Social housing staff endure long hours and high stress levels, survey finds
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Version 0 of 1. The vast majority (92%) of social housing professionals regularly work over their contracted hours – by an average of six extra hours each week, a survey has revealed. The survey was carried as part of a broader investigation into staff wellbeing in public services by the Guardian Society Professionals Network. Surveys were completed by 3,700 housing, healthcare, social care, local government, central government, policing and voluntary sector staff and results revealed a widespread working culture of rising stress, increased workloads and long hours. Sixty-five percent of staff said they needed to stay late to keep up with their workload, and 37% said their family life suffered as a result. Only 39% thought the extra hours helped their career prospects at their organisation. Despite the culture of long hours, one in 10 workers relies on a second job to make ends meet. We work with some of the most vulnerable people and supporting them can sometimes be particularly stressful However, conditions for social housing professionals remain better than for many staff in other public services. More than 40% took breaks of more than 30 minutes each day compared to just 24% of colleagues in other services. Employees were also less likely to suffer from severe stress: 37% of housing professionals felt stressed all or most of the time compared to 53% from other public services. Social housing emerged as one of best sectors for employees with children or caring responsibilities, with 57% of respondents saying their department actively supports staff who have people to care for at home. The average across all public services for this figure was 37%. Housing associations, as independent bodies, have been somewhat protected from swingeing department cuts in comparison to other public services, but cuts to housing benefit through the benefit cap and bedroom tax have severely affected their tenants. Many respondents blamed these cuts for an increasing workload and stress levels. One social housing director said: “When you are so reliant on people who are paid welfare benefits, any changes or cuts impact on us. We work with some of the most vulnerable people and supporting them can sometimes be particularly stressful, especially with such huge cuts to public services that they often rely on.” Respondents cited the emotional toll of working with tenants struggling to cope with benefit cuts as a cause of stress. “Staff working on the frontline dealing with the public are having to cope with the hard realities of the austerity agenda and often feel helpless in how they can assist. This is not a nice situation,” said one social inclusion officer. Perceived attacks from government and the media also contributed to low morale. “Many groups of public sector workers are also spoken about in pejorative terms, particularly by the Tories and by the media, which is upsetting too,” one governance manager said. Society Professionals also want to hear from you. Tell us how you manage your work-life balance on social media with the hashtag #ClockOff and share your stories and photos via Guardian Witness. |