Turnover Contemplation in Long-Term Care: Examining Personal and Structural Variables in Canada

There are high rates of turnover documented among frontline care work staff in long-term residential care (LTC). Turnover has been associated with negative organizational outcomes. This study examined turnover contemplation among LTC workers in several Canadian provinces.

A questionnaire including closed- and open-ended questions was sent out to Canadian LTC workers. Workers received a hard copy of the survey through mail and were able to send the hard copy back or complete the survey online.

Canadian LTC workers (N = 347) were surveyed about their work using open- and closed-ended questions. This included demographic information and variables related to working conditions, interactions with supervisors and colleagues, and resident care.

Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression were performed using turnover contemplation as the outcome variable.

Among Canadian LTC workers, contemplating leaving their current position is significantly and positively associated with lower support from immediate supervisors, working in a non-government-owned facility, and having less autonomy to perform more social care tasks.

LTC facilities, and systems more broadly, could improve worker retention rates by improving supervisory support and allowing workers to spend more time meaningfully interacting with patients.