Impact of Need Satisfaction on Retaining Social Workers in the Public Sector from New Taipei City Social Welfare Center

• Main Authors: Yeh, Mingtai, 葉明岱
• Other Authors: Hsieh, Mei-O
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67ksxe

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 社會工作研究所 === 107 === This study aimed to understand need satisfaction factors for retaining public social workers. The study first explored the reasons why public social workers engaged in social work, then examined the relationship between the reasons and their satisfaction. Based on the findings, recommendations were proposed for Taiwan's social work practice. The study data were collected through qualitative study and in-depth interviews with 8 social workers in New Taipei City Social Welfare Center. The social workers included senior level social workers and social work supervisors whose public social work positions were based on senior or special local exams and who have worked for 3 years or more, thereby qualifying to leave or stay. The results showed that external factors such as the ease of finding a new job or the belief that they were qualified for the new job would make it easier for the social workers to leave their original job. Hence, enhancing rotation mechanism can increase the social workers' willingness to stay. For work related factors, strengthening the salary incentives, promotional system and job characteristics of social work, a sense of social support such as family, colleague and executive support in the work place environment, promotion opportunities and grading that are comparable or superior to other professions, establishing a system that reduces the job risks of social workers and corresponding risk management measures, stable or flexible work hours, enabling a sense of job achievement and professional recognition could increase the social workers' willingness to stay. Personal factors such as age-related physical energy, care-giving alternative resources, measures for stable working hours, and having a religious faith that provides psychological and emotional support were correlated to the social workers' willingness to stay. The study found that supervisory committee surveys induced enormous psychological pressure in the social workers, even leading them to leave their preferred social work field. The study results echoes Maslow's hierarchy of five types of needs, which rank from low to high in a graduated progression. Likewise in this study, if the bottom level physiological and safety needs of the social workers could not be met, they would be unwilling to remain even if upper level self-esteem and self-realization needs were met. Physiologically needs, safety needs and need for belonging and love could be satisfied with external conditions. However, the need for self-esteem and self-realization were met through internal individual factors. Last, the practice, policy and research implications were also provided. Keywords: retain, need satisfaction, social work