Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Human Resources for Health
Published in: Human Resources for Health 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research

Relationships between work outcomes, work attitudes and work environments of health support workers in Ontario long-term care and home and community care settings

Authors: Whitney Berta, Audrey Laporte, Tyrone Perreira, Liane Ginsburg, Adrian Rohit Dass, Raisa Deber, Andrea Baumann, Lisa Cranley, Ivy Bourgeault, Janet Lum, Brenda Gamble, Kathryn Pilkington, Vinita Haroun, Paula Neves

Published in: Human Resources for Health | Issue 1/2018

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Our overarching study objective is to further our understanding of the work psychology of Health Support Workers (HSWs) in long-term care and home and community care settings in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, we seek novel insights about the relationships among aspects of these workers’ work environments, their work attitudes, and work outcomes in the interests of informing the development of human resource programs to enhance elder care.

Methods

We conducted a path analysis of data collected via a survey administered to a convenience sample of Ontario HSWs engaged in the delivery of elder care over July–August 2015.

Results

HSWs’ work outcomes, including intent to stay, organizational citizenship behaviors, and performance, are directly and significantly related to their work attitudes, including job satisfaction, work engagement, and affective organizational commitment. These in turn are related to how HSWs perceive their work environments including their quality of work life (QWL), their perceptions of supervisor support, and their perceptions of workplace safety.

