OASWQualityofWorkLifeSurvey-FinalReport (PDF Library)

OASW Quality of Work Life Survey
Final Report
Team Beverley J. Antle, PhD, RSW (President, OASW) Joan MacKenzie Davies, MSW, RSW (Executive Director, OASW) Donna Baines, PhD (Assistant Professor, McMaster University) Brent Angell, PhD (Director, School of Social Work, University of Windsor) Michele Dawson Haber, BA Hons, MIR (Research Officer, OPSEU) Peter Paulekat, MSW (National Representative for CUPE) Malcolm Stewart, PhD (Lecturer, University of Toronto) Arvind Aggarwal (Community Mental Health, Timiskaming Health Unit)
December 2006
Ontario Association of Social Workers L'Association des travailleuses et travailleurs sociaux de l'Ontario
Financial support was provided by McMaster University Labour Studies Department, CUPE and OPSEU to assist with the analysis of the data.
DEDICATION Dr. Beverley Antle 1959-2006 Dr. Beverley J. Antle, RSW, was elected President of the Ontario Association of Social Workers in May 2002, re-elected in May 2004 and acclaimed for a third term in June 2006. She was a tireless advocate for the profession. Dr. Antle was an Academic and Clinical Specialist in the Department of Social Work, and Director of the Phenylketonuria(PKU) Program in the Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics at the Hospital for Sick Children. She was an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, where she taught courses on health, illness and disability, and integration of research and practice. She developed innovative psychosocial interventions to enhance quality of life and was the first social scientist to hold a leadership position in metabolic genetics in Canada. Her areas of interest and expertise included: improving patient and family participation in treatment; fostering successful transitions for young people with chronic health conditions and physical disabilities; developing professional interventions to support parents of young people with chronic and disabling conditions; and bioethics and the complexity of treatment decision-making. Her interest in bioethics led to her taking an influential role in revising the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. Dr. Antle was Principal Investigator for the OASW Quality of Work Life Survey. Her vision, commitment and enthusiasm for its development and implementation made this project possible.
__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication .................................................................................................................................................... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 4 REPORT ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 Overview of OASW and Context of the Survey........................................................................................ 8 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................................... 10 The Present Survey................................................................................................................................... 12 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 12 Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 14 1. Age and Gender .................................................................................................................................. 14 2. Regional Distribution ........................................................................................................................... 14 3. Languages........................................................................................................................................... 15 4. Disabilities ........................................................................................................................................... 15 5. Membership Affiliation ......................................................................................................................... 16 6. Education and Training........................................................................................................................ 16 7. Employment......................................................................................................................................... 17 8. Field of Practice................................................................................................................................... 18 9. Focus of Practice................................................................................................................................. 19 10. Level of Responsibility....................................................................................................................... 20 11. Sector ................................................................................................................................................ 20 12. Social Work Salaries ......................................................................................................................... 21 13. Benefits.............................................................................................................................................. 24 14. Educational Training.......................................................................................................................... 25 15. Workload, Caseload and Responsibilities ......................................................................................... 26 16. Supervision........................................................................................................................................ 29 17. Technology and work ........................................................................................................................ 29 18. Feeling Rushed ................................................................................................................................. 31 19. Workplace Stress .............................................................................................................................. 32 20. Satisfaction with Career .................................................................................................................... 34 21. Caregiver Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 35 22. Health and Safety .............................................................................................................................. 37 SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF KEY FINDINGS ............................................................................................ 42 The Use of Online Survey Software ........................................................................................................ 43 Future Directions of the Survey............................................................................................................... 43 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ 44

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Overall Purpose Over the past decade, considerable anecdotal evidence has accumulated to suggest that the erosion of social work salaries, benefits and working conditions is escalating. This has been supported by a growing body of literature that suggests that social workers are feeling the stress of the ever-accelerating changes to the social work field. The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) conducted a province-wide, online survey to gather baseline information on the work life of social workers from diverse fields of practice. Information from the survey will be used to develop strategies that will be shared with other stakeholder groups such as unions, employers and funders to seek key workplace improvements. Goals of the Project 1. To establish a baseline of social work salaries, benefits, and working conditions across key sectors in Ontario 2. To utilize information to support advocacy to bring about greater equity in pay scales, benefits and improved working conditions 3. To encourage replication of the survey over time and in other jurisdictions in Canada in order to create a national databank to enable regional and national comparisons. Survey Design The survey was conducted between September 1st and December 31st, 2005. Data was gathered on employment-related issues, including: salaries; benefits; hours worked; opportunities for training and advancement; caregiver responsibilities; and health and safety. In addition, the survey is believed to be unique in exploring the experience of social workers related to workplace harassment and balancing personal care-giving with employment responsibilities. 1114 individuals with Bachelors (BSW), Masters (MSW) and doctoral (PhD/DSW) degrees in social work from across Ontario completed the survey. Respondents were recruited from OASWs membership, alumni from the schools of social work, major unions and registrants of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. The survey included both multiple-choice and open-ended questions.
Major Findings A diverse cross-section of the profession responded to the survey The survey had good geographic distribution with 65.1% of respondents reporting that they work and live in large urban centres. In 2001, just over 64% of Canada's population, or about 19,297,000 people, lived in the nation's 27 census metropolitan areas, up slightly from 63% in 1996. (Statistics Canada, 2001). In Ontario, 9,662,547 or 84.7% are considered to live in urban environments compared to 15.3% in rural settings (Statistics Canada, 2001) Approximately 13% of respondents identified themselves as French-speaking (Statistics Canada figures indicate that 4.5% of Ontarians are Francophone). Moreover, nine percent of survey respondents reported having disabilities, which is similar to the proportion of working Canadians with disabilities1. Almost half of respondents were members of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (44.56%) and almost half of total respondents were members of a union (45.4%). The majority of the sample were members of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (79.1%). Social workers are busier than a year ago Findings highlighted increased workloads and a faster pace of work. Respondents reported being busier than a year ago and being asked to do more at work, with over 71% donating anywhere from one to six or more hours of unpaid work per week. Moreover, 32% of respondents with MSWs reported having more than one job. A recent Ipsos Reid survey found 46% of social workers to be vacation-deprived, placing the profession second in the list of careers surveyed2. This figure is compared to 24% of working Canadians who do not take their entitled vacation time. The majority of social workers are feeling stressed Respondents reported high levels of workplace stress (63%), which included feelings of depression (37.9%); frequent illness (19%); concern about making too many mistakes (19%); usually skipping meals (49.3); and usually feeling rushed (56.9%). High levels of workplace stress have been linked to an increased risk of: physical injuries; high blood pressure; cardiovascular disease; depression; and increases in negative personal health practices, such as smoking and improper eating (Jackson, 2002). Since studies have also found that women experience stress differently than men (OConnor, 2006), the findings of the OASW survey have significant implications for our profession, which is 80% female. Reasons given for feeling stressed include: crisis situations; deadlines; a lack of cohesion on the team; and a reduction in clerical support. In addition, over half of the respondents stated that feeling rushed was associated with staff shortages;
1 2
Disabilities Research Bulletin, Social Development Canada, 2003 Ipsos Reid, The 2006 Expedia Vacation Deprivation Survey
volume of work; taking on new duties; the overall complexity of the work; the fast pace of work; increased documentation; covering for other staff; and frequent changes in policies. Many social workers are juggling work and care-giving responsibilities Unique to our survey were questions gathering information related to how social workers were faring as they attempted to balance work responsibilities and care-giving duties (44%), primarily for children. This figure is not surprising given the high numbers of women in the profession. Gin (1997) reported increased stress on social workers with dependent children or with informal caring commitments. Women with family responsibilities experienced more stress than equivalent numbers of men, suggesting that the occupational advancement of women within the profession is achieved at greater cost in terms of stress than for male counterparts. The majority of the respondents reported that flexible hours, being able to occasionally work from home and vary hours, and being able to make personal calls at work were the most important factors in balancing their work and family care-giving responsibilities. Despite the stress, many social workers are satisfied with their career On a 1 to 10 scale, most social workers are satisfied with their career. However, this satisfaction significantly decreases depending on how rushed they feel. In fact, significant differences were found even between those who stated that they always feel rushed and those who stated that they usually feel rushed. Just the same, the majority of respondents would recommend social work as a profession to their children or someone they know. Social workers are feeling underpaid for the work they do Respondents perceived social work salaries and benefits to be lower than those for nurses and psychologists, and perceived that higher academic qualifications in social work do not lead to higher salaries and improved benefits. A respondent said: at times if feels degrading to think that after 6 years of schooling and solid experience and a graduate degree I am still earning so little. One-third of social workers have taken on at least one other job Although the majority of respondents (68.2%) indicated that they had one job or less (68.2%), a high proportion indicated that they were working more than one job. A respondent said, I wish I didnt need to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. One-third of social workers claim to be victims of workplace harassment Significantly, one-third of respondents (33%) indicated that they had been recipients of unwanted, unsolicited or intimidating attention, comments or behaviours in the
workplace. Females have been reported elsewhere to be more at risk of harassment in the workplace than males. In fact, 58% of respondents indicated that the nature of the workplace harassment was related to gender. Harassment was reported to include: general intimidation (76%), long- term harassment (47%), violence (27.1%), harassment related to sexual orientation (22.3), and racism (20.3%). Future Directions Having established a baseline for salaries, benefits and working conditions, it is intended to replicate the survey in Ontario every 5 years. A number of other provincial and territorial member organizations of the Canadian Association of Social Workers are also planning to implement the survey with the overall goal of establishing a national data bank to enable regional and national comparisons. Findings and conclusions from the surveys will be used to advocate for improved salaries, benefits and working conditions for members of the profession.

