{"id":8,"date":"2019-07-05T21:20:41","date_gmt":"2019-07-06T01:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grad.journalism.torontomu.ca\/a-burned-out-workforce\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2019-08-12T22:27:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T02:27:21","slug":"8-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/grad.journalism.torontomu.ca\/a-burned-out-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][rev_slider_vc alias=”title-video”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Andrew Facciolo only lasted just over a year on the job. That was all he could bear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was a \u201cdirect support professional\u201d and at the age of 25, he was already burnt out.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a common refrain among such professionals, formally known as developmental service workers (DSWs). And at a time when caseloads are growing and resources are shrinking, the issue of DSW burnout is creating a perfect storm for the developmental services sector in virtually every part of the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew vividly remembers the days of violence. On one occasion, someone he supported broke household items and then repeatedly banged their own head against a door frame.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI actually felt like I was in a horror movie,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cHe got to the point where he was so emotional that he was able to just break everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew was employed as a full-time direct support professional, supporting people of all ages with mental and physical disabilities. He had been working in a residential home for Reena, a community living organization just outside Toronto, for almost a year, when the work slowly started to become unbearable.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019d start the work week filled with dread, already knowing what to expect. The man he helps support will act out, be arrested by the police and driven to the hospital, only to later return with a list of prescribed medications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three days later, these events will happen again. It had become a highly predictable and highly stressful pattern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just like this repetitive cycle that would drive you crazy, because no one knows what to do,\u201d Andrew said. \u201cYou\u2019re the only person, they\u2019re (police officers, hospital staff) basically saying \u2018here, this is your job, do it.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew doesn\u2019t remember the man\u2019s diagnosis, but he knows it was complex. Coming from another institution \u2014 asylums operated by the government for people with disabilities \u2014 this client had initially transitioned seamlessly into the residential home. But several months into Andrew\u2019s employment, the client went into crisis almost every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt just felt like a constant revolving door of violence,\u201d said Andrew. When the man became frustrated, the support workers were to make sure other residents in the home were safe and then lock themselves in the staff room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instances that stick out for Andrew are those where the client broke items in the home or harmed himself, often leaving blood everywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point for me, it\u2019s just like wow this is not essentially what I signed up for. I mean, I did it to help people. I did it to aid in people\u2019s progress,\u201d said Andrew. \u201cBut when you go to work every single day and it\u2019s almost just like whatever you do is not progressing, it\u2019s just escalating or going downwards, it\u2019s like okay, is this for me? Do I really love this? Is this what I\u2019m supposed to do?\u201d<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1563297213196{margin-left: -30px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]At the time, Andrew was one of over 21,000 frontline support workers estimated to be employed at community living organizations in Ontario\u2019s developmental services sector. That doesn\u2019t include the number independently hired by families for at-home care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More importantly, Andrew is also part of an unknown number who have left the sector, due to burnout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew\u2019s experience may seem extreme, but challenging and aggressive behaviours are quite common and are one of the many causes of burnout in this workforce. Other contributors to burnout relate to the conditions of the job, specifically low pay, part-time hours, intense workloads, and poor organizational culture and employee relations.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”127″ add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1563297940472{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]Data on the percentage of workers within Ontario\u2019s developmental services sector who have experienced burnout and subsequently left their jobs does not exist. But research that has surveyed a portion of the workers, along with insight from labour relations experts, acknowledges that the workforce is in crisis \u2013 one that\u2019s expected to become worse as the demand for these services increases and workers continue to leave.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t new information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, which funds these organizations and supports more than 70,000 Ontarians with disabilities, has been aware that burnout, turnover and low retention rates are problematic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet insufficient funding and inadequate policy adjustments leave the workforce at a standstill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though about 70 per cent of the workforce is unionized, union regulation and advocacy haven\u2019t done enough to improve working conditions in the sector. Additionally, a lack of public knowledge about the role of developmental service workers means they are perpetually undervalued within society.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row vsc_id=”Becoming”][vc_column]

