رضایت شغلی و فشار روانی کارکنان بخش مددکاری اجتماعی و کارکنان بخش خدمات عمومی Work satisfaction and mental pressure of social workers and workers in social services

Introduction An analysis of work satisfaction should be done because it is a significant determinant of the work productivity of an individual in a company, and it also relates to the mental condition, health and the quality of life of an employee [1–4]. Social workers and workers in social services often face stress and emotionally demanding situations in their job; their work often does not contain benefits such as sufficient financial and social evaluation, which, according to the motivational models increase the satisfaction of employees. The aim of this paper is to analyze the work satisfaction of social workers and workers in social services from the South Bohemian region. The research purpose was to describe the particular components of work satisfaction and mental pressure of work in this research group, and then to test mutual relations between these concepts. There were set research questions focused on the relationship between work satisfaction and the selected variables (such as work position and the scope of employment). Theoretical data Work is a basic human need, value and even obligation. Therefore it is an important part of human life that reflects the quality of human life [4,5]. Work satisfaction can be defined as work attitude; a positive or negative emotional state that follows from work life and work evaluation [6,7]. The factors of work satisfaction can be classified as internal and external [8]. The internal factors include individual perception of work – they are connected with the internal motivation of workers and their personal characteristics [9,10]. External factors primarily reflect the current situation in the working environment that is influenced by many sources, such as the method of evaluation, management style, relations in the workplace, the way of assigning work tasks and demarcation of work roles and competencies [11,12]. Work satisfaction is a significant factor of working efficiency, and the Czech Republic has a relatively long tradition in the evaluation of work satisfaction [12,13]. The evaluation of work satisfaction is applied in specific workplaces and the research focuses on comparisons within particular professions or other European countries [14]. In the Czech Republic 63% of the examined workers were satisfied with their work. The basic factor correlating with work satisfaction is business engagement, which is, according to Allen and Meyer [15], a construct that is connected with a bond between an individual and a company, both at the level of the internalization of the goals of their work roles, emotional bond to their work, and acceptance of their work responsibility. Although the character of the work of our research group – helping clients in a difficult situation – may increase business engagement, the other determinants of work may influence its decrease [16]. The contradictory nature of social work as a helping and also repressive profession motivates the research of work satisfaction and the particular work factors. One of the most significant determinants of satisfaction that is not standardly assessed is the subjective perception of work pressure, which closely relates to the development of work stress [17].