New Article:
A recent study by the University of Kassel’s Institute for Social Work has revealed that a staggering 80 percent of employees in hospital social services in Germany are exhausted. The study, which surveyed 2,503 hospital locations in November 2023, found that social workers in these settings are significantly more psychologically burdened than professionals in other social work fields or occupations.
The findings show that hospital social workers face particularly high emotional and quantitative demands, with 42.6 percent of respondents reporting frequent or constant emotional exhaustion and 33.9 percent experiencing regular physical exhaustion. A concerning trend is the high number of employees who reported taking sick leave in the past year, with 70.1 percent stating they had done so.
Despite the high levels of stress, many social workers do not take advantage of workplace health initiatives. Although 73 percent of the surveyed institutions offer such programs, only 39.4 percent of employees have participated. The study was published in the academic journal ‘Soziale Passagen’.