Clocking In<\/i><\/h1>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Back when Vito Facciolo, Andrew\u2019s father, started out as a support worker in 1968, people with disabilities lived in institutions. On any day, Vito would care for as many as 50 people alongside two or three other workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After 51 years in the field, Vito is now the executive director at the Community Living Association of South Simcoe (CLASS) in central southern Ontario. Before the province\u2019s last institution closed in 2009, Vito said that support workers prioritized meeting basic care needs and managing difficult behaviours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, the care provided is much more individualized.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Approximately four to six people live in one home where a team of workers provides support and is more involved in the social aspects of each person\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a higher order expectation and that is the frontline worker today should be the support medium that will take people to try and achieve their potential,\u201d Vito said. \u201cWhat we do here is we become facilitators so that people can become better people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the mantra of the community living association he oversees, and one that he instilled in Andrew when he joined the field.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

\"\"<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At CLASS, one of Ontario\u2019s 360 non-profit developmental service agencies, a day in the life of a support worker can look very different across the organization. Both Kailey Flear and Jenny Druery are support workers at CLASS, but while Kailey runs the day program at one home, Jenny supports the day-to-day lives of residents at another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each workday, Kailey arrives at a residential home in Bradford around 8:30 a.m. From the outside, it\u2019s an average house equipped with accessibility ramps. But inside, there\u2019s lots of commotion. Every few minutes the doorbell rings as someone new arrives and gets settled. People come to the day program to socialize with others, learn new skills, volunteer, and take part in different activities and events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But on most days, it\u2019s just about learning to complete daily tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be something as simple as like putting on a seat belt, you know, and it could take like, weeks, or helping them with the laundry, showing them how to do that, and just those things that will sort of improve their lives,\u201d said Kailey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith individuals with disabilities, you’ll notice that people kind of pigeonhole them and automatically assume that they can’t do things. So, a lot of times, I’ll take that upon myself to try to help show them, and whoever else, that this is possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, less than a five-minute drive away, direct support professional Jenny provides at-home care and is getting people ready for the day. Most of those at the home she works in have challenging behaviours and require 24-hour support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jenny has been in developmental services for almost four years and joined CLASS five months ago. She arrives with her day team coworkers at 9 a.m. to complete daily household tasks, prepare meals, and provide personal care, such as getting people dressed or showered. Depending on the weather and the day\u2019s schedule, Jenny and her team may take clients out for a drive or a walk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Jenny is doing all of this while managing the difficult behaviours that often arise. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1563367731356{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563367775365{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”128″ add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563367809037{margin-left: 15px !important;}”][vc_column_text]\u201cIt could start with someone smacking their leg, and then jumping around, to trying to spit at you, hit you, or scratch you,\u201d said Jenny. \u201cSome days, you see the behaviour and you de-escalate, so you’re good. But some days, you can’t de-escalate. And then you have to evacuate other clients and let the behaviour run its course.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Challenging behaviours are usually disruptive or inappropriate, and can include tantrums, disobedience, aggression towards objects, self or others. Individuals who express themselves in this way may have an underlying mental health issue, a complicated diagnosis, or have no other way to convey their stress and frustration. Either way, Jenny needs to realize when something\u2019s wrong and try to mitigate any harmful reactions.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At CLASS\u2019s main centre in Alliston, Tori McLellan is one of the senior support workers who helps run both a day program and an after-school program. She arrives at work around 7:30 a.m. and picks up the people attending the day program in a 24-seater bus. Each day has a schedule, one that includes volunteering at local elementary schools, skating rinks, and non-profit organizations. Other activities include going to the gym, bowling, swimming, the movies, or to the library.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though managing these activities with large groups can be quite difficult, Tori says helping people maintain a relationship with their community is the best part of her job.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1563367958457{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563368273518{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_column_text]\u201cThey’ve made connections, because we’re out in the community. And those connections have changed their life,\u201d said Tori. \u201cThey\u2019ve become a member of their community, they\u2019re not just \u2018that person that\u2019s supported at CLASS.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, these outings can be the most difficult part of her job, especially when clients get frustrated because they don\u2019t want to participate in the activity on that day. Often, Tori is managing these behaviours in a public setting, trying to calm the person down while making sure she is keeping herself and others safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time Tori is finishing up her day around 4 p.m., Emily Downes\u2019 has only just begun. A few streets away from the resource centre at a residential home, Emily arrives for her evening shift as a part-time support worker. Emily gets in right in time for dinner, which is when she administers medications and helps organize evening activities.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”129″ add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1563368042546{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563368281523{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”125″ add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]\u201cPeople don\u2019t understand like what we really do. I think there\u2019s a huge lack of education,\u201d Emily said. \u201cYou are go go go all the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, if some of the individuals don\u2019t go out tonight, they will just sit and watch TV. But, you\u2019re not just sitting and watching TV, you\u2019re answering a billion questions, you\u2019re repeating yourself a billion times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Emily said that one of the people in the home obsesses over wrist watches and sometimes thinks there are watches under the couch. In one shift, Emily will have to move the couch repeatedly to show the client that there aren\u2019t any watches there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of Emily\u2019s shift at\u00a09p.m. everyone is in bed, and she switches out with the overnight staff.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In addition to each unique diagnosis, habits and behaviours, there are diets, allergies, medical appointments and medications to track. Support workers are also expected to assist individuals with their personal lives \u2013 support their personal goals and choices, help them manage relationships with their family and the community, keep track of their finances, teach them new skills, and advocate for them within society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Kailey, Jenny and Emily each have post-secondary education, Tori is the only certified developmental service worker. This is highly representative of Ontario\u2019s current workforce, where, as of 2017, only a quarter of agency-based workers had DSW diplomas. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Ontario, working as a DSW is a designated trade that doesn\u2019t require any credentials beyond a high school diploma. Unlike other recognized trades, which typically require mandatory schooling and a certificate, Ontario has no standardized requirements for those supporting someone with a disability. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For president and founder of the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association, Miranda Ferrier, whose son has autism, the lack of standards required to become a DSW is concerning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople with disabilities are as vulnerable as a senior person and they can also get taken advantage of very easily, so why are we not watching who is becoming a developmental support worker? Or who is being hired off the street?\u201d Ferrier said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ferrier often speaks on issues pertaining to DSWs because they have no official association within Ontario.<\/span><\/p>\n

