My essay is on the subject of teachers work environment with focus on noise and communication. In the essay questions are raised on how a teacher can influence his or hers noisy work environment. A school is a large work place with many employees and is owned and administered by the county municipality which is an even bigger workplace. How big an acting space does a teacher have in such a large organization?
My methods of research on these questions have been to conduct interviews and analyzing documentation from The Swedish Work Environment Authority. The Swedish Work Environment Authority inspects workplaces and conducts work environment inquiries by inspecting and discovering misdoings/abuses. They put high demands on workplaces by imposing a high fine. I have investigated a preschool and an upper secondary school that have had problems with their noise environment.
The result of the research is that a teacher, to a certain extent, can influence his or hers work environment, but that the teacher needs support from The Work Environment Authority in order to achieve real change. When the employee has risen the issue of a noisy work environment there has been no immediate response from the board of directors in the municipality. In the upper secondary school there were no major changes despite The Work Environment Authority imposing a large fine.