Sunday 24 November 2013

Boundaries and the Social Worker

Hello Readers,

I want to give a special mention to those Social Workers who are in the military as in Canada November 11 was Remembrance Day.  These Social Workers face unique challenges that many of us will never experience.  Often they are in the trenches (at least metaphorically) with the people they are trying to help.  They too are missing their family members and friends on top of facing professional isolation.  There is likely little separation between their work and personal lives when they are on duty and their own safety can be put at risk in work zones.  Anyway, I wanted to let those Social Workers know we are thinking of them.

In regards to the topic of my post, this is something I have been working very hard on lately.  Creating boundaries.  Most of the time I feel this heavy weight of responsibility on my shoulders - at work and at home.  I worry about my career and if it is on track.  I hope I am making the best decisions possible for my future and for my life today.  And I am learning to say no when work cuts into my personal time, especially when it doesn't need to.  Also, I feel like I am doing a better job at educating my supervisor about how long my job really takes to do because the time frames she gives me are often not realistic.  For my personal life, I am now creating boundaries with my volunteering.  The person I am supposed to be helping has been stringing me along and as much as my mother wants me to keep trying I am getting frustrated.  I do not like chasing people when it's not related to work!  Like many Social Workers I have been so good at giving thoughtful advice to others, and now I am beginning to realize I deserve the same amount of consideration for myself.  I am learning what I can handle and what my boundaries are and I am now starting to put up a fight when both are being threatened.

As Always,

Patti

Saturday 9 November 2013

Should You Take a Temporary Social Work Job?

Hi Readers,

Some of you might be currently working in a temporary social work job while others may be considering it.  I know of several social workers who have taken a temporary position - often to cover a maternity leave.  I myself have never had a temporary social work job but here are my thoughts on it based on the observations made from the experiences of my temp social work colleagues.

You may be new to the city, fresh out of school, burnt out in your current position, or recently laid off.  You need a job as soon as possible and the only job you could find or were offered is a temporary one.  Hmm, now the question becomes should you accept it or wait for a permanent position to come up?  Here are the pros and cons to accepting a temporary social work position which might help you to make your decision:

PROS

- You are not committed to remain at the job for a long period of time so if you don't like it you can leave when the term is over
- You get to try out different types of social work areas before settling on one
- If you end up in a toxic work environment you can feel better knowing you will not be there forever
- You get the opportunity to network with different colleagues, supervisors and managers and you can use those connections in the future
- If you don't like living in one place for too long it is easier to move around with a temporary position
- You get to test out the job and if you like it and prove to be good at it, your employer is more likely to consider you should a similar full time position come up 

CONS

- You don't have the security of a permanent income
- It could be hard saying goodbye to your clients and co-workers if you have good relationships with both
- It is harder to make long term plans if you don't know where you are going to be work-wise in the future
- You are concerned a lot of social work positions on your resume over a short period of time won't be attractive to future employers
- You loose out on the opportunity to move up in the organization which can only occur with time and experience

For myself, there were times I wish I had accepted temporary positions instead of permanent ones especially for some of the more stressful social work jobs I have had.  It would have made it easier to move on since the decision of leaving would have been out of my hands.  I wish employers would offer short listed candidates the opportunity to job shadow to see what the job is really about.  I think a lot of us would have second thoughts after a close examination of the work environment and duties.  However, some employers are betting on our naivete to fill high turnover high burnout positions.  But whatever route you go, just be sure to listen to your heart and weigh the pros and cons carefully.

As Always,

Patti





Monday 4 November 2013

Career Planning and the Social Worker

Hi Readers,

I have been racking my brain over the few weeks about what my work options are.  I admit, in the last week work has calmed down more however the stress is still there.  I am trying my best to decrease my responsibilities on the weekends so at least I can have a couple of days to relax.  It is nice not to have a schedule, to sleep in and distract myself with some good t.v.  During the rest of my spare time I research different careers in the hope that there is something out there that can better meet my needs.  But it's not easy, especially with my social worker's critical eye.  I read between the lines and see heaping amounts of responsibility, or crazy work hours or a lot of travel.  Sigh.  Then I start all over again.

I look at my agency which has several offices in different cities and I wonder if there is a position in another office that might be a better fit.  I have even agreed to learn some new work tasks which could parlay into having the experience to do another job at my agency.  It's a job with very limited travel and regular hours.  However, I think it would be very challenging to finally get this job as it does not become available very often (like a couple times a decade!).

And then I had an idea yesterday which hit me like a bolt of lightening.  I don't know why I didn't seriously consider this before.  What about doing social work PART TIME?  In about five years I will be able to afford to do this and I know there are positions at my agency that are part-time.  It would allow me to have more time to pursue hobbies, volunteering and finally attain the elusive creature otherwise known as work life balance.  Less pressure, less stress, less anxiety.  It seems so appealing, especially if I can still have benefits as a part time worker.  I do feel some guilt since I don't have a family as I imagine the reasons why many women who work part time due so because of family obligations.  But I also know that keeping up with this hectic pace is insanity and I want to be able to enjoy my life more.  I don't want to wait until I retire before I get to do all the things I wanted to do in my life.

However, career planning for social workers can be tricky.  We always need to think a few steps ahead from where we are today to where we want to be tomorrow.  And things can change so quickly like our health or our family situation.  Our agencies also change and so do our job descriptions.  The things we wanted for ourselves may no longer suffice.  We may have reached our ultimate career goal and then find out we want something different.  My only recommendation is try and see your career in small blocks.  Imagine yourself where you want to be in the next year or five years.  Then when you reach that new phase imagine new goals for yourself.  And try to remember it is not one straight line up to the top.  You do not need to become a supervisor or manager if that does not fit with your values, personality or talents.  You can move up and then move back down.  Or you can move across to do something different.  There are many career options out there for us social workers and don't feel limited by other people's opinions of what your career path should look like.  Listen to your body, mind and heart.  I know I haven't taken a traditional career path, although whatever moves I make next I want them to be better-informed then the ones I made before.

As Always,

Patti