She pointed out that unlike personal support workers, DSWs are managing complicated medical prescriptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell how can a non-standardized, non-regulated, non-recognized profession be administering medications? We can all have training on medications, but if you\u2019re not accountable or responsible or licensed to do it, then don\u2019t do it,\u201d Ferrier said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lack of schooling might be contributing to the issues within the workforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2008, under the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGunity ,the former Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) created the Developmental Services Human Resource (DSHR) strategy<\/a>. Its initiatives were developed from recommendations by a panel of expert stakeholders in developmental services. Over a span of 10 years, various partners helped implement the report\u2019s strategies which were meant to advance professionalism in the field and improve the quality of services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pre- and post-strategy implementation survey data was collected from 3,000 agency workers, along with that of HR managers and executives from 84 agencies. This makes it the largest and most current profile of the workforce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Findings showed that those who earned a DSW diploma reported better work experiences and felt more prepared for the nature of the work. Additionally, they had higher job satisfaction and better relationships with their supervisors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, more than a decade ago, college DSW programs within Ontario had such low enrolment numbers that they almost closed. Over the years, the number of applicants has improved, but maintaining apprenticeship programs remains challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unpreparedness for the workforce or knowledge about what it entails can not only impact the quality of service, but individual perceptions of the job \u2013 possibly making it one of the initial contributors to burnout.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row vsc_id=”BurnOut”][vc_column]