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REPORT
OVERVIEW OF OASW AND CONTEXT OF THE SURVEY At the time the survey was conducted, OASW had over 3,400 members in 15 regional branches across the province. It is a bilingual membership organization incorporated in 1964. OASW belongs to the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) which in turn is part of the 78-nation International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). Members represent all areas of practice: direct services to clients; community and organizational development; policy work; education and research. To be eligible for membership in OASW, one must be a graduate of or a student in an accredited, university-based program in social work at the bachelor's (BSW), master's (MSW) or doctoral (PhD/DSW) level. OASW's purpose is to speak on behalf of the interests and concerns of social workers. Bound by the profession's code of ethics, a major role is to comment on public policies that affect clients served by social workers. Human rights and needs of under-served or at-risk populations are priorities. In addition, OASW focuses attention on increasing public awareness on the important role played by the profession related to service delivery. Furthermore, we speak on behalf of the profession regarding a wide array of professional practice and employment issues such as government or organizational policies that potentially infringe on our scope of practice. Social workers in Ontario Social workers assist individuals, families and communities to resolve problems that affect their day-to-day lives. They are consulted when people are going through a difficult period in their personal, family and/or work life, helping to identify the source of stress or difficulty. They help people develop coping skills and find effective solutions to their problems. They offer various forms of counselling and therapy; mediate conflicts; or place a particular focus on prevention. Social work is unique among the helping professions because: 1. It focuses on people's problems in the context of their families, communities and workplaces
2. It considers the connections between personal problems and the social and economic conditions that either cause or sustain those problems. Social workers are highly skilled problem-solvers, communicators and mediators. Their aim is to enhance mental health functioning by helping people participate more fully in relationships, work and community life. Social workers also address complex social problems such as the multiple impacts of poverty, the lack of adequate housing, and barriers imposed by discrimination. What social workers believe Social workers believe in the value and worth of all people. They believe that all members of society regardless of age, race, place of origin, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation or abilities deserve the same basic rights, protections, opportunities, obligations and social benefits. Where social workers work Social workers deal with all age groups and socio-economic backgrounds, including the most vulnerable populations. Social workers practice in a wide range of settings, including:

family agencies children's aid societies hospitals mental health settings addiction treatment facilities correctional facilities schools seniors' services grassroots social action organizations government offices social planning councils employee assistance programs.
Social workers provide the majority of counselling and psychotherapy services in Ontario. Many social work positions are funded directly or indirectly by governments (municipal, provincial or federal). Other social workers work for agencies funded by voluntary donations. A growing number of social workers are private (independent) practitioners. How social workers are regulated Social workers are regulated by the Ministry of Community and Social Services under the Social Work and Social Service Work Act. This Act requires that anyone who calls
themselves or holds themselves out to be a social worker must belong to the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. The initials RSW (Registered Social Worker) appear after their name. Social work education Social workers have university degrees in social work: Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Master of Social Work (MSW) or Doctorate in Social Work (PhD/DSW). LITERATURE REVIEW The social work profession has struggled with its sense of self-identity and continues to search for a clear definition for itself (Ramsay, 2001 qtd in Holosko, 2003). Consistent in most attempts to define social work are the notions that social workers advocate for the poor, the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised and the oppressed (Barber, 1995) and that they have two major purposes: 1) enhancement of human well being; and 2) the alleviation of poverty and oppression (Norlin & Chess, 1997). A review of the literature indicates that the profession is dedicated to: 1) the welfare and self-realization of all people; 2) the development and disciplined use of scientific and professional knowledge; 3) the development of resources and skills to meet changing individual, group, national and international needs and aspirations; and 4) the achievement of social justice for all. Social workers are bound by the professions Code of Ethics to ensure that clients are not discriminated against based on age, abilities, ethnic background, gender, language, marital status, national ancestry, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socio-economic status (CASW, 2005). The Code of Ethics for Social Workers calls upon members of the profession to encourage clients to make informed decisions on their own behalf within the limits of capacity without presenting a risk to themselves or others; and to work for change, both in the individual and in the social, economic, political and professional systems (General Social Care Council 2002, International Federation of Social Workers, 2004). Social workers routinely balance the complex needs of clients with escalating workplace demands within a context of shrinking informal and formal social supports for clients. Social workers regularly face dilemmas for which there are no easy answers (Antle, 2005). With these challenges comes the possibility of job stress. This is present over a wide range of work settings. Job stress is defined as the psychological state that is or is represented as the misfit between workers perceptions of the demands on them and their ability to cope with those demands (Cox et al., 1993). The different fields within social work, such as child welfare, mental health, family services, hospitals, school boards, present a wide array of various types and levels of work-related stress. Scholars have noted that stress...is more common amongst social workers, in part due
to the sensitivity and responsiveness to the difficult problems presented by clients, which their work requires (Balloch, Pahl, McLean, 1998). Recently stress has been a major focus of research as has the erosion of job satisfaction. Compounded by low salaries, inadequate benefits and poor working conditions, researchers are finding evidence that suggests that job stress is escalating. Additional reasons for stress relate to the experience of threats of physical violence, high workload, short deadlines, workplace re-organization, lack of support from managers and ineffective complaints procedures (Storey and Billingham, 2001). The major concern with job stress in any profession, but particularly in social work, is burnout. Cherniss (1980, p. 21) defined burnout as a process that begins with excessive and prolonged levels of job tension. This stress produces in the worker feelings of tensions, irritability, and fatigue. This process is complete when the workers coping attempts to deal with the job stress results in them psychologically detaching themselves from the job and becoming apathetic, cynical and rigid. There has been recent evidence to suggest burnout is a real problem within the social work profession. For example, Tam and Mong (2005) examined job stress and burnout in social workers in schools and found that the higher the level of job stress, the higher level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but the lower the personal accomplishment will be (p. 478). Results of an Australian study provided further evidence that the levels of burnout were especially high among social workers (Lloyd and King, 2004, p. 755). In a systematic review of stress levels among social workers in mental health, Coyle, Edwards, Hannigan, Fothergill and Burnarda found that social workers experience relatively high levels of both work-related anxiety and depression when compared with normative populations and workers in other professions (Bennett et al., 1993). In the study of stress and pressures experienced by social workers employed in mental health, Huxley et al. (2005) found that a significant percentage worked six or more hours per week over contracted time, with 75 percent feeling pressured to do so. The major reason stated was that paperwork needs to be completed and the worker, or agency, might be liable or culpable if correct records were not maintained, especially if the client becomes unwell out of hours (p. 1068). This study also looked at job satisfaction and found that pressure to get the job done can arise from a combination of staff shortages and excessive workloads, as well as a reliance on temporary staff, bureaucratic procedures and poor management. Morris (2005) looked at the process of decision-making by social workers. His study found that of the 700 social workers who took part in his research, almost 75 percent stated they experienced feelings of depression after entering social work with 80
percent identifying work, high workloads and lack of support as the major causes (p. 348). The findings in these studies highlight the need to focus greater attention on examining stress-related factors that contribute to worker dissatisfaction. Additionally, more emphasis needs to be placed upon exploring ways to improve working conditions for social workers to avoid burnout and to prevent skilled workers from leaving the profession. The literature addressing stress management within the social work profession, has failed to identify specific strategies that have been implemented to address this problem. Once we better understand the connections between stress and social work jobs, we can begin to develop strategies at all levels (practice, policy and organizational) to ensure social work does not become a career choice to be avoided because of its association with burnout.
THE PRESENT SURVEY Over the past decade, there has been considerable anecdotal evidence within the membership of OASW to suggest that the erosion of social work salaries, benefits and working conditions is escalating, which may exacerbate the risk of burnout documented in the foregoing literature review. Accordingly the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) conducted a province-wide, online survey to gather baseline information on the work life of social workers from diverse fields of practice. The goals of the project were: 1. To establish a baseline of social work salaries, benefits, and working conditions across key sectors in Ontario 2. To utilize information to support advocacy to bring about greater equity in pay scales, benefits and improved working conditions 3. To encourage replication of the survey over time and in other jurisdictions in Canada in order to establish a national databank and make regional and national comparisons.
METHODOLOGY Study Design Over one thousand social workers (n=1114) participated in an online survey of working conditions. The survey was based on a validated questionnaire previously developed and administered by OPSEU and modified by an Advisory Group of experts. The survey was available via Survey Monkey, a host for online surveys3. Data collection took place over a 4-month period in the fall of 2005. The survey contained multiplechoice questions with options to provide open-ended comments.
3
www.SurveyMonkey.com
Quantitative data was transferred from Survey Monkey into SPSS 12.0 for Windows version (Nie, Hull, Jenkins, Steinbrenner, & Bent, 1975). Since the data from Survey Monkey was string data, the variables were recoded in numeric format and all values were developed in the SPSS program. After completion of the conversion into the SPSS database, all data was cleaned and checked for accuracy. The SPSS database includes 214 variables. Given that there were two surveys (English and French) administered during the data collection phase, these surveys needed to be grouped into one database. A bilingual researcher completed this process and translated the French surveys and responses to English. Data Analysis Univariate discrete descriptive results are presented in percentages. Continuous data are presented with the means and standard deviations. For comparison analysis (bivariate), all tests were conducted using the traditional alpha level of p<0.05. Comparative analysis of nominal or ordinal level data involved the use of the chi-square test. Analysis of variables measured at the interval and/or ratio level involved the use of independent t-tests and ANOVA for differences between means. The assumptions underlying each statistical test were met. For all parametric tests of means, the homogeneity of variance was examined using Levenes test found in the t-test and General Linear Model procedures in SPSS 12.0 for Windows Version (Nie et al., 1975). All measures were examined for normality of distribution in the explore procedure in SPSS 12.0. Assumptions of chi-square are independence, that each respondent provides only one observation and that there is a minimum expected value of at least 5 in each cell. A separate Excel file was created for open answer questions. These responses were labeled in order to connect them to the appropriate question to provide further analysis regarding the grouping of these comments and to provide narrative examples to the quantitative data for your presentation. The final question in the survey was an open-ended field where participants could provide additional comments about the survey, its content and/or any other information relevant to social work. Two hundred and ninety-three (n=293) responses were included in this section. In order to analyze this data, the open-ended comments were imported into NVivo 2.0 software for qualitative analysis. A framework was derived from this analysis as themes emerged from the data. This analysis is provided separately and also complements the quantitative results. Qualitative Data Results Method: The final question in the online survey was an open-ended field where participants could provide additional comments about the survey, its content and/or any
other information relevant to social work. Two hundred and ninety-three (n=293) responses were included in this section - two hundred and ninety (n= 290) from the English survey and three (n=3) from the French survey. All these responses were imported into NVivo 2.0 software for qualitative analysis. A framework was derived from this analysis as themes emerged from the data. This analysis is provided separately and also complements the quantitative results. Results: Themes that emerged from the data included comments related to: 1) salaries and benefits of social work; 2) education and training issues; 3) workload, caseload and responsibilities; 4) recognition from colleagues, supervisors, clients and the public; 5) issues of safety; 6) stress and stress relief; 7) concerns expressed about the college; 8) overall job satisfaction; and 9) comments and suggestions about the Quality of Work Life Survey.
RESULTS 1. Age and Gender Of the over one thousand social workers (n=1114) who participated in the online survey of working conditions, the majority of the respondents were female (83%) and the majority of the respondents were over the age of 40 years of age with 24.4% of the sample 60 years of age and older.
Table 1 - Gender Female Male Table 2 - Age 20-29 years of age 30-39 years of age 40-49 years of age 50-59 years of age 60 and over years of age
83% 16.2%
14.6% 24.4% 27.8% 14.6% 24.4%
2. Regional Distribution The survey had good geographic distribution with 65.1% of respondents reporting that they work and live in large urban centres (see table 3-4). In 2001, just over 64% of Canada's population, or about 19,297,000 people, lived in the nation's 27 census metropolitan areas, up slightly from 63% in 1996 (Statistics Canada, 2001). In Ontario, 9,662,547 or 84.7% are considered to live in urban environments compared to 15.3% in rural settings (Statistics Canada, 2001).
Table 3 - Geographic region Northern Ontario 8.6% Eastern Ontario Southwestern Ontario Central Ontario City of Toronto Table 4 - Community size Large urban Mid-size urban Small urban Rural 14.6% 26.0% 25.3% 23.8%
65.1% 21.3% 6.8% 5.5%
3. Languages OASW is a bilingual organization. The results indicate that 99.1% of the sample identified themselves as English-speaking and approximately 13% of respondents identified themselves as French-speaking which is a higher representation of the French-speaking population compared to Statistics Canada (1996) which indicates that 4.5% of Ontarians are Francophone. In addition, 13.2% of the sample indicates that they use a language other than English or French.
Table 5 - Language used English French Other
99.1% 12.7% 13.2%
4. Disabilities Approximately 9% of the sample identified themselves as having a disability which is consistent with research that suggests that 9.9% of working adults (15 to 64) have a disability, hence our sample is proportionally representative of number of working Canadians with disabilities.
Table 6 - Disabilities No disability Mobility Visual Hearing Mood / mental health Other Disability unspecified
91.0% 1.8% .4% 1.0% .3% 2.3% 1.1%
5. Membership Affiliation The majority of the sample indicates that they are members of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (79.1%), almost half are members of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (44.6%), and almost half are members of a union (45.4%) 6. Education and Training 6.1 Highest social work degree Compared to the Canadian Association of Social Workers report (2005), the current sample has an over-representation of master level social workers (see table 7).
Table 7 - Highest social work degree Highest social work degree CASW 2005 BSW MSW Doctorate 44% 37% 1.3%
OASW 2005 28.4% 63.2% 1.1%
6.2 Additional degree In cases where social workers indicated that they have an additional degree, a bachelor degree (53.9%) was the most common.
Table 8 - Additional degrees Bachelor Masters Doctorate Other
53.9% 5.4% 0.7% 16.8%
6.3 Training in Canada The majority of the sample received their training in Canada.
Table 9 - Training in Canada Yes No
87.9% 5.4%
6.4 Total years of experience in social work The majority of the respondents indicated that they have more than 11 years of experience and 28% have more than 20 years experience in social work (see figure 1). Of the sample, 2.0% had less than 1 year experience, 5.7% had 1 to 2 years experience, 13.7% had 3 to 5 years experience, 13.2% had 6 to 10 years experience, 14.4% had 11 to 15 years experience, 17.1% had 16 to 20 years, and 28.1% had more than 20 years experience.
Figure 1 - Total years of experience
400
300
Frequency
200
100
0 less than 1 year 1 to 2 years 3 to 5 years 6 to 10 years 11 to 15 years 16 to 20 years more than 20 years
7. Employment 7.1 Number of jobs Although the majority of respondents indicated that they had one job or less (68.2%), a number of them indicated that they were working more than one job. One respondent said: I wish I didnt need to work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet.
Table 10 - Number of jobs 1 job or less 2 jobs 3 jobs More than three jobs More jobs unspecified
68.2% 19.9% 4.6% .8% .6%
Another respondent said: at times it feels degrading to think that after 6 years of schooling and solid experience and a graduate degree I am earning so little. In fact, those holding more than one job cut across all levels of degrees as displayed in figure 2.
Figure 2 - Number of jobs by highest social work degree
600
Q9 What is your highest social work degree: BSW MSW Doctorate
500
400
Count
300
200
100
0 1 job or less 2 jobs 3 jobs More than three jobs More job unspecified
8. Field of Practice Social workers field of practice was distributed across a variety of settings. The major field of practice settings identified by the respondents included: health; child and family services; social services; disabilities; criminal justice and corrections; service to aged; alcohol and substance abuse; education; employment assistance program (EAP); and other. Responses to open-ended comments revealed that other fields of practice not identified in the survey included: administration / director; advocacy; bereavement services; crisis intervention; custody/access assessments; employment services; hospital; LGBTQ issues; private practice; vocational rehabilitation; volunteer coordinator; women's issues; workplace conflict resolution; writer; young offender assessments; and youth programs. Tables 11-20 provide the percentages for fields of practice identified by the respondents.
Table 11 - Field of practice: Health Medical / health Primary job 32.7%
Child mental health 10.7%
Adult mental health 22.3%
Table 12 - Field of practice: Child and family services Child Family Family Domestic welfare service mediation violence Primary job 12.9% 5.2% .6% 5.1%
School social work 2.5%
Sexual abuse 3.5%
Table 13 - Field of practice: Social services Income Occupational/ maintenance industrial Primary job 1.1% .1%
Multicultural services 1.4%
Housing 2.5%
Table 14 - Field of practice: Disabilities Developmental disabilities Primary job 3.9%
Other disabilities 4.4%
Table 15 - Field of practice: Criminal justice and corrections Criminal justice/corrections Primary job 2.8%
Table 16 - Field of practice: Service to aged Service to aged Primary job 5.6%
Table 17 - Field of practice: Alcohol and substance abuse Alcohol and substance abuse Primary job 5.4%
Table 18 - Field of practice: Education Social work education Primary job 2.7%
Table 19 - Field of practice: EAP EAP Primary job 2.7%
Table 20 - Field of practice: Other Other Primary job Secondary job Tertiary job 4.9% 5.0% 1.7%
9. Focus of Practice The majority of the respondents indicated that they are involved in direct practice with clients (66.9%) in their primary jobs. Other focuses of practice include: community development, policy, research, and other.
Table 21 - Focus of Practice Direct practice Primary job Secondary job Tertiary job 66.9% 2.5% .4%
Community development 5.2% 3.8% .9%
Policy 2.6% 1.6% .7%
Research 3.5% 2.1% 1.5%
Other 7.0% 3.4% 1.0%
10. Level of Responsibility Consistent with the finding that most social workers are involved in direct practice, they are also more likely to be at the front line of working with clients. A smaller percentage of social workers are also supervisors, managers, consultants, team or professional practice leaders, educators, and in other positions related to social work.
Table 22 - Level of responsibility Primary job Front-line Supervisor Manager Consultant Team or professional practice leader Educator Other 62.1% 6.5% 7.4% 3.8% 5.0% 5.5% 3.6% Secondary job 3.4% 1.0% 0.4% 3.5% 5.0% 5.5% 3.6% Tertiary job 0.6% 0.1% 0.3% 1.1% .3% 1.9% .2%
11. Sector Three job sectors were identified: Non-profit, public and private.
Table 23 - Sector Non-profit Primary job Secondary job Tertiary job 26.6% 2.6% .3% Public 51.1% 3.2% .4% Private 6.8% 8.2% 2.3%
11.1 Public / not-for-profit comparisons Further comparisons were made regarding non-profit and public sectors. The data reveals that there are many more social workers who practice within the public sector.
Figure 3 - Public / not for profit comparisons

