Work-related well-being of social workers: job demands and job and personal resources from an exploratory study

The theme of work-related well-being has become a central topic inside the broader debate developed in Health Psychology literature. The study’s aim was to investigate the dimensions of work-related well-being among social workers. Twenty-one social workers from one social cooperative participated at three focus groups. The conversations were recorded and full transcribed. The content analysis was made with a qualitative approach (Losito, 2009) using both ex-ante and ex-post methods. From raw data were chosen the single units of analysis and then were generated categories related to work-related well-being of social workers. Social workers conceptualise "work-related well-being" as a state of pleasure associated with their own job. Also, the dimensions which contribute to social workers’ work-related well-being were coded within categories of job demands, job resources and personal resources following the conceptualization of job demands-resources model. From data arise the following job demands: poor communication, work-family conflict, bad relationship with users’ families, emotional demands, high psychological workload, low autonomy, poor salary, role confusion and lack of meaning of work. Among job resources arise: colleagues social support, participation, rewards, good management of human resources, pleasant working environments, high autonomy, safeguard of workers’ rights and free time. Emotional, communicative and interpersonal skills arise as personal resources. Job demands and job and personal resources can promote work-related well-being among social workers through specific motivational processes.

Keywords: Content analysis, job demands-resources model, social workers, work-related well-being.

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Enrichetta Gianneti, Alessio Tesi, Benessere lavorativo in operatori sociali: le richieste e le risorse lavorative e personali emerse da una indagine esplorativa in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 2/2016, pp 5-26, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2016-002001