A Study on the Emotional Labor Experiences of Novice Social Workers

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the experiences of emotional labor among novice social workers. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight novice social workers, within their first three years of employment, working in cities and counties in Chungcheongnam-do, followed by qualitative analysis. The essence of the emotional labor of novice social workers was extracted into 14 sub-components and 6 core meanings. Participants work as professionals, but the environments they work in are different from what they expected. Social workers' duties sometimes escalate into various violent situations from problematic clients, and they also experience fear of intervening in someone's life. They feel stifled by the demands of the bureaucratic hierarchy. Despite choosing this path willingly, they contemplate whether to pursue a different career but seek to rediscover their calling as social workers. They strive to grow as professionals and hope for measures to prevent emotional labor so that social workers can continue working sustainably. Lastly, this study is significant in that it identifies the reality of emotional labor among novice social workers, providing policy and practical evidence. However, the study is limited in its generalizability as it only involves novice social workers in municipal facilities in the Chungcheongnam region.