70
60
50
Percent
40
30
20
10
0 not for profit public
Results indicate that there are differences between social workers in public organizations compared to those who work in not-for-profit organizations. Social workers in public agencies, for example, earn significantly more gross annual income than their counterparts, are feeling less stressed (63% compared to 69%), have less staff shortages (42.6% compared to 46.5%), the pace of work is not as high (63.8% compared to 68.8%), and report less increase in documentation (61% compared to 70%). Despite all of these differences, the percentage of social workers that would recommend a career in social work to a child or someone else was reported higher for the not-for-profit organizations (36%) than for the public group (32%). In addition, the not-for-profit group reported a slightly higher mean satisfaction (Mean 6.9 SD= 1.88) compared to the public group (Mean 6.8 SD= 2.01).
12. Social Work Salaries 12.1 Social work as a low-paying profession A general perception emerged that the profession of social worker is under-paid and there are inconsistencies regarding pay rates among social workers based on job titles and organizational policies regarding salaries. For example, a worker stated that: "I love the work that I do, however the pay rate is very poor compared to other clinical social workers across Ontario." Another said: "the salary (at just $40,000/year) is barely enough for me to afford rent, my vehicle, insurance, groceries and set aside a small 'safety net' of savings. At times it feels degrading to think that after six years of schooling, solid experience and a graduate degree I am earning so little." Workers reported that they have to work several jobs to make a decent living: I wish I didn't need to work two or three jobs to make ends meet. A number of participants stated that they believe that salary levels should be mandated: "There should be a uniform or consistent salary guideline for employers to follow for
Registered Social Workers. Many workers feel they are not compensated fairly for their work.
Figure 4 - Social workers gross annual income 2005
50
40
Percent
30
20
10
0 < 34,000 35,000 to 49,000 50,000 to 64,000 65,000 to 79,000 80,000 >
Table 24 - Social workers gross annual income < 34,000 9.4% 35,000 to 49,000 50,000 to 64,000 65,000 to 79,000 80,000 > 16.3% 38.7% 22.9% 4.7%
12.2 Classification of positions Over three-quarters of participants stated that their position was considered full-time.
Table 25 - Classification of primary employment Full-time 77.7% Part-time Causal / contract 13.5% 1.2%
12.3 Comparison between gross income and classification of positions A comparison between the participants' gross annual salary (presented in ordinal data) and the classification of the participants' position (full-time, part-time and casual)
demonstrates that those in full-time positions gain more annual income than the other classifications X2 (8, N=1044) = 393.407, p < 0.001.
Figure 5 - Comparison between gross income and classification of positions
500
Gross Salary < 34,000 35,000 to 49,000 50,000 to 64,000 65,000 to 79,000 80,000 >
400
300
200
100
0 Full-time Part-time Causal / Contract
12.4 Comparability within social work based on credentials Policies regarding differential salaries in relation to credentials were inconsistent. One social worker reported that the salary rate within her organization was the same for all social workers, despite the fact that 80% of social workers on staff have MSWs and are required to teach students: Attempts at rectifying the situation goes nowhere." It was also reported that in some organizations there is a problem finding qualified workers due to the low pay, therefore agencies are hiring under-qualified people to fill positions. One person stated that the Children's Aid Societies have over the last decade or so recruited less qualified and less experienced workers because of the difficulty in finding social workers willing to work in this field.
Table 26 - BSW / MSW comparison in wages within organization / agency Yes 27.5% No Not sure NA 36.2% 14.7% 13.6%
Table 27 - Actual annual income by credentials 35,000 to 50,000 to < 34,000 49,000 64,000 BSW MSW Doctorate 40 59 0 81 100 0 140 290 2
65,000 to 79,000 42 214 3
Total 80,000 > 7 40 7 310 703 12
Figure 6 - Actual annual income by credentials

