Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction Among Nursing Home Workers

By Scott King

In addressing the shortage of direct-care workers in long-term care settings, authors of a new study found several factors contributing to job satisfaction among this population. They discovered that leadership competencies mattered more than worker attributes, job/role characteristics, and facility characteristics.

Using questionnaire data from more than 15,000 nursing home employees in Georgia, the authors analyzed the following four domains of variables, via ordinary least squares regression, as potential predictors of job satisfaction: worker attributes (age, gender); facility characteristics (geographic region, payer mix, ownership type, size, chain affiliation, unionization, average wage, staffing ratios); role-related attributes (nursing position, shift worked, job tenure, part-time status); and leadership competency (focused visionary, supporting change, communication, strategic management, caring leadership).

Together, all variables in the model explained over half (52%) the variance in employee satisfaction scores, and several of these variables were found to be significant determinants of job satisfaction. For example, workers who rotate shifts are less satisfied than those who do not; workers who have worked between three months and five years are the least satisfied; and workers from facilities with higher staff ratios are more satisfied than those from facilities with lower staff ratios. Furthermore, of the four domains, leadership competency had the greatest impact on job satisfaction. Within the leadership domain, the strongest predictor was caring leadership, followed by a focused visionary, strategic management, supporting change, and communication.

Based on their findings, the authors recommend that aging services organizations continue to focus on developing quality leadership and suggest that future research examine leadership competencies and job satisfaction longitudinally, so as to better establish a causal link.

To obtain this report, email Scott King at: sking@matherlifeways.com.

Source: Abraham, J., & Grant, L. (2008). Leadership competencies and employee satisfaction in nursing homes. Seniors Housing & Care Journal, 16, 11-23.

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