What are the factors affecting satisfaction and retention of care assistants in the continuously growing Irish home care industry?

O'Reilly, Meghann (2019) What are the factors affecting satisfaction and retention of care assistants in the continuously growing Irish home care industry? Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Background: Home care provision is a rapidly expanding market and the industry face challenges in relation to the homecare workforce. This study was designed to investigate the factors affecting satisfaction and retention of home care assistants. The study findings may help to make recommendations to management on ways to boost employee satisfaction and retention further, which will result in creating high quality care services.

Methodology: A qualitative research method was used for this study. Data were collected using ten semi-structured interviews from a large franchise home care organisation in Ireland. Flexible open-ended questions were used to gain insight into the attitudes of home care assistants, along with their experiences and opinions on employee satisfaction and retention in the Irish home care industry. The participants have worked in the home care sector from between three and ten years.

Findings: A thematic analysis of the data showed that the participants have factors in common, adversely affecting both employee satisfaction and retention in the Irish home care industry. The thematic data analysis identified a number of themes including undervalued in their role, under pressure in a busy environment, limited career progression, frustration, intrinsic motivation and appreciating support from the organisation. The themes encompassed both positive and negative factors towards employee satisfaction and retention.

Practical and social implications: Based on the study findings, Irish home care assistants are satisfied in their current job. In keeping with previous literature, this research found that pay is still a key factor of employee satisfaction and retention, not only in relation to their salary. Greatly, care assistants felt constrained by irregular working hours, no travel allowance to and from clients and limited career progression. As a result of these factors home care organisations struggle to maintain a competent and stable workforce.

Originality/value: These findings have the potential to enable human resources managers, home care organisations and policy makers to formulate strategies to satisfy and retain home care assistants who are considered vital to the strength of the Irish home care industry.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Non Profit Organisations. Voluntary Sector. > Carers H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Quality of Work Life / Job Satisfaction
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	16 Oct 2019 11:16
Last Modified:	16 Oct 2019 11:16
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/3919

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