“Är du en sån där?” : -En kvalitativ studie om HR-arbetarnas yrkesidentitet

Sammanfattning: A common conversation starter is to ask for someone's working title, this title is then often used as a label to define an individual. To label an individual affects how they perceive themself both at work and outside of work. Therefore work plays a big part in an individual's life and is also strongly connected to one's identity. It is in the social interactions that the identity process takes place, both the professional identity and the personal identity. The aim of this study is therefore to study how interactions and perceptions about the HR-profession affects HR-working professionals' own views of their working identity and personal identity. The method that is used to answer the study's aim and research question is a qualitative method based on six semi-structured interviews. Working HR-professionals within the public sector were interviewed. Theories used in this paper to analyze results are Mead's theory about “I and Me” as well as Berger and Luckammans theoretical concept including: socialization, internalization and typification. The findings of the study conclude that HR-professionals do not perceive that their own perception of the profession is coherent with other individuals' perception. Lastly the results show that HR-professionals personal identity is affected by their working identity but in different ways. Their personal identity is affected by both working life experience and social interactions, this is because work is present in a lot of conversations outside of work.