Burning out<\/i><\/h1>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When Andrew burnt out, the love he had for developmental services since he was a child instantly evaporated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up, Andrew became interested in the field through his father. At 18 years old, he started doing respite work, which meant that for a few hours each week he would look after clients to give family caregivers a break.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first got into it, when I thought \u2018okay this is what I want to do,\u2019 I had actually worked with an individual who, for about 10 years, had not said a word to his whole family. He was completely non-verbal and when I started working with him, it took me about six months and by the end of us working together, he was talking with his family, completing full sentences, laughing and showing emotion,\u201d said Andrew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat made me feel so good, that was where the love really started.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew gained more experience by spending a few summers working at a day program for a Community Living Association in Barrie. At age 24, while enrolled in business studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, Andrew accepted a full-time support worker position at an organization known as Reena \u2014 a non-profit that has been around for nearly 50 years. Its website tells visitors that Reena \u201cpromotes dignity, individuality, independence, personal growth and community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities within a framework of Jewish cultures and values.\u201d Reena runs more than 30 group homes and 60 \u201csupported independent living apartments\u201d across the Greater Toronto Area.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a young male worker with already quite a bit of experience \u2014 uncommon in the sector \u2014 Andrew was placed in one of Reena\u2019s most behaviourally difficult homes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough,\u201d recalled Andrew. \u201cYou\u2019d like to go to work and be able to kind of leave it there, to a certain extent, but a lot of the things that I was exposed to would really follow me back home.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a year Andrew began feeling burnt out and after a few more months of trying to stick it out, he quit.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

http:\/\/grad.journalism.torontomu.ca\/a-burned-out-workforce\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/05\/Andrew-F.-Burnout-Experience-3.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row vsc_id=”WhatIsBurnOut”][vc_column][vc_empty_space]

What is Burnout?<\/i><\/h1>[vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Burnout is a psychological phenomenon that arises from physical and emotional exhaustion due to continuous long-term stress in the workplace. As a result, work productivity and job satisfaction decrease, and well-being might suffer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In May 2019, the World Health Organization added more detail to their definition of burnout, labelling it as a non-medical syndrome that influences one\u2019s health status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Burnout is measured and felt based on three distinct components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal achievement. Emotional exhaustion is when the demands of the work exceed a person\u2019s energy levels, causing them to feel drained. The extent to which a support worker no longer cares about the people they support and blame them for their problems is known as depersonalization. Support workers may eventually get to the point where they feel like their work is not meaningful or having a beneficial impact, which is identified as a lack of personal achievement.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space]

\"It is a relationship issue, I don\u2019t see it as a clinical syndrome at all. It\u2019s more of an existential crisis between people and their work.\"<\/blockquote>Dr. Michael Leiter<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]A 2013 report<\/a> by Dr. Robert Hickey \u2014 a professor of labour relations at Queen\u2019s University in Kingston and researcher of the DSW workforce \u2014 profiled Ontario\u2019s developmental support workforce and their work experiences, including burnout. Almost 2,800 surveys were collected between 2010 and 2012, making it one of the largest global data sets on direct support workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since there is no threshold value to confirm if someone is burnt out, researchers measure burnout along a continuum of low to high. Of the survey respondents in Hickey\u2019s report, average burnout was medium to low across all three components. A majority of 57 per cent experienced low levels, 25 per cent fell mid-range, and 18 per cent had high levels. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the report mentions that these findings are similar to those in other health and human services fields, it\u2019s not clear how representative these values are of the entire workforce.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row vsc_id=”Causes”][vc_column]

