A report – released as part of the Design for Care consortium which involved research from the University of Sydney in collaboration with project lead Curtin University and funded by Insurance and Care NSW (icare) – surveyed 1,300 healthcare and social assistance workers over an 18-month period, to better understand whether SMART (Stimulating, Mastery, Agency, Relational, Tolerable) work design strategies could improve employee job satisfaction, mental health and wellbeing.
The report found 37 percent of workers reported they did not have enough time to do their work, 40 percent said their jobs were highly emotionally demanding, 22 percent reported high work-related burnout, and 24 per cent said they don’t spend enough time with their family.
Associate Professor Anya Johnson, Head of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School, said the report is critical for identifying the causes of poor mental health of those who care for the most vulnerable in society.
“Our report highlights why we can’t ignore how care work is designed and experienced. We need to be acting now to design smarter work if we want a sustainable caring workforce in the future.
“It’s important to adopt a holistic approach to redesigning work, as changing one aspect of a job will influence others. That’s why we are evidence-based and data-informed in the work redesign projects we want to pilot with Australian employers. There is no one size fits all solution.”
The report also found younger workers aged 16 to 24 were more likely to experience higher rates of poor mental health compared to all other age groups, while permanent full-time employees experienced the highest level of work demands compared to casual workers.
Client-facing workers, such as aged care workers and disability support workers, experienced less autonomy in their jobs, poorer relationships at work and higher levels of burnout than the average worker.
Project lead and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker, from Curtin’s Future of Work Institute, said the report highlighted the urgent need to drive innovation with work design tools across the healthcare and social assistance industry in NSW.
“Individuals with high SMART work design, compared to those with moderate or low SMART work design, report lower levels of burnout and mental ill-health, lower intention to leave, and higher job satisfaction,” Professor Parker said.
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SMART solutions needed for stressed care workforce (Sydney University)
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