Inclusive work environments as a pathway to an engaged child welfare workforce that intends to stay

Abstract

Numerous workforce matters have converged as critical issues in the child welfare context, including the need to have a stable and healthy workforce and respond to increased diversity among workers. Little research has explored the role of work engagement in workers staying in their jobs. Furthermore, limited research has examined how work engagement and job burnout might moderate the relationship between an inclusive and just work environment and workers’ intentions to stay in the agency. Using cross-sectional data from 2,000 public child welfare caseworkers, this study examined how an inclusive work environment is related to the intention to stay in the agency. Furthermore, the study examined the influence of work engagement and burnout on the relationship between inclusive work environments and intention to stay in the agency. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, with results suggesting that organizational justice was significantly related to intention to stay in the agency among White and BIPOC caseworkers. Inclusive leadership was significantly related to intention to stay in the agency only among BIPOC caseworkers. Work engagement and job burnout were significantly related to intention to stay in the agency for White and BIPOC caseworkers, and job burnout moderated the relationship between inclusive leadership and intention to stay on the job among BIPOC caseworkers who reported high levels of inclusive leadership and low job burnout.