Causes of Burnout<\/i><\/h1>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Among frontline workers and workforce researchers, it\u2019s well known that those who encounter aggression from the people they are supporting are more prone to burn out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research<\/a> by the director of the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Dr. Yona Lunsky, found that of 926 surveyed direct support workers, 25 per cent were the target of aggression almost every day. Only 8 per cent had not experienced any aggression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within this study, aggression was defined as any verbal threats or actions that caused self-harm, harm to the worker, to others or to property. About 20 per cent of workers surveyed had experienced aggression that led them to sustain a physical injury.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who frequently experienced severe aggression felt more emotionally exhausted and depersonalized, with up to 24 per cent of participants burnt out or at high risk of becoming so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, a 2012 Australian study of 108 workers found that challenging behaviour led to all three levels of burnout, with high workload being the best predictor of emotional exhaustion. Perceived low levels of supervisor support led to depersonalization, while job feedback positively influenced feelings of personal accomplishment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In line with these findings, Andrew and many other support workers agree it\u2019s not just aggression and challenging behaviours that make them feel burnt out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finite resources in the sector, staffing shortages, poor organizational culture and employee relations hold significant weight, and are all aspects of the industry that Hickey has extensively studied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hickey argues that these factors contribute more to feelings of burnout than the nature of the work itself. As such, he hasn\u2019t found much evidence of depersonalization which attributes burnout to the relationship between the person being supported and the worker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather, he\u2019s found that \u201cprosocial\u201d motivation is a more accurate measure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who are in this sector are really motivated by what we consider to be prosocial causes,\u201d Hickey said. \u201cThe idea that their work is having a positive impact on the life of another person really drives their commitment, it drives their motivation and brings them to work every day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut when you\u2019re more prosocially motivated, you\u2019re also more acutely attuned to the failings of the system.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hickey said that workers trained in \u201cperson-centered\u201d philosophies and practices strive to make a positive impact in the field. However, inadequate resources and rigid protocols make it challenging to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, feelings of prosocial motivation reduce the likelihood of depersonalization and make people want to remain in the field.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1563368749223{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”135″ add_caption=”yes” img_size=”large” css=”.vc_custom_1565662298640{margin-left: -15px !important;}”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]When it comes to defining the demographic most at risk for burnout, research is scattered and scarce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2009 study in the U.K. of 103 direct support workers found that personality traits\u00a0influence the amount of stress workers experience. This subsequently impacts their health and risk of burnout.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Though the study\u2019s small sample size makes it difficult to know the weight of the findings, results found that neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness are personality traits that influence burnout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Someone who is neurotic, meaning they have a negative mood and heightened anxiety, is more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and poor mental health, along with feelings of low personal accomplishment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who were more conscientious, or who placed more emphasis on doing their work properly, were likely to experience depersonalization. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Extroverted staff, who are outgoing and enjoy the company of others, were less emotionally exhausted and felt more accomplished.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Depending on where a person falls in terms of these three traits, they will experience challenging behaviour as more or less stressful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This study did not find that gender contributed to burnout, but others have found that it has an impact.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An important characteristic of the frontline workforce is that it is predominantly female, with a quarter of Ontario\u2019s workforce being immigrants. Male workers tend to be more satisfied with the work, but some studies have found that they also experience depersonalization at a higher rate than women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But with a large portion of the workforce experiencing similar issues, it\u2019s necessary to look beyond the characteristics of the workers.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row vsc_id=”Culture”][vc_column]

Organizations and Relationships<\/i><\/h1>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A lot of the initial hostility and frustration support workers feel may be driven by organizational factors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Poor organizational processes and culture, which can be driven by governmental pressures, and bad relationships with employers, supervisors or coworkers leave most employees feeling dissatisfied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Survey findings from the Ministry\u2019s human resources strategy report showed declining satisfaction with internal communication from 2010 to 2017. Subsequently, employees had poor perceptions of organizational support, commitment and employee relations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Organizations struggle to maintain fast and responsive lines of communication because, for many, frontline workers have surpassed the number of administrative staff members. Additionally, of the 84 agencies surveyed, 11 per cent didn\u2019t even have a human resources manager.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The number of employees per supervisor has also increased, with some supervisors overseeing as many as 40 workers. This makes it more difficult to develop strong relationships and provide individualized feedback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In tandem with faulty lines of communication, most agencies do not have a participative work culture to encourage employee input in decision-making processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within health care, frontline workers say they should be able to contribute to organizational policies considering they directly provide the services and know the needs of the clientele best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But about 40 per cent of employees from the HR strategy report felt their organization didn\u2019t care about, nor would they implement, employee suggestions on how to improve services.<\/span><\/p>\n

