Paper short abstract:

The aim of our paper is to show how office-employees in Sweden experience, negotiate and understand bad atmosphere and uncertainty in working life through the lens narrative positioning. We look at narratives that try to grasp a feeling that something is amiss, yet it is not openly confronted.

Paper long abstract:

Everyone have an experience of it, uncertain atmosphere at work, brewing conflict among in the office, or pussyfooting around avoiding conflict. Yet, it is not easy to narrate and filled with ambiguities. It is the moment before an open conflict would start, and even though nothing is said in plain words, everyone can feel that a storm is brewing. Efforts are being made in offices around Sweden on a daily bases to alleviate the curious feeling of “dålig stämning”. Bloggers, union and industry magazines are full of tips how to avoid office unease. Even the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs contemplate conflict avoidance in reports on the Swedish self-image. But how is this uncertain atmosphere narrated by office employees?

The aim of our paper is to show how office-employees in Sweden experience, negotiate and understand bad atmosphere and uncertainty in their working life. By analysing personal experience narratives, collected through a qualitative questionnaire, through the lens of narrative positioning (Hynninen 2017; Pöysä 2009; Bamberg 2003; Harré & van Lagenhove 1999), we aim to shed light on how specific levels of uncertainty are experienced and defined by narrating uneasy atmosphere at office workplace environment.