Conclusions

HSWs’ work environments are within the power of managers to modify. Our analysis suggests that QWL, perceptions of supervisor support, and perceptions of workplace safety present particularly promising means by which to influence HSWs’ work attitudes and work outcomes. Furthermore, even modest changes to some aspects of the work environment stand to precipitate a cascade of positive effects on work outcomes through work attitudes.
Literature
1.
Faul AC, Schapmire TJ, D’Ambrosio J, Feaster D, Oak CS, Farley A. Promoting sustainability in frontline home care aides: understanding factors affecting job retention in the home care workforce. Home Health Care Manage Pract. 2010;22(6):408–16.
2.
Boris E, Klein J. Organizing home care: low-waged workers in the welfare state. Politics & Society. 2006;34(1):81–108.
3.
Castle N. Nursing home caregiver staffing levels and quality of care: a literature review. J Appl Gerontol. 2008;27(4):375–405.
4.
5.
6.
Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services. Public services for Ontarians: a path to sustainability and excellence. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2012.
7.
Williams AP, Lum JM, Deber R, et al. Aging at home: integrating community-based care for older persons. Healthc Pap. 2009;10(1):8–21.PubMed
8.
Vermeeren B, Steijn B, Tummers L, Lankhaar M, Poerstamper RJ, Van Beek S. HRM and its effect on employee, organizational and financial outcomes in health care organizations. Hum Resour Health. 2014;12(1):35.PubMedCentralPubMed
9.
World Health Organization. World report on ageing and health: World Health Organization; 2015.
10.
Chamberlain SA, Gruneir A, Hoben M, Squires JE, Cummings GG, Estabrooks CA. Influence of organizational context on nursing home staff burnout: a cross-sectional survey of care aides in western Canada. Int J Nurs Stud. 2017;71:60–9.PubMed
11.
Berta W, Laporte A, Deber R, Baumann A, Gamble B. The evolving role of health care aides in the long-term care and home and community care sectors in Canada. Hum Resour Health. 2013;11(1):25.PubMedCentralPubMed
12.
13.
14.
Landry FJ. Early influences on the development of industrial and organizational psychology. J Appl Psychol. 1997;82(4):467–77.
15.
Mathews M, Seguin M, Chowdhury N, Card RT. A qualitative study of factors influencing different generations of Newfoundland and Saskatchewan trained physicians to leave a work location. Hum Resour Health. 2012;10(1):18.PubMedCentralPubMed
16.
Jaskiewicz W, Tulenko K. Increasing community health worker productivity and effectiveness: a review of the influence of the work environment. Hum Resour Health. 2012;10(1):38.PubMedCentralPubMed
17.
Graf E, Cignacco E, Zimmermann K, Zúñiga F. Affective organizational commitment in Swiss nursing homes: a cross-sectional study. The Gerontologist. 2016;56(6):1124–37.PubMed
18.
Choi SL, Goh CF, Adam MB, Tan OK. Transformational leadership, empowerment, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of employee empowerment. Hum Resour Health. 2016;14(1):73.PubMedCentralPubMed
19.
World Health Organization. Global strategy on human resources for health: workforce 2030. In global strategy on human resources for health: workforce 2030. 2016.
20.
21.
22.
Squires JE, Hoben M, Linklater S, Carleton HL, Graham N, Estabrooks CA. Job satisfaction among care aides in residential long-term care: a systematic review of contributing factors, both individual and organizational. Nurs Res Pract. 2015;157924 https://​doi.​org/​10.​1155/​2015/​157924
23.
Beecroft PC, Dorey F, Wenten M. Turnover intention in new graduate nurses: a multivariate analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2008;62(1):41–52.PubMedCentralPubMed
24.
Ajzen I, Fishbein M. Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall; 1980.
25.
Sirgy MJ, Efraty D, Siegel P, Lee D-J. A new measure of QWL based on need satisfaction and spillover theories. Soc Indic Res. 2001;55(3):241–302.
26.
Meyer JP, Stanley DJ, Herscovitch L, Topolnytsky L. Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: a meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. J Vocat Behav. 2002;61(1):20–52.
27.
Schaufeli WB, Bakker AB, Salanova M. The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: a cross-national study. Educ Psychol Meas. 2006;66(4):701–16.
28.
29.
Eisenberger R, Huntington R, Hutchison S, Sowa D. Perceived organizational support. J Appl Psychol. 1986;71(3):500–7.
30.
Eisenberger R, Stinglhamber F, Vandenberghe C, Sucharski IL, Rhoades L. Perceived supervisor support: contributions to perceived organizational support and employee retention. J Appl Psychol. 2002;87(3):565–73.PubMed
31.
Gyekye SA, Salminen S. Workplace safety perceptions and perceived organizational support: do supportive perceptions influence safety perceptions? Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2007;13(2):189–200.PubMed
32.
Efraty D, Sirgy MJ. The effects of quality of working life (QWL) on employee behavioral responses. Soc Indic Res. 1990;22(1):31–47.
33.
Lu H, Barriball KL, Zhang X, While AE. Job satisfaction among hospital nurses revisited: a systematic review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2012;49(8):1017–38.PubMed
34.
Wong CA, Laschinger HK. Authentic leadership, performance, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of empowerment. J Adv Nurs. 2013;69(4):947–59.PubMed
35.
Salanova M, Agut S, Peiró JM. Linking organizational resources and work engagement to employee performance and customer loyalty: the mediation of service climate. J Appl Psychol. 2005;90(6):1217–27.PubMed
36.
Schleicher DJ, Watt JD, Greguras GJ. Reexamining the job satisfaction-performance relationship: the complexity of attitudes. J Appl Psychol. 2004;89(1):165–77.PubMed
37.
Maynard MT, Gilson LL, Mathieu JE. Empowerment—fad or fab? A multilevel review of the past two decades of research. J Manage. 2012;38(4):1231–81.
