Organisational and social work environment in artistic professions

Artistic professions offer creative and stimulating work environments, but can also be characterized by uncertainty, precarity, and high demands. There is currently a lack of research-based knowledge about how the organisational and social work environment affects those who work in these professions. This project aims to increase the understanding of artistic work environments and contribute with suggestions for improvements. It draws on a scoping review of existing research and an interview study with practitioners in artistic professions.

Background

The organisational and social work environment is of great importance for people’s health and well-being and is a means of motivating, attracting and retaining staff, and is important for the quality of the product or service delivered.However, the research knowledge on the work environment in artistic professions is very limited in Sweden, and internationally. A report from the Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis (2024) states that employees in artistic professions work in dynamic and creative environments that stimulate both innovation and personal development. The professions provide great freedom but are at the same time characterized by uncertainty, where short term contracts, irregular working hours, and high demands on performance and artistic quality are common. Those working in artistic professions often build their careers by combining several different professional roles and sources of income, rather than having a traditional full-time job. Their livelihoods are, further, dependent on scholarships, government subsidies, and short-term projects. Since stable employment is often lacking, many are self-employed and need to create opportunities and conditions for their own activities.