Andreas Baldschun
The Work-Related Well-Being of Social Workers in Relationship-Based Settings
Číslo: 1/2018
Periodikum: Sociální práce
Klíčová slova: child protection, mental distress, relationship-based practice, social work, work-related well-being
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Anotace:
OBJECTIVES: This paper provides a deeper understanding of the importance of the social
workers’ work-related well-being for successful case outcomes. THEORETICAL BASE: Recent
studies on the work-related well-being of Finnish social workers discovered alarming numbers
concerning the employees’ decreasing work-related well-being. The reasons for that are located
in the nature of social work and, particularly, in the emotionally demanding worker-client
relationship in relationship-based settings. METHODS: The concepts of burnout, occupational
stress, compassion fatigue, counter-transference, traumatisation, secondary traumatic stress and
vicarious trauma are analysed with regard to the source of distress and preventing factors. The
findings are linked with the characteristics of relationship-based settings and are exemplarily
applied to the Finnish case. OUTCOMES: Work-related well-being is essential for building and
maintaining an efficient and constructive worker–client relationship and as an important element
in helping service users to find sustainable solutions for their problem. Supervision, specialized
training, organizational support, leadership style and emotional strength are discovered as the
main factors for preventing impaired work-related well-being. The impaired work-related wellbeing
resulting from deficits in the organizational structure and lack of resources, however, cannot
be compensated by the discovered factors. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: This study
suggests the adoption of a multidimensional approach to work-related well-being that takes into
account the complex structure of work-related well-being.
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workers’ work-related well-being for successful case outcomes. THEORETICAL BASE: Recent
studies on the work-related well-being of Finnish social workers discovered alarming numbers
concerning the employees’ decreasing work-related well-being. The reasons for that are located
in the nature of social work and, particularly, in the emotionally demanding worker-client
relationship in relationship-based settings. METHODS: The concepts of burnout, occupational
stress, compassion fatigue, counter-transference, traumatisation, secondary traumatic stress and
vicarious trauma are analysed with regard to the source of distress and preventing factors. The
findings are linked with the characteristics of relationship-based settings and are exemplarily
applied to the Finnish case. OUTCOMES: Work-related well-being is essential for building and
maintaining an efficient and constructive worker–client relationship and as an important element
in helping service users to find sustainable solutions for their problem. Supervision, specialized
training, organizational support, leadership style and emotional strength are discovered as the
main factors for preventing impaired work-related well-being. The impaired work-related wellbeing
resulting from deficits in the organizational structure and lack of resources, however, cannot
be compensated by the discovered factors. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: This study
suggests the adoption of a multidimensional approach to work-related well-being that takes into
account the complex structure of work-related well-being.