Juridification of Workplace Mistreatment: a Document Study of SALAR – The Governing Organization for Public Administration in Sweden

Abstract SALAR, Sweden’s largest employer association, advises the public sector on how to build management rules and processes. How SALAR relates to work environment policy and routines regarding the handling of mistreatment at work is yet unexplored. This research looks into SALAR’s advice to public-sector management on how to handle mistreatment. The study’s goal is to identify policy recommendations for the development of public-sector policies. The empirical source for this study was the SALAR website. As a result, document analysis was chosen as the method. The concept of juridification has been used to describe how professional life has grown increasingly linked with legal thinking. It is utilized as a lens in this study to understand the advancement of workplace misconduct policy in Sweden’s public sector. According to the data, SALAR views workplace mistreatment as a transaction issue rather than a work environment issue. Furthermore, the policy provides an ambiguous definition of workplace mistreatment, strengthens an individual’s perspective on workplace mistreatment, and suggests bullying investigations as the only management. The conclusion is that SALAR’s recommendations have been clouded by the logic fallacy of the juridification process and dismiss workplace mistreatment as a work environment problem. The recommendations are insufficient for decision-makers to understand workplace mistreatment, thereby increasing the risk for employees exposed to mistreatment in Sweden’s public sector.