Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title
Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work
Publication Date
11-13-2019
Publisher
Routledge
Volume
16
Issue
6
First Page
577
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Last Page
594
Abstract
Purpose: Job satisfaction, burnout, and organizational commitment remain concerns for human service organizations. Few studies have utilized a large sample of social workers to investigate these factors while also considering practice setting. In the present study, work-related burnout, satisfaction with workload, and satisfaction with organizational environment are examined as factors contributing to organizational commitment while comparing the measurement and predictive strength of these factors based on practice setting. Method: Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to estimate and compare factors related to organizational commitment with a sample of 1,786 social workers practicing in the United States. Results: Satisfaction with organizational environment showed a strong positive relationship with organizational commitment. Work-related burnout was confirmed to have a negative relationship with organizational commitment. No measurement or structural model differences existed between social workers from different types of practice settings. Discussion: Findings suggest that increasing satisfaction with organizational environment is a better target for retaining employees than reducing workloads. Results emphasize the need for human service organizations to foster work environments which provide a climate of wellness, support, and recognition of employees' contributions at work.
Recommended Citation
Brown, A.R., Walters, J.E.,& Jones, A.E. (2019). Pathways to retention: Job satisfaction, burnout, & organizational commitment among social workers. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 16(6), 577-594. https://doi.org/10.1080/26408066.2019.1658006
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work. Brown, A.R., Walters, J.E.,& Jones, A.E. (2019). Pathways to retention: Job satisfaction, burnout, & organizational commitment among social workers. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 16(6), 577-594. https://doi.org/10.1080/26408066.2019.1658006. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.