Factors of feelings of happiness at work among staff in geriatric care facilities

Abstract

Aim: To examine the factors influencing feelings of happiness at work among caregivers in geriatric care facilities.

Methods: Self-reported questionnaires were distributed to caregivers (n = 1396) at 26 geriatric care facilities. The response rate was 68%. The questionnaire had items regarding feelings of happiness at work, professionalism in dementia care (i.e. intrinsic motivation), wage adequacy, and subscales of The Social Capital and Ethical Climate in the Workplace scale (extrinsic motivations), basic attributes, and work and organizational characteristics. Data pertaining to 632 staff members were used in the multivariable logistic regression for the group with high scores on feelings of happiness at work, by sex and occupation.

Results: Higher professionalism in dementia caregiving was more likely to occur in the high-score groups among all staff (OR 1.21-1.55, P < 0.01). Female nurses and male professional caregivers with higher scores for social capital in the workplace (OR 3.11, P < 0.01; OR = 2.33, P < 0.05) and female professional caregivers with higher scores for ethical leadership (OR 1.78, P < 0.01) were more likely to be in the high-score group for feelings of happiness at work, whereas male professional caregivers with perceived inadequacy of wages (OR 0.33, P < 0.05) were less likely to be in the high-score group for feelings of happiness at work.

Conclusions: The findings underlined the important contributory factors of feelings of happiness at work, which could motivate stakeholders to enhance social capital, ethical leadership, and remuneration and other extrinsic rewards to improve staff well-being. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 818-824.

Keywords: dementia; happiness; professionalism; work environment; workplace.