Employee turnover is not always a negative thing. Social workers often leave positions for retirement, to further their education or raise families and, in these cases it is a positive experience for the social worker and in some cases, can also be positive for an organization, especially in cases where an employee is a poor fit for an organization. Turnover leads to the hiring of new workers with fresh and innovative ideas, however for the most part, turnover in social service agencies is a significant issue that creates a negative impact on organizations as a whole.
It has an significant impact upon service delivery as well as worker – client relationships. Ineffective leadership plays a significant role in employee turnover in North America. Teena Shah (2010) outlines how supervision was a significant factor for new workers in terms of turnover and how supervisory support plays a large role in whether a worker stays in their position. “Depending on their style, methods, and approach to supervision, managers can be seen as people who can make the job bearable and manageable, who can alleviate stress, and who can help to develop a positive and sound workplace” (Shah, 2010, p. 5). Alternatively, an unsupportive or critical supervisor can be the deciding factor when it comes to a worker’s ability to manage the stress and demand of the job. As outlined by Shah (2010), “supervisors can also be seen as fostering an unsupportive, individualist and stressful workplace” (p. 15). Shah (2010) discusses the different views researched in terms of what supervisory style tends to be most successful with achieving worker retention.
One style is ‘outcome oriented supervision where the focus from the supervisor is on what the worker has accomplished rather than what they have not. This style has been researched to assist in alleviating the stress involved in crisis driven professions. Shah (2010) also explains how research has shown that supervisors who provide instrumental support and informational support to workers has a positive effect on their ability to manage stress and increase worker competency, which has been direct linked to reducing burnout in employees. Himle, Jayarante, & Thyness (1991) found that instrumental support (helping to complete a difficult task) and informational support (providing pertinent information when needed) may be better than approval and emotional support in buffering work stress” (p. 15, 2010).
Shah (2010) explains how ‘instrumental and informational support’ also tends to assist in creating a sense of control over one’s working environment, which has also been found to alleviate stress. Interestingly, Shah (2010) adds that most supervisory models used in North America do not follow a model that includes these types of support. Currently, many supervisors appear to use a consultant and guidance model, which often does not include instrumental support” (Shah, 2010, p. 15).
Shah (2010) outlines how supervisors play a significant role in the retention of employees because they control and manage the distribution of caseloads, which have been directly linked to employee turnover or intention to leave. According to Shah’s (2010) research, “a significant predictor of job departure was the time taken to reach a full protection caseload workers tended to leave when they had acquired a full caseload too quickly”(p. 3). Anderson, M. , & Gobeil, S. (2003) conducted a survey within social work agencies throughout North America on ‘preventable turnover’, that is, turnover not due to retirement, pregnancy, sickness, education or sabbatical leave. The results of the survey outlined that supervision played a large role in worker retention and was listed as one of four main factors. Anderson & Gobeil (2003) discuss “four main factors as influencing the ability of agencies to retain workers: mission, supervision, personal investment and goodness of it” (p. 4).
Anderson & Gobeil’s (2003) identify how weak or ineffective leadership in social service agencies is essentially more significant for social workers than their salary or rate of pay. According to the literature, weak leadership is strongly linked to feelings of isolation, frustration, stress and burnout at direct service and supervisory levels. Indeed, poor agency management is frequently cited as being more significant an issue than financial considerations in terms of job satisfaction ratings” (Anderson & Gobeil, 2003, p. ). Inconsistencies existed within the level of and/or intensity of supervision throughout the study’s research as the ratio of supervisors to employees varied between agencies. This varied from one supervisor per fifteen employees to one supervisor per three employees. When posing recommendations from their study in terms of creating more worker retention and less turnover rates, Anderson & Gobeil (2003) noted increased specific training for supervisory positions and stronger supervisory skills as a main focus.
Additional strategies were also outlined, however, because the findings showed significant patterns outlining inadequate levels of supervision and support within social service agencies throughout North America, Anderson & Gobeil (2003) noted that the odds of an increase in worker retention throughout North America were low. Our survey results draw attention to the importance of strong leadership qualities in the supervision of child welfare work.
Given the difficult and stressful nature of child welfare work, inadequate levels of supervision and support (as noted in their findings) would make it very difficult for some agencies to successfully implement the above strategies (Anderson & Gobeil, 2003, p. 21). Critical evaluation of literature 2 pages Chrissy While agreeing with the importance of adequate supervisory support for social workers as being necessary in job satisfaction and, therefore, retention of experienced social workers, empowerment theory alone is a simplistic solution to a ultifaceted problem. Barriers exist that prohibit supportive and appropriate supervision for social workers such as a lack of funding, a lack of experienced and qualified social workers and interdisciplinary settings. Beyond this, empowerment theory, if not utilized effectively, can be detrimental to an organization and its workers.
Curtis (2016) states “devolution of welfare services to nonprofit and voluntary sector providers and tightening of eligibility requirements are key features of welfare state restructuring”(p. ) in Canada. With the aforementioned changes in political and economic ideology in Canada, and decentralization through the Canadian Constitution of 1982, the federal government has divested responsibility for maintaining the social safety net of its constituents. This reduction in funding has resulted in provincial and municipal reductions in services and an increase in requirements to access them which increases homelessness.
This funding divestment results in “more people on long waiting lists for affordable housing; making do with welfare payments that don’t cover all of their basic needs; and struggling to get to work, find childcare or afford recreation programs” (FCM, 2010, p. i). There simply are not enough funds available to meet the needs of the people accessing services and those providing them. Reduction of management and supervisors are one way of trying to address this shortfall.
Social work supervision is necessary to support workers in the field as well as to support the professionalization of social work. This is, however, impacted by the demands from funders and taxpayers for cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Because of this, managerial positions are often held by individuals who are not from a social work background, but from “individuals with degrees in business and public administration and other professional degrees” (Wuenschel, 2006, p. 9). Administration, including finances and policy development, is the focus more than worker supervision.
Fiscal restrictions also impact a supervisor’s ability to implement changes such as a decreased workload, additional training or increased resources that would allow for an improvement in worker satisfaction. With the increase in turnover rates in social work, there are less experienced and properly trained workers to provide supervision and mentorship. Until this tide has been slowed, it will continue to have a cyclical effect. Added to this, social work education programs offer minimal training in administration.
Patti (1984) recognizes that social work has viewed “administration as something that any good clinician with the right instincts and a little training could do” (p. 20). In more recent years, the need for training within social work education for supervisory and administration has been identified (Wuenschel, 2006). Noble & Irwin (2009) identify that the goal must be “how to democratize the supervision process so as to move it towards a more equal and socially aware experience, one that is informed by a concern for social justice, human rights and social change” (p. 55).
Empowerment theory, with its concept of shared authority and collaboration can empower social workers, but this can also lead to an arrogance that can lead to individuals diverging from the agency’s mission and being unwilling to accept direction. Part of what is necessary is for supervisors to possess exemplary communication skills to direct and empower workers with the confidence and opportunity to achieve organizational goals.