300
Gross Salary < 34,000 35,000 to 49,000 50,000 to 64,000
250
65,000 to 79,000 80,000 >
200
Count
150
100
50
0 BSW MSW Doctorate
Q9 What is your highest social work degree:
12.5 Comparability with other disciplines Participants also perceived social workers to make less money than members of related professions with the same amount of schooling. Social workers having the same number of years of education as teachers (i.e. Masters degree) fall well behind teachers when they reach their maximum level of pay." As well people reported that workplace colleagues with different credentials have more status and are paid a higher salary: I need to add that psychiatric nurses at my workplace have a considerably larger salary than do we, because of their contract with ONA. This can be frustrating and create dynamics in our workplace. They are also regarded as more valuable to some because of their knowledge of medications." Participants would like to see consistency in salaries as it relates to the level and amount of education comparable to the education of other disciplines: "I currently make...$49,000 and will move up to a top end of $57,800. This is great, however, within the overall organization for which I work, I am still $12,000 below my mental health coworkers despite the fact that I carry more responsibilities."
13. Benefits Core benefits have been identified to include: paid vacation leave; sick leave; extended health; pension plan; and group RRSP, whereas extended benefits have been identified
to include: Life Insurance; Long Term Disability; Educational Leave (compensated); Educational Leave (time and pay); Education Leave (leave without pay); EAP; and Access to Wellness. Tables 28-29 provide the percentages of both core and extended benefits.
Table 28 - Core benefits Paid vacation leave Sick leave 78.9% 76.8%
Extended health 69.2%
Pension plan 68%
Group RRSP 26.7%
Table 29 - Extended Benefits Life Long Educational insurance term leave disability (compensated) 56.3% 68.7% 15.6%
Educational leave (time and pay) 24.5%
Education leave (without pay) 26.7%
EAP
Access to wellness 26.9%
64.1%
13.1 Other benefits Qualitative responses provided additional reports of the types of benefits that social workers receive. These include: RRSP contributions in lieu of a pension plan; medical/dental coverage; 80% coverage for massage; car insurance; car allowance; parking coverage; cell phone; benefits for social work or psychological services; maternity leave top-up; Happy Fridays (work extra 40 minutes per day and take every third Friday off); and tuition reimbursements.
14. Educational Training Participants stated that additional educational upgrading is important, however suggested that there are many barriers to accessing training. For example, one worker stated: "Additional training is recommended and supported but is impractical because of workload issues". 14.1 Opportunity for training and professional development The opportunity for additional training and professional development does not always seem to be encouraged by employers as explained by several respondents. One participant stated: "I was accepted into the MSW program. I tell my Manager, and because classes occur during the work day, I was informed that I couldn't go on work time!!!! My manager advised that I could ask for an unpaid educational leave. I couldn't afford that. Only after much negotiation was I permitted to attend class and make up the time each week. I had suggested that because I regularly work through my lunches each week we could call it even, but that was denied." Others explain that their employers are no longer sending them to conferences and workshops that would help them in their careers. One worker stated that workers are "no longer being permitted to go to expensive or out of town/province/country workshops. These are the ones that would be useful to me after so many years of practice. I know the basics in my field."
14.2 Cost of training Many workers said that they would like to have additional training or education, however this remains difficult due to the cost of training: "I would welcome the opportunity to return to University to obtain my MSW, however, I would need financial assistance from my employer, which is not available." One worker explained that "in terms of further training - I have to pay for it out of my own pocket - there is little budget for it at work."
15. Workload, Caseload and Responsibilities 15.1 Administrative tasks Administrative (clerical) work was a major concern expressed by the participants in the study. Many of them stated that administrative work interferes with their ability to provide direct service to clients: "administrative work now comprises fully two-thirds of my weekly time, leaving only one-third for clinical contact." As well, workers reported that managers require the increase in administrative work, however they still expect the same amount of clinical work. Some reported that administrative work is being completed after work hours: "I am paid 'per visit', but paperwork often needs to be done in the evenings as there is limited time between clients during the regular working day. " 15.2 Caseloads increasing Several workers reported that they now have more and increasingly difficult cases: "Caseloads have increased, to the point where my two half-time jobs are really two fulltime jobs. Not only have numbers increased, but the complexity has increased as well." In addition, due to the increase in administrative work, the "time of intervention is more limited." 15.3 Hours of work The intensity and speed of the work were also themes that emerged from the data. The increased time to complete the work was reported to be affecting their work quality: "I enjoy my job however the volume of work and speed with which we complete our work has steadily increased making it increasingly difficult to reflect on what we do." As well, many workers stated that this increased demand is met with expectations that the work should be completed within the 'normal' working hours and that overtime is discouraged: "Current office culture is pressuring staff to not work overtime. Rather, we are to accomplish our daily workloads within our set workday. However, as our workloads have increased dramatically, this is becoming increasingly difficult and we are faced with the decision to either shortchange the client or shortchange ourselves." Respondents stated that these pressures are contributing to the feeling of stress: "I love the work I do as a social worker but find I am stretched too thin which makes me feel
rushed, stressed, upset that I can't provide the care I would like to, and it makes me grumpy with co-workers and clients."
Table 30 - Number of hours in a regular work week for your job < 15 hours 3.0% 16 to 30 hours 31 to 45 hours 46 to 60 hours 61 hours > 11.3% 72.6% 2.8% 1.5%
Table 31 - Workload changed over the past year Increased 57.5% Decreased No change Not sure 2.4% 25.9% 5.1%
Table 32 - Work shifts outside of 9 to 5 or 8:30 to 4:30 No 71.3% Yes 18.8%
For those who do work shifts outside of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., schedules are almost equally divided between rotating and permanent.
Table 33 - Types of work outside of 9 to 5 or 8:30 to 4:30 Rotating 51.8% Permanent 48.2%
15.4 Overtime Employers are reportedly discouraging their employees from working overtime, however workers report feeling that they have no choice but to do so: "To stay on top of the workload, preparing for group, or completing reading required for my job occurs at home and on lunch hours. This is unpaid work that does not get counted in any way. No paid overtime is permitted for social workers for any reason. I think that is a serious problem."
Table 34 - Work overtime (paid and/or unpaid) in any given week Yes 64.6% No 24.2%
Table 35 - Hours of paid overtime worked in a week None 25.3% 1 to 2 hours 3 to 5 hours 6 hours > Not sure 28.3% 31.6% 13.4% 1.4%
Table 36 - Change of paid overtime since a year ago Increased 27.5% Decreased No change Not sure 8.3% 53.7% 10.4%
15.5 Payment of overtime Some participants reported that they have accumulated flex time but do not have the opportunity to take time off because of their work demands: The extra time is often unavoidable (I have 75 patients on my caseload at our hospital). My manager urges me to take the time off, but I find I have too much to do." Taking the flex time or lieu time helps workers keep a balance between work and family responsibilities. Many workers stated that employers need to see the benefits of providing their workers with flexibility in hours and time off.
Table 37 - Payment for overtime Time and half 4.9% With time off in lieu Regular pay Other 72.3% 3.2% 19.7%
Others responded that different types of payment for overtime may include: 5 extra days of vacation per year; capped at 48 hours; flex; I need to work out of normal hours but I am restricted in doing this; I am forced to come in late on the day rather than pick when I take time off; I take it back discreetly as the policy here is that there is no compensation or 'lieu' time; usually I don't claim it.
Table 38 - Hours of unpaid overtime worked in a week None 28.3% 1 to 2 hours 3 to 5 hours 6 hours > 29.1% 25.4% 17.1%
Table 39 - Change of unpaid overtime since a year ago Increased 28.3% Decreased No change Not sure 7.7% 53.0% 11.0%
16. Supervision When discussing the contribution of managers and supervisors to reducing their levels of stress, many reported that they are able to handle the stress due to a supportive team and supervisors. One worker stated "I am lucky to have an employer who is in touch with the stresses commonly faced by staff." Others do not feel they have the support of their supervisors. One person stated that "one of the significant stressors in this particular workplace is the supervisor who is not supportive and is punitive." Other workers stated that they do not feel supported by their supervisors regarding the extra work needed to complete the administrative tasks and this impacts on their feeling of stress: "Workload is relentlessupper management is uncaring and does not even know what we dodecisions are driven by unrealistic goals."
Table 40 - Access to social work supervision/consultation in your workplace Yes 59.1% No 28.1%
Table 41 - Credentials of the person to whom you do address concerns if social work supervision/consultation is not available Business/administrative 16.5% Member of allied health profession Nurse Psychologist None Other 12.8% 33.6% 4.9% 7.0% 25.2%
Other persons who may provide supervision include: Academic PhD, College Degree, Dietitian, Early Childhood Educator, Addictions Certificate, Family Doctor (MD), Legal, and Peer Supervision.
17. Technology and work Today more than ever, human service agencies must make the most of scarce resources while, at the same time, respond to the increasing demands for improved
performance, accountability, and efficiency of service (Creswell, 1999). There is a belief that the public cannot afford to spend scarce money on resources or services that cannot provide evidence of their worth (MacFadden, 2002). Information technology has long been associated with an emphasis on effectiveness and accountability. The very use of information technology is often associated with increased accuracy and validity of any process (MacFadden, 2002). Based on this review, a small number of studies have shown that social service providers have differential access to information and vary considerably in their use of technology (Humphries & Camilleri, 2002). This research also suggests that social service providers vary considerably in their levels of confidence and perceived skills regarding information technology usage (Schoech, 1996; Marlowe-Carr, 1997; Kundel, 1999). The lack of information and training about technology remains problematic (Humphries & Camilleri, 2002) given that the general use of the Internet and technology has dramatically increased in the past decade and human services are using information technology at an increasing rate (Humphries & Camilleri, 2002).
Table 42 - Effect of technology on work Primarily positive 36.9% Primarily negative Both positive and negative No effect 5.0% 40.1% 5.5%
Table 43 - Positive effects of technology Improved communication 60.3% More independent work Increased productivity Work with others outside of office More immediate response Other 41.6% 31.4% 30.5% 49.6% 4.9%
Other reasons include: accessible due to visual impairment; better organized; can do work from home as well; documentation is consistent; increased access to resources and increased access to social work peer network; use of internet for resources; safer to enter violent families' homes now that I have a cell phone provided by my work.
Table 44 - Negative effects of technology Demand to be constantly in touch 25.4% Increased volume of work Increased feeling of being rushed Other 29.8% 29.0% 10.4%
Further reasons include: increased concerns about client confidentiality; increased demands for complex time reporting, loss of secretarial support and lack of good programs to deal with the recording; increased e-mail; and lack of IT support.
Table 45 - Factors contributing to feeling more rushed due to technology Usually Often Sometimes Not sure Never Word processor Sending emails Cell phone messages Other 31% 40% 35.4% 32.8% 17.1% 25.9% 26.9% 23.2% 29.5% 21.8% 25.8% 11.9% 3% 1.2% 1.4% 15.3% 19.4% 11.2% 10.5% 16.9%
Additional factors relate to: computers seizing up; data entry/statistical systems; increased documentation and formal report writing; and tasks once performed by secretarial staff now being performed by professionals.
18. Feeling Rushed Findings from the Quality of Work Life Survey highlighted increased workloads and a faster pace of work. Respondents reported being busier than a year ago and being asked to do more at work, with over 71% donating anywhere from one to six or more hours of unpaid work per week. Moreover, 32% of respondents with MSWs reported having more than one job. It is noteworthy that the Ipsos Reid: The 2006 Expedia Vacation Deprivation Survey placed social work second in the list of careers perceived to be vacation-deprived (46%). By comparison, up to 24% of working Canadians do not take their entitled vacation time and 10% do not take any of their allocated vacation time. This is at odds with the fact that 99% of survey participants responded positively to taking time off for vacations.
Table 46 - Feel rushed at work Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never
28.7% 28.2% 26.4% 3.3% .4%
There is a significant relationship between feeling rushed and the participant's classification of position X2 (8, N=923) = 17.702, p < = 0.05. In addition, feeling rushed seems to be a growing trend based on these retrospective results.
Table 47- Feeling rushed compared to three years ago Increased 53.4% Decreased No change Not sure 4.6% 30.4% 3.8%
Table 48 - If you feel rushed, is this due to one or more of the following reasons: Usually Often Sometimes Not sure Never Staff shortages Volume of work New duties Complexities of work Fast pace of work Increased documentation Covering for other staff Changes in policy Other 22.8% 59.9% 18.6% 46.3% 41.3% 37.5% 16.4% 12.2% 16.5% 19.2% 22.4% 20.4% 24.3% 24.1% 26.1% 15.5% 14.3% 6.2% 38.8% 16.8% 45.1% 23% 26.3% 26.4% 47.6% 41.7% 8.8% 2.7% .1% .9% .3% .5% .5% .9% 6.0% 6.9% 10.7% .4% 9.8% 5.3% 6.4% 8.2% 14.3% 17.8% 8.5%
Other reasons include: feeling bullied; committee work; additional demands due to technology; crisis situations; deadlines; expectations to do extra research; lack of cohesion on team; and lost time due to lengthy drives to client locations.
19. Workplace Stress 63% of respondents reported experiencing workplace stress, a significant number citing feelings of depression (37.9%), irritability with colleagues (37.5%) and clients (19.1%), frequent illness and concern about making too many mistakes (19%). Almost half of the respondents reported that they usually skip meals (49.3) and over half said they usually feel rushed (56.9%). High levels of workplace stress have been linked to an increased risk of: physical injuries; high blood pressure; cardiovascular disease; depression; and increases in negative personal health practices, such as eating and smoking. Reasons given for feeling stressed were the same as the reasons for feeling rushed. In addition, over half of the respondents stated the feeling rushed was associated with staff shortages; volume of work; taking on new duties; the overall complexity of the work; the fast pace of work; increased documentation; covering for other staff; and new changes in policies. A growing body of research indicates that stress has both an indirect and direct influence on health. In addition to research that links stress to physical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, by producing harmful changes in diet and/or helping to maintain unhealthy eating behaviours. A study by the University of Leeds in 2006 examined the relationship between stress and eating behaviours. A major finding
revealed that women were particularly vulnerable to changes in eating behaviours as the result of experiencing one or more hassles per day. Individuals who work in highly demanding and low control work environments, and particular women (but not men) who work longer hours, were found to eat more high-fat and high-sugar snacks. Moreover, women who work longer hours were found to exercise less, consume more caffeine, and if they were smokers, smoked more. 19.1 Level of stress The theme of work-related stress was connected to other themes but also emerged as a separate dimension of work. Many participants reported that a major reason for a high level of stress was the size and nature of caseloads. Some workers report that job stress has caused health problems and absenteeism: "Stress at work due to increased caseloads has resulted in health problems, i.e. digestive problems, headaches, muscle tension which leads to neck and back pain, etc." Other workers reported a connection between stress and the nature of the cases: "I work in a stressful, high-stakes job involving vulnerable clients in very difficult situations!" While others attribute stress to increases in administrative work: "the current increase in documentation and need to keep detailed statistics on direct client service and indirect service (e.g., documentation on how long it takes to write a case note), and now enter these myself, has greatly increased my stress and need for overtime." Additional comments noted that stress comes from the low level of pay. One reported that this has translated into having to work more than one job which further exacerbates stress: "I can't afford to buy a house/condo; I can't afford much beyond the basics. I love my job, but it's not a profession I would recommend to others due to the high level of stress and the poor remuneration."
Table 49 - Personal consequences of workplace stress Cumulative Percentage (Strongly Agree and Agree) Stress affecting family/ social life Irritable with clients Irritable with colleagues Feel depressed Sick more frequently Too many mistakes 62.8% 19.1% 37.5% 37.95 35.1% 19.0%
Table 50 - Skip meal breaks/eat at your desk Usually / Often 49.3% Sometime / Rarely / Never Not sure / Depends 35.4% 2.7%
19.2 Stress relief Although only reported by a few, stress relief was discussed as a means of coping with the job. One participant reported different ways to relieve the stress. Another stated: "if I had not learned to practice meditation, relaxation, spirituality, and self-healing, I'm sure I would be a candidate for burnout. Thankfully these things have helped me take more command of my experience."
20. Satisfaction with Career A striking finding was that most social workers are satisfied with their career (Mean = 6.85, SD = 2.009), however this satisfaction significantly decreased depending on how rushed they felt. In fact, significant differences were found even between those who stated that they always feel rushed and those who stated that the usually feel rushed. Nonetheless, the majority of respondents would recommend a career in social work to their children or someone they know.
Figure 7 - Level of satisfaction
300
250
200
Frequency
150
100
50 Mean = 6.85 Std. Dev. = 2.009 N = 989 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
____________________________________________________ Note: On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means very dissatisfied and 10 means very satisfied, please rate your current satisfaction with your career.
20.1 Overall career satisfaction Despite negative comments about their job, many participants expressed positive career satisfaction. Statements supporting this positive perception included:
"Social work is a satisfying and personally rewarding career choice for me". Social work is a very rewarding career, and I think that is why there is so much commitment to going the extra mile. I very much enjoy my job. One of the attributes is that although my work setting is in health care, we still have a department structure which supports social work practice, education and development and staff turnover is very low and morale is high. Dissatisfaction with ones employment did however have a negative impact on the reported career satisfaction of some respondents, who cited concerns about budget cuts, too few staff and increased workloads: More cuts are expected in my workplace and I think that as the quality of work life continues to decrease, people will leave the place of employment and possibly the profession. Career satisfaction was also associated with not feeling recognized for work completed: I wouldn't recommend this profession to anyone else. In fact, I have considered a Ph.D. in psychology. A social work PhD is unable to use the term Doctor!
21. Caregiver Responsibilities Unique to our survey were questions gathering information related to how social workers were faring as they attempted to balance work responsibilities and caregiving duties. 44% reported being caregivers, primarily for children (89%). This figure is not surprising given that social work is a female dominated profession. Gin (1997) reported increased stress on social workers with dependent children or with informal caring commitments and women with family responsibilities experienced more stress than equivalent men, suggesting that women's occupational advancement is achieved at greater cost in terms of stress than men's. A respondent said currently my stress in juggling a job and family is low because I have a supportive manager and I am able to flex and vary my hours. The majority of the respondents reported that flexible hours, being able to occasionally work from home and vary hours, and being able to make personal calls at work were reported as being the most important factors in balancing the work and family caregiving responsibilities.
Table 51 - Do you have caregiver responsibilities? Yes 44.3% No 37.0%
Table 52 - Involvement of caregiver responsibilities* Children 88.9% Dependent adults 47.4% Periodic support for relative, friends, neighbours 77.5%
* Valid percent includes those who answered 'yes' to having caregiver responsibilities
Table 53 - Overlap of caregiver responsibilities and work Making and coordinating appointments 36.8% Responding to emergencies 38.6% Pick-ups and driving 32.1% Organizing other care providers 20.4% Providing back-up to care providers 15.4% Other 3.2%
Other caregiver activities that were reported included: attending key meetings/ appointments; attending to sick children; cooking, cleaning and shopping for others; providing emotional support; supervision of handicapped child; negotiating care between elderly relative and health care providers; dispensing pain medication; and providing long-distance caregiving. 21.1 Classification of job and balancing work / caregiver responsibilities Results indicate that there is a significant relationship between classification of position and balancing work / caregiver responsibilities. Post hoc tests (LCD) reveal that the differences are found between full-time and contract positions (p = .021) and contract and part-time positions (p = .033) but not between full-time and part-time positions. 21.2 Balancing caregiver and work responsibilities Respondents with caregiving responsibilities provided responses that were bimodal (either somewhat difficult or somewhat not difficult) with the average in the middle (Mean = 5.37, SD = 2.293).
Figure 8 - Balancing caregiver and work responsibilities
100
80
Frequency
60
40
20
0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Mean = 5.37 Std. Dev. = 2.293 N = 547
Balancing work and caregiver responsibilities

