Solo Work in Client-Facing Contacts

The plan requires higher requirements for working environment in legislation and that welfare staff are given better conditions and staffing instead of bearing the resource shortage themselves. Social services must be strengthened with sufficient resources for child protection. A ban on solo work in high-risk client-facing contacts follows from the plan's view that staffing and safety are society's responsibility, not something to be squeezed out of scarce resources.

• legally established occupational health and safetydecisive»Vänsterpartiet arbetar för en förstärkt arbetsrätt som innebär« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party works for a strengthened labor rights which means”
• strengthened social services»förstärk socialtjänsten med tillräckliga resurser och kunskap för att arbeta både förebyggande och med barnskydd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen social services with sufficient resources and knowledge to work both preventively and with child protection”
• staffing and working environment»satsa på personalen så att vi samtidigt får bort personalbristen och stärker personalens villkor och arbetsmiljö« (2022 manifesto ↗)“invest in staff so that we simultaneously eliminate staff shortages and improve staff conditions and working environment”
• union influence over working environment»Lagen ska stärka fackens inflytande« (party programme ↗)“The law shall strengthen unions' influence”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's commitment is that working conditions in the welfare sector should reflect how central the jobs are and that social services should be strengthened, and the party programme establishes that strong labour law legislation is needed as protection for employees. A statutory prohibition against working alone in client-facing contacts is such a protective regulation and therefore aligns with the plan's direction. The plan does not mention working alone, so the position is derived from the protection principle.

• secure working conditions in the welfare sectordecisive»Arbetsvillkoren i välfärden måste spegla hur centrala jobben är för att samhället ska fungera.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Working conditions in the welfare sector must reflect how central the jobs are for society to function.”
• statutory protection for employees»arbetsrättslig lagstiftning behövs som skydd för de anställda.« (party programme ↗)“labour law legislation is needed as protection for employees.”
• strengthened social services»Att socialtjänsten stärks är centralt för att fånga upp unga i tid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthening social services is central to reaching young people in time.”

The plan's crucial commitment is that staff density in care must be maintained at a level that ensures that staff do not end up in impossible situations where they alone are forced to perform tasks that require two people. The same reasoning supports the counter-proposal's requirement to prohibit solo work in direct client contact. The plan also promises a good physical and psychosocial work environment in healthcare and care.

• no one alone in risky workdecisive»inför omöjliga situationer som att ensamma behöva« (party programme ↗)“face impossible situations such as being forced alone to”
• sufficient staff density»Personaltätheten måste hålla tillräcklig nivå så att« (party programme ↗)“Staff density must be maintained at a sufficient level so that”
• right to a good work environment»god fysisk och psykosocial arbetsmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“good physical and psychosocial work environment.”
• good work environment in healthcare and care»höja lönerna och säkra en god arbetsmiljö i vården.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise wages and ensure a good work environment in healthcare.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not address solo work in client-facing activities. The nearest principle is that the state should do its assignment efficiently and fairly without excessive regulation, and that security at work should first and foremost be strengthened through better working conditions, management support and smaller work groups. A statutory prohibition is therefore not the instrument the plan points to.

• the state should not over-regulatedecisive»Centerpartiets uppgift är att se till att staten gör det den är till för, så effektivt och rättssäkert som möjligt« (party programme ↗)“The Centre Party's task is to ensure that the state does what it is for, as efficiently and fairly as possible”
• security through management support»Mer och bättre stöd från chefer skapar trygghet på jobbet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More and better support from managers creates security at work.”
• better working conditions»Arbetsvillkoren inom vård och omsorg måste förbättras« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Working conditions in care and health services must be improved”

The plan establishes that conditions on the labour market shall in the main be determined through agreement and not by law, and that employers' incentives to prevent injury shall become clearer. A legislated ban on solo work in client-facing contact therefore goes against the plan's order for how workplace health issues shall be regulated. The plan simultaneously wants to strengthen protection for staff in authority-exercising operations, which pulls in the opposite direction.

• conditions in agreement not by lawdecisive»svenska arbetsmarknadsmodellen, där villkoren i huvudsak bestäms genom avtal och inte i lag, bidrar till« (party programme ↗)“the Swedish labour market model, where conditions are in the main determined through agreement and not by law, contributes to”
• employer's preventive responsibility»arbetsrelaterade skador och sjukdomar och bidra till rehabilitering av anställda ska bli tydligare.« (party programme ↗)“work-related injuries and illnesses and contribute to rehabilitation of employees shall become clearer.”
• protection for public employees»Socialsekreterare och andra offentliganställda ska skyddas mot förföljelse och utsatthet genom att ett nytt brott – tjänstemannaförföljelse – införs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Social workers and other public employees shall be protected against persecution and exposure by a new crime – official harassment – being introduced.”

flags: motstridiga_atagande

The plan requires high ambition in occupational health legislation and that occupational safety takes into account both physical and mental health, which argues for protection against risky solitary work. At the same time, children's and young people's right to a safe growing environment and strengthened social measures are core commitments that the prohibition is aimed at. However, locking the form in law is not something the plan addresses, so certainty in the conclusion is low.

• working environment including mental healthdecisive»arbetsmiljö ska ta hänsyn till såväl fysisk som psykisk« (party programme ↗)“working environment shall take into account both physical and mental”
• high ambition in occupational health laws»En hög ambitionsnivå ska prägla lagar och« (party programme ↗)“High ambition shall characterise laws and”
• safe upbringing for children»Barn har rätt till en trygg uppväxtmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Children have the right to a safe growing environment.”
• stronger social measures»Stärk sociala insatser och socialtjänstens möjligheter till tvingande åtgärder gentemot barn och unga som begår brott.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen social measures and social services' possibilities for compulsory measures towards children and young people who commit crimes.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The documents say nothing about solo work in client-focused activities. The closest principles are that the plan wants to strengthen social services and care for placed young people with concrete measures, while the programme warns that politics lacks the ability to detail-control complex activities. A statutory general ban is precisely such detailed regulation, so the plan rather speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• political detail control inappropriatedecisive»att detaljstyra och överpröva en så komplicerad process.« (party programme ↗)“to detail-control and overrule such a complicated process.”
• better care for placed young people»Se till att placerade ungdomar ges bättre utbildning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that placed young people receive better education”
• more care orders»Säkerställa att fler omhändertas enligt LVU« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that more are taken into care according to the Care of Young Persons Act”

The plan states that no one should suffer serious injury at work and that every workplace should have thorough occupational health work that creates security for employees. A ban on solo work in particularly high-risk client-facing contacts is a measure in that direction. However, the plan does not address solo work specifically, so the stance is derived from the occupational health commitments.

• zero vision for workplace injuriesdecisive»Ingen ska behöva avlida eller skadas allvarligt på jobbet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“No one should need to die or suffer serious injury at work.”
• thorough occupational health work»Varje svensk arbetsplats ska ha ett fullgott arbetsmiljöarbete som skapar trygghet för medarbetarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Every Swedish workplace should have thorough occupational health work that creates security for employees.”
• security in working life»Öka tryggheten och säkerheten i arbetslivet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase security and safety in working life”
• the importance of the working environment»Arbetsmiljön har stor betydelse för arbetstagarnas psykiska och fysiska hälsa.« (party programme ↗)“The working environment has great importance for workers' mental and physical health.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.