“高开低走”:资深社会工作者的行业离职因素和路径

The Mismatch between High Expectations and Low Responses:The Determinants and Mechanisms of Senior Social Workers’ Occupational Turnover

针对当前资深社会工作者转行的突出问题,本研究基于期望理论建立离职模型,探讨内在动机如何影响资深社会工作者的离职意愿及其退出行业的路径。本研究采用混合方法。首先,我们展开一项定量研究,以专业能力为自变量,犬儒主义为中介变量,专业认同为调节变量来分析资深社会工作者行业离职意愿的影响因素。然后,我们继之以定性研究,通过访谈探索和阐明定量数据的结果,分析影响社会工作者行业离职意愿的关键因素和发生机理。研究发现,组成该研究样本的资深社会工作者呈现一定程度的“高开低走”状态,“高”是指资深社会工作者对专业发展和自身能力提升的高预期,“低”是指这种预期与现实状况之间的低匹配度。相对于专业认同度较低的资深社会工作者,专业认同度较高的资深社会工作者在能力提升时,行业离职意愿更强烈。这种强烈的离职意愿源于他们的期待与专业环境的多重不匹配。专业认同度高的资深社会工作者更注重专业影响力和成就感,并倾向于设定更有挑战性的价值目标,他们和专业认同度较低的社会工作者一样面临个人发展受限和较低的环境支持困扰,但更多经历了价值目标幻灭的过程。本文建议,社会工作应当营造专业环境以缓解犬儒情绪,注重价值养成以提高职业韧性,夯实专业支持以强化专业认同,从而更好地留住资深社会工作者,实现社会工作专业发展的“触底反弹”。

In response to the prominent problem of the high occupational turnover among experienced social workers in China,this study develops an exit model based on expectancy theory to explore how intrinsic motivation affects senior social workers’willingness to leave the profession and their occupational turnover paths.This study adopts a mixed methods approach.First,we conduct a quantitative study to analyze the effect of professional competence on senior social workers’willingness to leave the profession,using professional competence as the independent variable and cynicism as the mediating variable,and professional identity as the moderating variable of the model.Then,we followed up with a qualitative study to explore the key factors and mechanisms that affect social workers’willingness to leave the profession.The study found that senior social workers faced the mismatch between high expectations and low responses.Senior social workers with higher professional identity were more willing to leave the profession when their competence increased compared to senior social workers with lower professional identity.This strong willingness to leave the profession stems from the multiple mismatches between their expectations and the professional environment.Senior social workers with high professional identity focus more on professional impact and achievement and tend to set more challenging goals.Comparing to the social workers with lower professional identity,they experience more disillusionment with their worthwhile goals.This paper suggests that social work should create a professional environment to alleviate cynicism,focus on value cultivation to improve professional resilience,and strengthen professional support to reinforce professional identity.