, and the fact that the personnel mostly associate with people within their own groups, they believe they have a good fellowship at work. The results show that the type of employment has a big significance for the employee's experience of being an employee at Kon-Tiki. Their conditions and needs differ, which must be considered by the management in their work towards a happier and motivated personnel.