Revisiting Hickey\u2019s notion of prosocial motivation, it\u2019s understandable that DSWs would want to have a say in organizational operations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Approaching one\u2019s supervisor often proves to be even less helpful, with many workers feeling they are unable to confide in managerial staff about workplace or personal challenges. Those who do so typically find their concerns go unacknowledged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Employee relationships may also be strained because of the majority of frontline workers being female, and the majority of supervisors and managers being male. When employees aren\u2019t getting along with upper management, they tend to lean on coworkers which can sometimes generate further group-based hostility toward their superiors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Support workers at CLASS said it was important for them to have a strong team that they could lean on if they were having an off day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don’t have a good team, it’s almost impossible to not get burnt out,\u201d Tori said. \u201cBecause if you\u2019re not working with people that have your back or support you, then you feel alone all the time. And you can\u2019t work alone all the time in this field.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, paradoxically, low retention rates and high turnover make it increasingly difficult to maintain strong team dynamics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hickey said that while some organizations need a culture shift, there are others that are trying to be progressive, yet find themselves restricted and pressured by governmental austerity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately this is all driven by government funding,\u201d Hickey said, adding that even Ontario\u2019s more than 29,000 long wait list for residential and community services is a product of finite financial resources, not labour supply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOrganizations may have the right philosophies, the right cultures, the right intent, but they don\u2019t have the resources. The system doesn\u2019t have the resources to deliver on what that hope is,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lack of funding, along with perpetual cuts, have pushed agencies to place greater weight on managerialism and budget priorities, versus focusing on the services they offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Representatives from the Ministry of Community, Children and Social Services acknowledged recruitment issues, but did not address burnout, turnover or any of the poor job characteristics in the field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, they said that since agencies are the employers, it\u2019s up to them to improve working conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, Vito Facciolo disagreed with the Ministry\u2019s comments, and echoed Hickey\u2019s arguments:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey could say it\u2019s up to the agencies, and of course it is, you create an environment, but you have to have the resources to be able to make a workplace attractive to people,\u201d Vito said. \u201cThere is a big role that the government can play in making our workforce more stable, and that is giving us the subsidy that would allow us to give workers fair wages and benefits.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than dedicating money to agencies, the Ontario government continues to shift towards a direct funding model, known as passport funding. This gives the money directly to family members or the person with a disability so they can choose the services they want. Due to this, there\u2019s been a growth in the informal labour market, where more families are personally employing DSWs for at-home care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though workers in these positions may enjoy better employer\/employee relations, there is virtually no regulation or training to support them in their work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In April 2019,\u00a0 the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Doug Ford announced cuts of up to one billion dollars to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services over the next three years. At this time, it\u2019s still unclear whether these cuts will affect the developmental services sector. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row vsc_id=”JobCharacteristics”][vc_column]

Job Characteristics<\/i><\/h1>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With potential cuts looming, agencies will find it even more challenging to recruit new workers and retain the ones they have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As it stands, workers gross less than $40,000 annually, a salary level that typically remains stagnant for several years. Despite a large portion of the workforce being unionized, benefit packages also suffer as they are not standardized across organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet the largest factor driving turnover is the prevalence of part-time and casual work. According to HR managers, 62 per cent of DSPs and 53 per cent of DSWs are casual or work part-time hours. On average, part-time employees work about 30 hours per week. After a decade of working in the sector, only half of DSPs get hired on a full-time basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to maintain a living, nearly 42 per cent hold more than one job \u2014 a rate that is five times higher than the average for multiple job holders in Ontario\u2019s health and social services sector.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Part-time work dominates the sector because of a tight labour market and the inability of agencies to financially support full-time employees.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]\n

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