38.
Cicolini G, Comparcini D, Simonetti V. Workplace empowerment and nurses’ job satisfaction: a systematic literature review. J Nurs Manag. 2014;22(7):855–71.PubMed
39.
Liden RC, Wayne SJ, Sparrowe RT. An examination of the mediating role of psychological empowerment on the relations between the job, interpersonal relationships, and work outcomes. J Appl Psychol. 2000;85(3):407–16.PubMed
40.
Spreitzer GM, Kizilos MA, Nason SW. A dimensional analysis of the relationship between psychological empowerment and effectiveness satisfaction, and strain. J Manage. 1997;23(5):679–704.
41.
Podsakoff PM, MacKenzie SB, Paine JB, Bachrach DG. Organizational citizenship behaviors: a critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature and suggestions for future research. J Manage. 2000;26(3):513–63.
42.
Choi JN. Change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior: effects of work environment characteristics and intervening psychological processes. J Organ Behav. 2007;28(4):467–84.
43.
Van Dyne L, LePine JA. Helping and voice extra-role behaviors: evidence of construct and predictive validity. Acad Manag J. 1998;41(1):108–19.
44.
Sherman MF, Gershon RR, Samar SM, Pearson JM, Canton AN, Damsky MR. Safety factors predictive of job satisfaction and job retention among home healthcare aides. J Occup Environ Med. 2008;50(12):1430–41.PubMed
45.
Cowden T, Cummings G, Profetto-McGrath J. Leadership practices and staff nurses’ intent to stay: a systematic review. J Nurs Manag. 2011;19(4):461–77.PubMed
46.
Ginsburg L, Berta W, Baumbusch J, Dass AR, Laporte A, Colin Reid R, Squires J, Taylor D. Measuring work engagement, psychological empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior among health care aides. The Gerontologist. 2016;56(2):e1–e11.PubMed
47.
Zimmerman S, Williams CS, Reed PS, Boustani M, Preisser JS, Heck E, Sloane PD. Attitudes, stress, and satisfaction of staff who care for residents with dementia. The Gerontologist. 2005;45(suppl 1):96–105.PubMed
48.
Dillman D. Mail and internet surveys: the tailored design method. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons; 2000.
49.
Blair J, Czaja RF, Blair EA. Designing surveys: a guide to decisions and procedures. 3rd ed. London: SAGE Publications; 2014.
50.
Groves RM, Presser S, Dipko S. The role of topic interest in survey participation decisions. Public Opin Q. 2004;68(1):2–31.
51.
Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986;51(6):1173–82.PubMed
52.
Hu LT, Bentler PM. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Modeling. 1999;6(1):1–55.
53.
Weston R, Gore PA Jr, Chan F, Catalano D. An introduction to using structural equation models in rehabilitation psychology. Rehabilitation Psychology. 2008;53(3):340.
54.
55.
Stage FK, Carter HC, Nora A. Path analysis: an introduction and analysis of a decade of research. J Educ Res. 2004;98(1):5–13.
56.
Eisenberger R, Shoss MK, Karagonlar G, Gonzalez-Morales MG, Wickham R, Buffardi LC. The supervisor POS – LMX – subordinate POS chain: moderation by reciprocation wariness and supervisor’s organizational embodiment. J Organ Behav. 2014;35(5):635–56.
57.
Estabrooks CA, Hutchinson AM, Squires JE, et al. Translating research in elder care: an introduction to a study protocol series. Implement Sci. 2009;4(1):51.PubMedCentralPubMed
58.
Meade AW, Watson AM, Kroustalis CM. Assessing common methods bias in organizational research. In: Paper presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New York; 2007.
59.
Hébert R. Research on aging: providing evidence for rescuing the Canadian health care system:(Brief submitted to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada May 28, 2002). Canadian J Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement. 2002;21(03):343–7.
60.
Spetz J, Trupin L, Bates T, Coffman JM. Future demand for long-term care workers will be influenced by demographic and utilization changes. Health Aff (Millwood). 2015;34(6):936–45.
61.
Lundrigan E, Hutchings D, Mathews M, Lynch A, Goosney J. A risk assessment screening tool for community health care workers. Home Health Care Management & Practice. 2010;22(6):403–7.
62.
Mowday RT, Steers RM, Porter LW. The measurement of organizational commitment. J Vocat Behav. 1979;14(2):224–47.
63.
Cammann C, Fichman M, Jenkins D, Klesh JR. Assessing the attitudes and perceptions of organizational members. Assessing organizational change: a guide to methods, measures, and practices. 1983;71:138.
Metadata
Title
Relationships between work outcomes, work attitudes and work environments of health support workers in Ontario long-term care and home and community care settings
Authors
Whitney Berta
Audrey Laporte
Tyrone Perreira
Liane Ginsburg
Adrian Rohit Dass
Raisa Deber
Andrea Baumann
Lisa Cranley
Ivy Bourgeault
Janet Lum
Brenda Gamble
Kathryn Pilkington
Vinita Haroun
Paula Neves
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Human Resources for Health / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1478-4491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-018-0277-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2018

Human Resources for Health 1/2018 Go to the issue

Research

Institutional effects on nurses’ working conditions: a multi-group comparison of public and private non-profit and for-profit healthcare employers in Switzerland

Research

Task shifting between physicians and nurses in acute care hospitals: cross-sectional study in nine countries

Research

International approaches to rural generalist medicine: a scoping review

Research

Understanding HRH recruitment in post-conflict settings: an analysis of central-level policies and processes in Timor-Leste (1999–2018)

Research

Assessment of health professional education across five Asian countries—a protocol

Research

The trend and features of physician workforce supply in China: after national medical licensing system reform