Despite concerns about negative consequences for clients and permanent staff, temporary agency workers (TAWs) are frequently employed to manage staff shortages in personal social services (PSS) in Sweden and elsewhere. Drawing on qualitative interviews with thirty-four TAWs, managers and permanent social workers, this article aims to enhance our understanding of how TAWs are utilised in the PSS and the impact this has on (i) the preconditions for TAWs and (ii) the work environment for permanent employees. The findings suggest that TAWs are mainly contracted for core tasks, and often for heavy-duty work. In order to meet demands for expedient case administration, the supportive aspects of social work are sometimes deprioritised. Permanent staff report that positive effects of the use of TAWs include relief of workload and an influx of new knowledge, whereas negative effects include stagnated work development, deteriorating group dynamics and additional work. Moreover, it is shown that TAWs often reside in the periphery of the organisation and that they typically are contracted on an ad-hoc basis and during times of crisis. It is suggested that the organisational conditions that TAWs are contracted to help remedy paradoxically are unlikely to create the best preconditions for a successful use.

中文翻译：

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个人社会服务中的临时代理工作人员——在外围完成核心任务

尽管担心对客户和长期员工产生负面影响，但瑞典和其他地方的个人社会服务 (PSS) 经常雇用临时代理工人 (TAW) 来解决人员短缺问题。本文基于对 34 名 TAW、管理人员和长期社会工作者的定性访谈，旨在加深我们对 TAW 在 PSS 中的运用及其对 (i) TAW 的先决条件和 (ii) 工作的影响的理解为永久员工提供的环境。研究结果表明，TAW 主要负责核心任务，而且通常是重型工作。为了满足便捷案件管理的需求，社会工作的支持方面有时会被忽视。长期工作人员报告说，使用 TAW 的积极影响包括工作量的减轻和新知识的涌入，而消极影响包括工作发展停滞、团队活力恶化和额外工作。此外，研究表明，TAW 通常位于组织的外围，并且通常是在危机时期临时签订的合同。有人认为，为帮助补救而签订的 TAW 的组织条件似乎不太可能为成功使用创造最佳先决条件。