This study examined the variables of preparation for elderly life and job satisfaction having effects on the quality of life, by targeting social welfare workers in the organizations located in five Gu's in Gwangju Matropolitan City for research on so...
This study examined the variables of preparation for elderly life and job satisfaction having effects on the quality of life, by targeting social welfare workers in the organizations located in five Gu's in Gwangju Matropolitan City for research on social welfare workers' quality of life. The purpose of the study is to produce basic materials on the actual state of social welfare workers' quality of life and to suggest some alternatives for improvement of their welfare. To do so, 750 workers were selected as samples from 85 social welfare organizations located in five Gu's, Gwangju and survey was conducted by using a structured questionnaire. Total 667 responses were used for the final analysis.
For the data analysis, SPSS 19.0 program was used to compute frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, t-test and One-way ANOVA, and Scheff? as Post-hoc Analysis, Correlation Analysis, and Hierarchial Regression Analysis were used to verify the group difference.
The results of the study can be summarized as follows.
First, social welfare workers' quality of life showed 3.42 point with its sub-area, family relationship satisfaction as the highest, 3.82, regarding them as useful in the society and with a rewarding job. Except income level, sub-variables of the quality of life showed above the median value. Job satisfaction, 3.13 point indicates high interest in current job, in comparison with low points in the variables of promotion, wage, and workload. The average of preparation for the elderly life was 3.28, which means that social welfare workers have prepared their later life to some degree. Physical preparation, 3.54, emotional preparation, 3.53 and economic preparation, 2.87 imply that physical and emotional parts are prepared to some degree, but economic part is quite lack of preparation for their old age. Their retirement prospects showed 3.27 point, along with the highest in family relationship and then in the order of social relations, leasure life, healthy life, and economic standard of living. 48.3% of the social welfare workers answered that they should prepare their later life themselves as the subject, but government should also support the rest lack of. They considered their economic preparation as lack for their age, and only 5.5% responded as enough. Those who prepare for living expenses after retirement as planed were only 24.3%, which means economic preparation for the elderly life is quite low. Social welfare workers' perception of work environment shown as 3.48 point indicated the highest sub-variable as cooperative relations with colleagues, and the lowest sub-variable as the support and consideration of employee welfare
Second, according to the analysis of the difference in the quality of life by using the variables such as the reception of socio-demographics, facility characteristics, and work environment, there was a significant difference in education, marital status, housing ownership and average monthly income. In addition, there was a meaningful difference in the variables of position in the organization, service period for the facility, work experience in the field of social welfare, social welfare facilities, and intension of job transfer, showing high quality of life in the group that showed high perception of work environment. Job satisfaction showed a statistically significant difference by age, education, and average monthly income. The variables revealing difference included the position in the organization, employment type, average work hours, social welfare facilities, and intension of job transfer. There was a significant difference in physical preparation for elderly life according to the variables of sex, age, marital status, and housing ownership; in emotional preparation according to the variables of sex, marital status, housing ownership, and average monthly income; and in economic preparation according to the variables of sex, age, marital status, housing ownership, and average monthly income. In facility-related variables, those who work in children welfare organizations showed quite high points in physical and emotional preparation for elderly life, and economic preparation was high in those who work in living institutions. The higher-pointed group in the perception of work environment got higher physical, emotional, and economic preparation for elderly life than the lower-pointed group, including higher retirement prospects as well.
Third, this study researched the influencing variables such as socio-demographics, facility characteristics, and perception of work environment on elderly life preparation and retirement prospects, job satisfaction, and the quality of life. According to the result, physical preparation got significantly influenced by sex, age, and the perception of work environment; Emotional preparation by service period, intension of job transfer, and the perception of work environment; and Economic preparation by housing ownership, average monthly income, and the perception of work environment. Retirement prospects were significantly influenced by average monthly income, facility type, and the perception of work environment. The variables of age, housing ownership, average monthly income, position, facility type, intension of job transfer, and the perception of work environment had significant effects on job satisfaction.
Fourth, the research on related variables of the quality of life such as elderly life preparation, retirement prospects, and job satisfaction indicated that service period for the organization, physical and emotional preparation for later life, retirement prospects, and job satisfaction had quite significant effects on the quality of life.
Based on the above mentioned results, it can be concluded that various factors have influence on improvement of social welfare workers' quality of life. The preparation for elderly life, retirement prospects, job satisfaction, and work environment have major effects on the quality of life. Especially, job satisfaction has the biggest influence on the quality of life, which means required improvement in the variables of work environment, intension of job transfer, and income level. Physical and emotional preparation for elderly life have been made to some degree though not satisfactory, while economic preparation was quite lack of. But social welfare workers have quite positive prospects of their economic life after retirement. Thus, there needs education for systematic planning for their elderly life preparation to get out of the gap between retirement prospects and their old age preparation. In addition, government should take quite positive responsibility for social welfare workers for public interest in the respect of elderly life preparation. To improve the treatment and conditions for them, it is required to establish the old age security system for social welfare workers.