Note: 1 very difficult and 10 not difficult
21.3 Factors alleviating stress Flexible work environments were associated with positive aspects of work settings because they accommodated family responsibilities. One participant explained that "the support and understanding of managers and supervisors is extremely important. As a single mother, the option of flex time is such a positive element of my job. I am fortunate to be able to occasionally vary my workday to start 30 minutes earlier or end 30 minutes earlier." Another worker stated that all employers should be supportive to those with new families or those caring for elderly family as it will pay off once that person is able to return to work full-time. In other words, the worker would have a sense of gratitude to their employer and would want to repay them for their flexibility and understanding.
Table 54 - Factors in alleviating stress Very important Flexible hours Occasionally work from home Take unpaid leave Supportive supervisor/manager Occasionally vary hours Personal calls at work Paid leave Other 83 81.7 53.1 45.1 78.5 74.7 59.6 46.3
Somewhat important 10.9 13.4 19.3 29.5 17.7 17.6 17.8 5.6
Not very important 1.3 2 9.5 11.2 1.3 4.7 6.4 1.9
Not important 1.1 2.5 3.1 4.0 .4 1.1 1.8 -
Other factors that alleviated caregiver stress included: ability to bring a child to work when necessary; ability to leave when there is an emergency; back-up professional support; family days or mental health days; job share, part-time work; less emphasis on watching the clock by colleagues and managers; on-site or agency-owned daycare; respect for personal commitments; supportive co-workers/team; and employer trusting that the work will get done even if it means being more flexible and creative.
22. Health and Safety The Quality of Work Life Survey finding that was particularly concerning was that almost one-third of participants experienced some form of harassment in their workplace. Also noteworthy was the finding that a significant number of these participants were uncertain about whether or not they were in fact being harassed. This was identified as an issue requiring further analysis. One-third of participants (33%) indicated that they were the recipient of unwanted, unsolicited or intimidating attention, comments or behaviours in the workplace. Females have been reported elsewhere to be more at risk of harassment in the workplace. The nature of unwanted or unsolicited or intimidating attention or comments
or behaviours in the workplace represent similar findings as 58% stated that workplace harassment was related to gender issues. Of those who reported the presence of harassment, these included general intimidation (76%), long-term harassment (47%), violence (27.1%), harassment related to sexual orientation (22.3), racism (20.3%), and lesser forms of harassment such as gossiping among staff.
Table 55 - Recipient of unwanted or unsolicited or intimidating attention or comments or behaviour in your current workplace Yes 32.5% No 48.2%
22.1 Issues of safety Safety emerged as a dominant theme. Safety was associated with feelings of physical, emotional and sexual security and the respect for diversity. Also, safety was described in terms of personal safety when visiting clients and in the work environment. Some workers reported being harassed at work and feeling unprotected: I have experienced workplace harassment in two previous positions. One involved severe verbal abuse from a co-workerthe other involved harassment from a supervisor and co-workers because I would not participate in racially-based harassment. When working with clients, cell phones were suggested as a means to create safer working environments. One participant stated that cell phones have not been provided despite repeated requests: As a school social worker who makes home visits alone, it would seem that whatever can be done to ensure my (our) safety should be done. However, our agency has yet (after 10 years of asking) to do anything about this (e.g., give us cell phones for when we are in homes without phone service, not only for safety, but to do our work, or have a system of teaming up for home visiting, etc). They acknowledge the danger we may be in on a daily basis, but then move on to more 'important' issues within the agency. Money is the barrier.
Table 56 - Nature of unwanted or unsolicited or intimidating attention or comments or behaviour* Often Sometimes Rarely Racial Sexual orientation Gender General intimidation Long-term harassment Violence Other 7.5% 6.9% 10.1% 19.5% 22.6% 3.1% 36% 12.8% 15.4% 48.4% 56.5% 24.7% 24% 31.4% 57.9% 54.6% 33.5% 20.6% 41.1% 61.2% 22.1%
*Valid percentages of those respondents who stated they have been a recipient of unwanted or unsolicited or intimidating attention or comments or behaviours in the workplace
Other health and safety issues reported related to: anger and frustration on the part of clients regarding limitations on the service/resource provided; inappropriate sexual comments; unwanted sexual advances and sexual abuse; bomb threats by a client; bullying; discrimination due to nationality, race, age, disability, weight, pregnancy and maternity leaves.
Table 57 - Source of threats* Client or family/friend of client Co-worker Employer Supervisor Other
*Valid percentages
87.6 2.6 .4 1.5 7.9
Table 58 - Threats to you personally, family or property Yes 27.8% No 72.2%
22.2 Harassment by field of practice To explore whether being a recipient of unwanted or unsolicited or intimidating attention or comments or behaviour in the current workplace was related to field of practice, cross- tabulations were formed.
Table 59 - Field of practice: Health Total sample % Medical/health Child mental health Adult mental health 38.6% 35.8% 34.5% (337) (137) (252)
Table 60 - Field of practice: Child and family services Total sample % Child welfare Family service Family mediation Domestic violence School social work Sexual abuse 45.8% (131) 40.7% (81) 41.7% (24) 45.6% (79) 58.1% (31) 43.3% (60)
Table 61 - Field of practice: Social services Total sample % Income maintenance Occupational/industrial Multicultural services Housing 47.1% (17) 100% (1) 42.9% (21) 35.1% (37)
Table 62 - Field of practice: Disabilities Total sample % Developmental disabilities Other disabilities 46.2% (52) 48.1% (52)
Table 63 - Field of practice: Criminal justice and corrections Total sample % Criminal justice/corrections 43.2% (37)
Table 64 - Field of practice: Service to aged Total sample % Service to aged 45.2% (62)
Table 65 - Field of practice: Alcohol and substance abuse Total sample % Alcohol and substance abuse 36.9% (84)
Table 66 - Field of practice: Education Total sample % Social work education Table 67 - Field of practice: EAP Total sample % EAP 43.6% (55) 44.2% (52)
Table 68 - Field of practice: Other Total sample % Other 41.3 (126)
22.3 Level of responsibility and harassment A comparison between level of responsibility (front-line, supervisor, manager, consultant, team professional, educator and other) and receiving objectionable comments and/or behaviour in the workplace found that a greater number of front-line
workers were recipients because they were more numerous in the sample. However, no significant differences between level of responsibility and harassment found.
Figure 9 - Level of responsibility and harassment
Q62 Have you ever been the recipient of unwanted or unsolicited or intimidating attention or comments or behaviour in your current workplace? Yes No
30
Count
20
10
0 frontline supervisor manager teamprofessional consultant educator other
levelresponsibility
SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF KEY FINDINGS

