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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The deteriorating work-related well-being among statutory social workers in a rigorous economic context

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description

This article examines the connection between economic pressures and impaired well-being at work experienced by Finnish statutory social workers. The survey data were collected during the years 2011–2012. The respondents (N = 817) were social workers in statutory social services. The overall response rate was 46.5 and nearly 60% of all Finnish municipalities participated in the study. This study affirms the worrying state of the well-being at work of statutory social workers. Up to 43% of the respondents reported worsening of their work-related well-being during the past two years. On average, they had experienced impaired work-related well-being at least once a month. Nearly 18% reported experiencing this at least a few times a week or even daily. According to the respondents, economic pressures had increased while the opportunities to practice ethically responsible social work had decreased. Increasing demands for efficiency predicted not only impaired work-related well-being directly, but also through d...