Job Satisfaction Among Healthcare Professionals in Community-Based Care for Older People: Evidence from Greece

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health Psychology
• Social Gerontology

Background:

• Public sector health and social care employees in Greece provide essential services to older adults in community and home-based settings.
• Assessing job satisfaction is crucial for understanding workforce retention and service quality in this vital sector.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the level of job satisfaction among health and social care employees serving older people in Greece.
• To identify factors associated with job satisfaction in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A self-administered Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was used.
• Data were collected from 228 health and social care personnel across the Region of Crete, Greece.

Main Results:

• Overall job satisfaction was moderate (mean = 134, SD = 24).
• Employees reported higher satisfaction with supervision, nature of work, and coworkers, but lower satisfaction with promotion.
• Women reported higher satisfaction with pay and fringe benefits than men. Permanent staff showed higher promotion satisfaction than temporary staff.

Conclusions:

• Job satisfaction in community-based elder care in Greece is moderate, highlighting areas for improvement.
• Short-term strategies should focus on fair pay, better fringe benefits, and supportive leadership.
• Long-term strategies should address transparent promotion systems, professional development, and contract stability to retain skilled personnel.