Fried Social Worker® Blog

Working Conditions of Social Workers

The following indented statements are taken verbatim from the U.S. Government’s report on the job outlook for social workers (please refer to the source at the end of this post).

 

• Full-time social workers usually work a standard 40-hour week; however, some occasionally work evenings and weekends to meet with clients, attend community meetings, and handle emergencies.

 

Now, as the Fried Social Worker, I just have to comment on this! Yes, some social workers are fortunate enough to have a standard work week. But a great many others, perhaps even the majority (at least of those I know personally or with whom I’ve corresponded online) don’t have the luxury of a standard work week. They routinely work in excess of 40 hours and this is typically unpaid. In some instances, the worker may be able to take some flex time off at a later date, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. This portion of the government’s report seems to paint a somewhat distorted picture of social work working conditions.

 

• Social workers usually spend most of their time in an office or residential facility, but also may travel locally to visit clients, meet with service providers, or attend meetings.

 

As an ER social worker, I’ve got something to say about this one too! Usually spend most of their time in an office?! For sure, we are physically present in a building with office space. (And, if we’re really lucky, we even have our very own office instead of sharing with half a dozen other social workers!) This building in which we are physically present could be a hospital, a mental health crisis center … any type of building. But to say that social workers are usually in an office? Nope, I wholeheartedly disagree! We are out in the trenches running our butts off seeing clients. The office is that place where we hang our coat in the morning and retrieve it at the end of a very long, exhausting day. Apart from that, we’re in there to get supplies or dash off a bit of hasty documentation. At least that’s my experience, and it’s the experience of many others as well. These days, social workers in health care, mental health, adult/child protective services and many other areas of practice can only wish that we spent most of our time in an office!

 

• The work, while satisfying, can be emotionally draining.

 

Amen! They hit the nail on the head with that one.

 

• Understaffing and large caseloads add to the pressure in some agencies.

 

Some?! Me thinks it would be far more accurate to change the “some” to “many” or “most”. After all, this is a government report, so the government should be fully aware of the extent the current administration has cut funding in most of our agencies!

I suppose it’s just as well that the government isn’t really interested in my views on these matters. If they’d have surveyed me, I’d have likely sent them one of these t-shirts and been done with it!

 

 

 

 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Social Workers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos060.htm (visited April 19, 2006)