Applying a Novel Approach to Understanding Social Worker Job Retention during the Pandemic

Abstract

The job demands-resources (JD-R) theory explicates factors that facilitated social worker burnout prepandemic. Authors believe the JD-R theory can illustrate how certain factors facilitated social worker job retention in the novel context of the pandemic because a sizable group of social workers resisted burnout-related turnover. Disseminating these factors can benefit the profession. Qualitative cross-sectional data were elicited from a semistructured interview about experiences of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient social workers (N = 13) who provided care during the pandemic. Authors conducted content analysis and coded the text into six themes of factors that facilitated retention: (1) commitment to serving veteran population, (2) job flexibility, (3) supportive colleagues, (4) leadership support, (5) maintaining normal routines, and (6) trusting in scientific/evidence-based practices. Application of the JD-R theory illustrated how social workers utilized specific resources that balanced job demands during the pandemic and facilitated job retention. Future work should apply the JD-R theory among larger samples of VA social workers, as well as non-VA social workers, in the context of the pandemic, for comparative purposes. Authors conclude with policy implications related to the impact of permanently allowing telework options and job flexibility options among social workers.

Keywords: burnout; pandemic; psychological capital; retention; turnover.