OBAIR-Decent and Sustainable Work Translates - Building a Sustainable Future: New Priorities for Social Care Management

Imagine a workforce larger than the entire population of many small nations, tasked with the intimate, vital duty of supporting our most vulnerable citizens. This is the reality of the social care sector, a domain that touches almost every family but remains one of the most overlooked areas in management research. Despite the global applause for frontline heroes during recent crises, the reality for many care workers remains a cycle of low pay and high pressure. As our population ages and care needs become more complex, the question is no longer just how we provide care, but how we support the people who provide it.

What Does the Research Reveal About This Invisible Giant?

The paper Sustainable Work and Employment in Social Care: New Challenges, New Priorities explores why Human Resource Management (HRM) research has historically neglected social care and offers a new framework to remedy this. The authors of this study examined how the sector’s unique structure, often fragmented and lightly regulated, shapes the way staff are managed. By reviewing a special issue of articles spanning various countries and provider types, the research moves beyond traditional corporate models to look at real world employment in social care. The context is global, yet deeply local, reflecting a sector that employs 3.1 million people in the EU and nearly 5% of the total workforce in England.

What Are the Key Insights for a Better Workplace?

• The Cost-Cutting Trap: Systemic features, such as service fragmentation and limited state funding, often push care organisations toward hard management styles. This typically results in low-cost approaches, like zero-hour contracts or minimal training, which can negatively impact both the staff and the quality of care they provide.
• The Power of Leadership: While systems are tight, individual managers still have discretion to do things differently. Supportive leadership and clear roles are proven to buffer workers against stress and burnout, even in challenging environments.
• Intrinsic Value vs. Economic Reality: Most care workers gain immense personal satisfaction from making a difference in people's lives. However, relying solely on this caring heart is unsustainable; research shows that without fair pay and career paths, even the most dedicated workers face emotional exhaustion.
• A Common Good Approach: The study advocates for a shift towards Sustainable HRM practices that prioritise long-term worker well-being, such as skills passports that allow staff to move easily between health and social care roles.

How Do These Findings Impact the Real World?

These findings are a wake-up call for policymakers and industry leaders, particularly in Ireland and across the EU, where social care is the fastest-rising item of public expenditure. The research highlights that better workforce management directly leads to better care outcomes; for example, care homes with higher staff-to-bed ratios and specialised dementia training consistently receive higher quality ratings from inspectors.

Consider the Integrated Care Systems emerging in several countries. In these models, health and social care providers pool their resources to create better career pathways. By treating care workers as skilled professionals rather than low-cost labour, these networks can reduce the high turnover rates that currently plague the industry. This isn't just about HR theory; it’s about ensuring that when any of us needs support, there is a stable, skilled, and motivated person there to provide it.

What Is the Path Forward for Social Care?

The lesson for the world is clear: we cannot have sustainable social care without a sustainable workforce. Moving forward, we must look at care through a common good lens, where the well-being of the worker is seen as inseparable from the well-being of the community. As the researchers suggest, it is time to stop silencing the voices of those who do this essential work and start building an infrastructure that truly values them.

Reference:

Kessler, I., McDermott, A. M., Vermeerbergen, L., Pulignano, V. and Harney, B. (2025) ‘Sustainable work and employment in Social Care: New Challenges, new priorities’, Human Resource Management [Preprint]. doi:10.1002/hrm.70044.