To what extent a “bad” job? Employee perceptions of job quality in community aged care
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-11-2013-0169 |
| Pages | 192-208 |
| Date | 09 February 2015 |
| Published date | 09 February 2015 |
| Author | Marilyn Clarke |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations |
To what extent a “bad”job?
Employee perceptions of job
quality in community aged care
Marilyn Clarke
Adelaide Business School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore how community aged care workers evaluate job
quality using a job quality framework.
Design/methodology/approach –The study uses a qualitative approach. Data were collected using
semi-structured interviews and focus groups from a large aged care organisation.
Findings –Perceptions of job quality are influenced by individual motivations, match between
life-stage and work flexibility, as well as broader community views of the value of this type of work.
Intrinsic factors (e.g. autonomy, job content) moderate the impact of extrinsic factors such as pay and
job security.
Research limitations/implications –The sample is relatively small and the study is based on data
from one aged care organisation which may not reflect employment conditions in other organisations.
Practical implications –Attraction and retention of community care workers can be improved by
addressing factors associated with remuneration (including employment contracts and hours of work)
and career structures. Skill and experience-based career structures would help build organisational
capacity as well as making these jobs more attractive.
Social implications –The demand for community care will continue to increase. Attracting,
retaining and managing this workforce will be critical to meeting society’s expectations regarding the
future care needs of older people.
Originality/value –This research explores an under-researched workforce group in a critical area of
aged care management. It highlights two key areas with the potential to improve employee perceptions
of job quality and therefore address issues related to attraction, retention, job satisfaction and
ultimately organisational performance.
Keywords Retention, Job quality, Aged care
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In developed countries, such as Australia, ageing populations and extended life
expectancies are creating unprecedented demand for the provision of aged care
services (Hogan, 2004; Lafortune and Balestat, 2007). A recent Australian Productivity
Commission (2011) report predicted that by 2050 over 3.5 million people would be
seeking some form of aged care support. It also predicted that 80 per cent of demand
would be for services delivered in the community rather than residential or nursing
home care, as already reflected in a 600 per cent increase in demand for community-
based care between 1996 and 2004 (AIHW, 2008).
The immediate challenge for aged care organisations is to build and retain
a community care workforce large enough, and with the necessary skills, to meet this
demand. Care jobs are not, however, considered highly attractive. They may “involve
hard, dirty or demeaning work”(Martin, 2007, p. 185) and, in general, are poorly paid
(England et al., 2002), attributes associated with poor quality or “bad”jobs (Martin,
2007, p. 185). Job quality is important because it impacts on attraction, retention, job
satisfaction and ultim ately organisational p erformance (Burgess et al ., 2013).
Employee Relations
Vol. 37 No. 2, 2015
pp. 192-208
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-11-2013-0169
Received 27 November 2013
Revised 8 July 2014
12 September 2014
5November2014
Accepted 17 November 2014
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
192
ER
37,2
Evaluating job quality is a complex issue. Job quality comprises both intrinsic and
extrinsic factors, not just quantitive measures such as pay (Handel, 2005; Green 2006).
In fact, studies have shown that low pay may not lead to turnover (or intention to quit)
among care workers if other factors (such as hours of work and supervisor/management
support) are satisfactory (Fleming and Taylor, 2006; Kemper et al., 2008).
In light of the growing importance of the aged care sector, and in particular
community care, there is an urgent need to understand more about how care workers
evaluate the quality of their jobs and the factors that contribute to this evaluation.
The aim of this paper is to explore community aged care jobs from the perspective of
individuals currently working in the sector using a job quality framework. The primary
question to be addressed is, “how do community aged care workers evaluate the
quality of their job?”The study will contribute to the job quality literature by exploring
what attracts individuals to community care, the things they value about their role and
the things that may need to be improved to increase attraction and retention
rates. The paper begins with a description of the characteristics of the community aged
care workforce in Australia to provide a context for the research. It then explores, in
broad terms, the concept of job quality and the factors that influence how jobs
are evaluated. The research method is explained and data from a qualitative case
study in an Australian aged care organisation is presented. The paper concludes
with a discussion of the practical implications for aged care providers as well as
noting limitations.
The community aged care workforce
A 2012 study (King et al., 2012) reported that in Australia 1,50,000 people were employed
in community-based care (including nurses, community care and allied health workers)
with the majority (76,046) working in community care. Community carers provide support
to help older people remain in their homes for as long as possible while retaining a good
quality of life and high levels of independence. S pecifically they assist the elderly with
tasks such as cleaning, shopping, attending medical appointments, administering
medications and personal care (e.g. showering, dressing).
The community care workforce comprises primarily older female workers employed
on permanent part-time or casual contracts –o10 per cent are employed in full-time
permanent positions (Richardson and Martin 2004). The Australian Bureau of Statistics
defines a casual employee as someone for whom work is likely to be occasional,
irregular or short term rather than regular and ongoing (ABS, 2005). In the Australian
context, and in certain sectors such as the service sector, a degree of job insecurity has
become the norm with a high proportion of people working in non-standard jobs or jobs
based on temporary or casual contracts (van Wanrooy et al., 2009). Non-standard jobs
often involve irregular incomes and loss of benefits associated with standard full-time
employment. For example, while permanent employees receive a range of benefits, such
as sick leave and holiday pay, casual workers “can be dismissed at will, have few
benefits of employment and have no binding contracts regarding future hours of work
with their employer”(Wilson et al., 2008, p. 474).
Two-thirds of community carers are older than 45 years of age and more than
one-third are aged 55 and over which means they are likely to exit the workforce within
the next ten years (King et al., 2012). Jobs that are classified as care work (child care ,
nursing, aged care) tend to be poorly remunerated (England et al., 2002; England, 2005).
The underlying assumption is that people (very often women) who enter these
fields are willing to work for lower pay than those seeking less altruistic employment
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Employee
perceptions of
job quality
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