Should I stay or should I go? A further exploration of Swedish doctoral researchers’ “heavenly hell” from a workplace perspective

Swedish doctoral researchers are predominantly employed at their university, and their work is regulated under the Work Environment Act. Their situation has been described as “heavenly hell” (Ilar, 2017). On the one hand they feel privileged, performing creative work vital to the development of students and modern societies (Källhammer, 2008). On the other their working conditions are often charaterised by: high or very high stress levels and demands; unpredictable goals; unclear or tacit expectations; and lack of recognition and support (Källhammer, 2008; Swedish Higher Education Authority, 2016). Conditions which can lead to depression and fatigue syndrome, especially if they are individualised and normalized (Holmström, 2018). 31% have not completed their doctorate 8 years after being registered to a 4-5-year doctoral programme (Swedish National Agency for Higher Education, 2014).

This paper explores how Swedish universities can improve their doctoral researchers’ working conditions in order to not only minimize work-related illness and drop-out, but also to stimulate creativity and passion as well as flexibility to cope with the rigours inherent in research (Denicolo, 2018).