Findings from the Ontario Association of Social Workers province-wide Quality of Work Life Survey shows that Ontario social workers are busier than ever, experiencing significant stress, and working more unpaid time than ever before. However, despite these huge challenges, most are satisfied with their careers. Despite growing workloads and increasing stress, satisfaction with their career underlines the strong commitment social workers have to helping Ontarians address physical, social and emotional challenges every day. The study is unique in targeting the social work profession and addressing their workrelated experiences associated with stress, workload, harassment, and balancing personal care-giving and work. Stress is an important consideration for worker retention, worker performance and ultimately client services. In the current study, 63 per cent of respondents report experiencing workplace stress. The experience of stress was reported to be related to depression; frequent illness; skipping meals; and feeling rushed. Reasons for stress include a reduction in clerical support, demands for increased documentation, crisis situations, and a lack of cohesion on the team. There is evidence to suggest that as a group social workers are at growing risk of burnout. Since recent research has found that women experience stress differently than men, the findings of OASWs survey have implications for our female dominated profession. High levels of workplace stress, linked to numerous illnesses and risks (both physical and emotional), are well documented. Along with feeling stress, more than 50 per cent of respondents said that feeling rushed was associated with staff shortages, high volume of work, new/added duties, the complexity of work, increased documentation, covering for other staff, and frequent policy changes. There are ramifications for employee health and morale as organizations continue to restructure, seek greater efficiencies and demand more from workers. Unique to our survey were questions gathering information related to how social workers were faring as they attempted to balance work responsibilities and caregiving duties. Results indicate that 44 per cent reported also being a caregiver (mostly related to children). This figure is not surprising given that social work is a female dominated profession. The implications of caregiving responsibilities on workers are issues of great importance as workers attempt to balance personal and work-related responsibilities. A Quality of Work Life Survey finding that was particularly striking and disturbing was that 33% of respondents experienced some form of harassment in their workplace, an environment in which many of us might think such a thing would be unlikely to occur. Reasons cited include gender issues, sexual orientation and racism. Also, of concern was the finding that a significant number of these respondents were uncertain about whether or not what they were experiencing could be defined as harassment, although
these experiences contributed to stressful work environments. This was identified as an area requiring further analysis to define these experiences and identify potential mechanisms to address them. The Use of Online Survey Software SurveyMonkey has posed some unique challenges since data needed to be reorganized after being downloaded from the website and transferred from Excel to SPSS. An alternative to Survey Monkey would be to provide the survey to respondents in PDF form which could be completed and emailed back , however, this method could have implications for the response rate. One of the attractive features of Survey Monkey is its low cost (under $30 per month to subscribe) and the ease of distributing the survey link. In weighing options, costs are either paid up front (need for a secure website and skilled personnel to develop the PDF form, etc.) or later by paying a researcher with skills to reorganize and clean the data once collected from SurveyMonkey. Future Directions of the Survey The study is the first of its kind to establish a baseline for social work salaries, benefits, and working conditions across key sectors in Ontario. Findings will be used to support advocacy to bring about greater equity in pay scales, benefits and improved working conditions, and to encourage replication of the survey in other Canadian jurisdictions. Having established a baseline for salaries, benefits and working conditions, OASW intends to replicate the survey in Ontario every 5 years. A number of other provincial and territorial member organizations of the Canadian Association of Social Workers are also planning to implement the survey with the overall goal of establishing a national data bank to enable regional and national comparisons. An area requiring further research provincially will be the collection of data regarding the salaries and benefits of related professions with similar education to confirm or refute the perception that social workers are faring poorly in these areas compared to other professions. Further comparative analysis is also needed to uncover possible implications of juggling working responsibilities and caregiving responsibilities in the current climate of feeling more rushed and more stressed at work. The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) strongly supports the development of a robust national data bank which will enable comparisons over time, as well as national and regional comparisons of salaries, benefits and working conditions.
REFERENCES
Bennett, P., Evans, R., & Tattersall, A.. (1993). Stress and Coping in Social Workers: A Preliminary Investigation. British Journal of Social Work, 23, 31-44. Cherniss, C.. (1980). Beyond Burnout: Helping Teachers, Nurses, Therapists, and Lawyers Recover from Stress and Disillusionment. New York: Routledge. Collins, S., & Turunen, S.. (2006). College Based Placement Co-ordinators in the United Kingdom: Their Perceptions of Stress. British Journal of Social Work, 36, 10371058. Cox, T., Kuk. G., & Leiter, M.P.. (1993). Burnout, Health, Work Stress, and Organizational Healthiness, in W. B. Schaufeli, C. Maslach & T. Marek. (eds). Professional Burnout: Recent Developments in Theory and Research, 175-193. Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis. Coyle, D., Edwards, D., Hannigan, B., Fothergill. A., & Burnard, P.. (2005). A systematic review of stress among mental health social workers. International Social Work, 48, 2, 201211. Freudenberger, H.J.. (1974). Staff Burnout. Journal of Social Issues, 30, 159-165. General Social Care Council. (2002). Codes of Practice for Social Care Employers. Available at http://www.gscc.org.uk (accessed 19 November 2005). Huxley, P., Evans, S., Gately, C., Webber, M., Mears, A., Pajak, S., Kendall, T., Medina, J,. & Katona, C.. (2005) Stress and Pressure in Mental Health Social Work: The Worker Speaks. British Journal of Social Work, 35, 1063-1079. International Federation of Social Workers (2004). Ethics in Social Work: Statement of Principles. Available at http://www.ifsw.org (accessed 19 November 2005). Lloyd, C. & King, R. (2004). A survey of burnout among Australian mental health occupational therapists and social workers. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39, 752-757. Morris, L.. (2005). The process of decision-making by stressed social workers: To stay or leave the workplace. International Review of Psychiatry, 17, 5, 347-354. OConnor, D. (2006). Effects of Stress on Eating Behaviour: An Integrated Approach. ESRC Society Today, Economic and Social Research Council, UK (RES-000-23-0087). Storey, J., & Billingham, J.. (2001). Occupational stress and social work. Social Work Education, 20, 659-669. Tam, S.K., & Mong, L.. (2005). Job stress, perceived inequity and burnout among school social workers in Hong Kong. International Social Work, 48, 4, 467-483.

