Abstract
This paper aimed to explore the changes posed by the new COVID-19 pandemic to the field of social work and its impact on social workers in terms of job stress and burnout in Romania. Two conceptual models were used to frame the discussion: the theoretical framework of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) to discuss the challenges that the unprecedented context of the COVID-19 pandemic has created for social workers; and the Job Demands and Resources model (JD-R) to understand job demands perceived as stressors and burnout. Based on convergent mixed methods, the study sample consisted of 83 social workers employed in statutory and private social services in Romania, from different areas of intervention. Results showed that social workers perceived a high level of job stress related to work during the pandemic, which was associated with higher levels of burnout in the areas of personal burnout (average score 55.9) and work-related burnout (average score 52.5). Client-related burnout was lower (average score 38.4), indicating that stress was generated mainly by organisational factors and work-related factors (workload, aligning to new legislative rules and decisions, inconsistency, instability, ambiguity of managerial decisions, and lack of clarity of working procedures) and less by client-related stressors (lack of direct contact with clients, risk of contamination, managing beneficiaries’ fears, and difficulties related to technology). High job demands and limited job resources (managerial and supervisory support, financial resources, and recognition and reward) led to a high to very high level of work-related burnout for 15.7% and an upper-medium level for 44.2% of respondents. A group of 27.7% reported lower to medium levels of work-related burnout, while 14.5% had very low levels, managing to handle stress factors in a healthy manner. Study results pointed to the importance of organisational support and the development of a self-care plan that help to protect against job stress and burnout. Recommendations were made, putting forward the voice of fieldworkers and managers fostering initiatives and the application of sustainability-based measures and activities designed to deal with the challenges of the VUCA environment.
Highlights
Introduction iationsThe world has changed and “no one prepared us for this”, as was vividly expressed by one of the social workers
The analysis of the impact of this environment characterised by VUCA from the perspective of burnout syndrome indicated that the average scores for each of the three types of burnout were as follows: personal burnout at 55.9 was the highest, work-related burnout was nearly the same at 52.5, and client-related burnout was lower at 38.4 (Table 2)
Our results are in line with other studies that show that personal burnout and work-related burnout have higher values than client-related burnout
Summary
Introduction iationsThe world has changed and “no one prepared us for this”, as was vividly expressed by one of the social workers. Social isolation of vulnerable people (the elderly, people with disabilities, people with chronic diseases, etc.), restrictive measures imposed, teleworking, overcrowding of hospitals, and the closure of schools and kindergartens have created a general state of uncertainty, chaos, stress, and panic among the population [3,4,5]. This has heightened the role of the social work and medical systems during the COVID-19.
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