Draft:Gunnar T Aronsson

Gunnar T Aronsson (born November 22 1943) is a Swedish professor of occupational and organizational psychology.

Early life and education
Aronsson grew up in a small farmer's home in Nössemark on the Swedish-Norwegian border in Dalsland and worked in several manual occupations before pursuing university studies. He graduated in psychology in 1974 and earned his doctorate in philosophy in 1985. Aronsson was supervised by Professors Bertil Gardell and Gunn Johansson, becoming an associate professor in psychology 1987.

Academic career
From 1983, Aronsson worked as a researcher at the Swedish Work Environment Authority. In 1990, he was appointed by the Swedish government as a professor of work and organizational psychology at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life (NIWL). After the closure of NIWL in 2007, he worked as a visiting professor and professor emeritus at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University. He engaged in research collaborations with institutions such as the Karolinska Institute and researchers at Lillehammer University.

Research Fields
Aronsson's research focuses on work-related stress, health, and ill-health, emphasizing the significance of job control and the impact of work organizational and technological structures. His doctoral thesis, "Work content - autonomy - stress reactions - Theories and field studies", developed a job control and resource load perspective, forming a broad framework for later interdisciplinary research on job contro l boundaryless work, stress reactions, recovery in welfare work   sickness absenteeism, sickness presenteeism, and temporary work employment forms    .In general, his research is focused on practical application in working life.

Sickness Presenteeism and Health
Aronsson's research has prominently focused on the concept of "sickness presence" – the behavior of going to work even when you are unwell, which means that sickness absence (sick leave) is replaced by sickness attendance. This research area is close to the broader research field of presenteeism, which focuses on productivity and efficiency consequences due to reduced work ability, while sickness presence research is focused on individual health consequences.

In 2000, Aronsson initiated a study on sickness presence, marking one of the early scientific contributions of the sickness presence perspective to the global discourse of presenteeism. This study explored the determinants and consequences of sickness presence, laying the groundwork for subsequent research. A follow-up study 2005 introduced a model for studying sickness presence. Longitudinal studies that followed uncovered a significant finding: sickness presence not only predicts an increased risk of future ill-health but also future instances of sickness absence. Continued research by Aronsson and co-workers has sought to identify and analyze both positive and negative motives and determinants related to sickness presenteeism. In a specific study, the intricate interplay between health and motivation was highlighted as mediators influencing the relationship between job demands, job control, and social support in the context of sickness absence and sickness presence.

Computerized Work - Work Without Boundaries
Aronsson's second major research area explores the implications of computer technology on working conditions, health, and the relationship and balance between private life and work, covered by the concept of work-life balance. Early studies were focused on qualification demands in computer-mediated work comparing stress reactions and recovery in various types of computerized work, identifying winners and losers of computer technology. Later studies have focused on how digital technology dissolves or blurs the time and space boundaries of work, emphasizing strategies employed by workers to manage work-life balance and protect health. In 2022, Aronsson and Lundberg, on behalf of The Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise, published a review on international research regarding remote work's impact on stress, work-life balance, and self-estimated productivity before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Research reviews
In collaboration with colleagues, Aronsson conducted several reviews and knowledge compilations on the international state of knowledge in key areas of work environment research. Notably, reviews on work environment and occupational burnout, as well as work environment and depression have had significant international impact, with more than 1800 citations in Google Scholar (2024-01-30).

Scientific Impact
Aronsson has a number of highly cited scientific papers, books, and book chapters, with a (2024) h-index of 49 and and 14120 citations. The exploration of sickness presence has attracted global interest, with ongoing studies in many countries. The first two articles on sickness presenteeism have generated 2877 citations on Google Scholar (2024-01-30), reflecting the widespread impact and interest in this area of research.

Government Assignments
Aronsson has undertaken various expert assignments in investigations initiated by the Swedish government, including serving as a secretary in the work organization group (led by Göran Johnsson) within the Swedish government's Working Environment Commission from 1989 to 1990. He was also member in an expert group chaired by the Minister for Industry, Employment and Communication Mona Sahlin for analyses of the strong increase in work-related ill-health (Ds 2001:28 in Swedish). 2000 - 2002 he was expert within the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs' investigation "Action plan for increased health in working life" SOU 2002:5 (chaired by Jan Rydh). 2004 to 2006 he was a member of the Swedish Government's Work Environment Council, chaired by Minister of Labor Hans Karlsson.