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OASW Quality of Work Life Survey

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 2

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OASW Quality of Work Life Survey

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OASW Quality of Work Life Survey

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14.6% 24.4% 27.8% 14.6% 24.4%

65.1% 21.3% 6.8% 5.5%

99.1% 12.7% 13.2%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 15

91.0% 1.8% .4% 1.0% .3% 2.3% 1.1%

OASW 2005 28.4% 63.2% 1.1%

53.9% 5.4% 0.7% 16.8%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 16

68.2% 19.9% 4.6% .8% .6%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 17

Q9 What is your highest social work degree: BSW MSW Doctorate

Child mental health 10.7%

Adult mental health 22.3%

School social work 2.5%

Sexual abuse 3.5%

Multicultural services 1.4%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 18

Table 14 - Field of practice: Disabilities Developmental disabilities Primary job 3.9%

Other disabilities 4.4%

Table 19 - Field of practice: EAP EAP Primary job 2.7%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 19

Community development 5.2% 3.8% .9%

Policy 2.6% 1.6% .7%

Research 3.5% 2.1% 1.5%

Other 7.0% 3.4% 1.0%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 20

Figure 3 - Public / not for profit comparisons

0 not for profit public

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 22

0 Full-time Part-time Causal / Contract

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 23

65,000 to 79,000 42 214 3

Total 80,000 > 7 40 7 310 703 12

Figure 6 - Actual annual income by credentials

65,000 to 79,000 80,000 >

0 BSW MSW Doctorate

Q9 What is your highest social work degree:

Extended health 69.2%

Pension plan 68%

Group RRSP 26.7%

Educational leave (time and pay) 24.5%

Education leave (without pay) 26.7%

Access to wellness 26.9%

Table 32 - Work shifts outside of 9 to 5 or 8:30 to 4:30 No 71.3% Yes 18.8%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 27

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 28

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 30

28.7% 28.2% 26.4% 3.3% .4%

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 31

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 33

50 Mean = 6.85 Std. Dev. = 2.009 N = 989 0 2 4 6 8 10 12

__________________________________________________________________________________________ OASW Quality of Work Life Survey 2006 p. 35