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

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the level of job satisfaction and the associated factors among health and social care employees of the public sector providing services in open care community settings and home-based care for the older people in Greece.

Method: The self-administered questionnaire, Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), was distributed to personnel across all four prefectures in the Region of Crete (Greece). In total, 228 valid responses were received.

Results: Overall job satisfaction was moderate (mean = 134, SD = 24). Employees reported greater satisfaction with the supervision (mean = 19.3), nature of work (mean = 19.2), and coworkers (mean = 19.0). Lower satisfaction was observed in relation to promotion (mean = 9.7). Women scored significantly higher satisfaction than men in pay (mean = 10.9) and fringe benefits (mean = 12.3), while age was associated with differences in pay and promotion satisfaction. Variations were also found according to service unit and contract type, with permanent staff reporting higher satisfaction (mean = 11.3) in the Promotion scale than temporary staff (mean = 9.2) (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Findings emphasize the need to institute targeted short- and long-term measures to improve job satisfaction in community-based care for older people. Short-term actions should include the introduction of fair and competitive pay structures, improvements in fringe benefits, and the implementation of supportive leadership practices. Meanwhile, long-term strategies should focus on transparent promotion systems, structured professional development and continuing education opportunities, and the provision of stable contracts to retain skilled personnel.