Agency working and the degradation of public service employment: The case of nurses and social workers
Agency working and the degradation of public service employment: The case of nurses and social workers
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DOI：
10.1080/09585190801895510
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发表时间：
2008-03-01
影响因子：
5.6
通讯作者：
Malan, Judi
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
de Ruyter, Alex;Kirkpatrick, Ian;Malan, Judi
在英国和其他地方，政府努力改革或“现代化”公共服务目前正在对工作质量产生显着影响，因为工作强度、压力和士气下降的水平不断上升。这种变化与缺勤、征聘和留用问题有关。还有人认为，工作质量的恶化与目前在核心公共服务专业人员中进行代理工作的趋势有很大关系。在这篇文章中，我们的目的是探讨这件事，重点是国家卫生服务（NHS）护士和地方当局的社会工作者的经验。我们的分析表明，更高的薪酬和更大的灵活性等好处对代理合同产生了强大的“吸引力”。然而，分析还指出，工作质量的恶化是影响决定不选择长期就业的一个关键因素。文章最后建议，从长远来看，公共部门的管理人员只有能够阻止护士和社会工作者选择通过机构工作的浪潮，如果他们也能够解决与工作质量下降相关的更广泛的问题。
In the UK and elsewhere government efforts to reform or 'modernize' public services are currently having marked consequences for job quality, due to rising levels of work intensification, stress and declining morale. Such change has been linked to absenteeism, recruitment and retention problems. It is also suggested that deteriorating job quality has much to do with the current trend towards agency working among core public service professionals. In this article our aim is to explore this matter focusing on the experiences of National Health Service (NHS) nurses and local authority social workers. Our analysis suggests that benefits such as higher pay and improved flexibility have generated a strong 'pull' into agency contracts. However, the analysis also points to the deterioration of job quality as a key factor influencing decisions to opt out of permanent employment. The article concludes by suggesting that, in the longer term, public sector managers will only be able to stem the tide of nurses and social workers opting to work through agencies if they are also able to address wider problems associated with declining job quality.