The Close down of Volvo Aerosupport in Arboga, Sweden

1
The Close down of Volvo Aerosupport in Arboga,
Sweden

• - Effects on living conditions -

2
Background

• Different kinds of downsizing - a common way to
  change
• Downsizing affects life and health
• (Vahtera Kivimäki 1997)
• Threats of unemployment and job insecurity gives
• negative health effects (Hallsten Isaksson
  2000)

3

• 1970ties Volvo Aerosupport was established in
  Arboga
• 1997 decision taken to close down all operations
  in
• Arboga - 650 unemployed
• Volvo Aerosupport offers employees to move to
• Trollhättan, located 350 kilometers from Arboga

4
Aim

• The aim was to study how the closing down
  decision
• affected living conditions of the employees who
  chose
• to remain in Arboga

5
Method

• A narrative method was used for data collection
  and text
• analysis
• Stories concerning previous employees
• experiences during the period of close down

6

• Thirteen narratives by 6 women and 7 men
  described
• - How it was to be employed at Volvo Aerosupport
• - What happened in the relations between
  employees
• during the process
• - The consequences of the changing process
• - Thoughts about the occurrence afterwards

7

• Structural analysis the text was touched up in
  three
• time series
• - The employment
• - The termination
• - Afterwards
• The interpretation was inspired by Paul Riccoeur
  (1993)
• and the dialectic between to explain and to
• understand

8
Results

• - Previous employees enjoyed working at Volvo
• Aerosupport possibilities to service training
  and
• education
• - The decision of downsizing lead to shock and
  worries
• - They felt disappointed and described this in
  relation to
• health aspects
• - Five of the thirteen interview persons were
  still out of
• work

9
Conclusion

• The relations between employees got stronger
• during the process of downsizing which seemed to
  have
• a positive effect on the employees wellbeing
• In decisions about downsizing or closing down
• companies openness and clear dialog with the
• employees is necessary even if the information is
• negative.

10
Contact

• Anita Larsson
• Department of Caring and Public Health Science
  (IVF)
• Mälardalen University
• Västerås, Sweden
• anita.larsson_at_mdh.se