Managing moral distress: social policy cuts and the suppression of employee conscience

Abstract

Previous research shows that welfare cuts often cause distress amongst frontline workers. From the perspective of organisations implementing cuts, distressed caseworkers may hinder cost reductions and delay implementation. However, previous research has not analysed whether public agencies seek to reduce the moral distress experienced by their employees. This article examines the reorganisation of casework at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) between 2015 and 2020, after the introduction of a government target to reduce costs. The overarching argument is that the logic behind many organisational changes during this period was to relieve staff of any remorse for those who lost financial support. This was achieved by distancing SSIA staff from claimants, blurring caseworkers’ responsibilities and promoting an internal culture that presented stricter assessments as a democratic duty. This analysis suggests that research on social policy cuts should pay more attention to how public agencies manage the emotional lives of their employees.