What benefits are important to you as a social worker?

Find out what social workers told us what benefits would make them feel valued in their role

Most social workers are drawn to the profession because of a desire to help others and make a real difference to the lives of their clients. But what other factors help make them feel valued in their role and motivated to keep doing the job they love?

In our Community Care Jobs survey, we asked social workers which benefits they most look for in a new role. With over 1,000 respondents, we now have a unique insight into the things that professionals like you prioritise and appreciate in their careers – download a summary of the results here.

The clear winner was flexible working – including compressed hours or job sharing – with 64% of social workers saying they wanted this option as part of their role.

One respondent, a part-time newly-qualified social worker, said: ‘The work life balance could be managed better with part-time and I like the security and perks of being a permanent member of staff.”

In a similar theme, being able to work from home or remotely was the second most popular benefit, with 52% of respondents wanting it. Third place was equally practical, with 46% of social workers saying the availability of free parking was important.

Other desirable benefits ranged from the inclusion of a ‘generous pension scheme’ to ‘having your own desk’.

See the full details along with answers to other questions from our latest survey by downloading the Community Care Jobs Survey Summary 2018.

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2 Responses to What benefits are important to you as a social worker?

  1. Mick December 7, 2018 at 11:08 am #

    Markedly absent are “enough pay” and “not to be stabbed”.

    How’s them for ‘confounding factors’? But a worse one is ‘selection bias’ – this survey is asking social workers, and they might be employed or just registered – but certainly none of the things on the list has inspired them to become a delivery driver or work in a coffee shop or retire instead of being a social worker, as otherwise they wouldn’t have answered the survey.

  2. Teddy December 9, 2018 at 10:17 am #

    Flexibility is key with the competing demands of the job and high workloads. Social work is not an office job but involves a lot of admin. I personally find it difficult to juggle everything without that flexibility.