Wisniewski Janna M, Jacinto Corey, Yeager Valerie A, Castrucci Brian, Chapple-McGruder Theresa, Gould Elizabeth
Department of Global Health Management and Policy, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana (Dr Wisniewski); Department of Health Policy and Management, IU Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indianapolis, Indiana (Mr Jacinto and Dr Yeager); de Beaumont Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland (Mr Castrucci and Dr Chapple-McGruder); and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Washington, District of Columbia (Dr Gould).
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2019 Sep/Oct;25(5):440-447. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000857.
Public health agencies will likely struggle to staff at necessary levels, given ongoing workforce shortages, the potential for mass retirement, and expanding responsibility. Although the majority of public health workers are satisfied with their jobs overall, it is critical to understand the degree to which they are satisfied and identify factors that contribute to any dissatisfaction that occurs.
This study identified opportunities for public health agencies to improve work environments and, in turn, improve employee satisfaction and retention.
Using data from the 2014 Public Health Workforce Interest and Needs Survey, we analyze responses to the survey question, "If you wish, you may provide comments below about your level of job satisfaction." The 2966 responses (2389 from state and 542 from local public health agencies) that indicated a negative disposition were examined to understand employee dissatisfaction.
The survey was administered to a representative sample of state health departments and convenience samples of local health departments.
Responses from employees of state and local health departments are considered.
The most frequently occurring themes overall were identified. In addition, responses describing weaknesses in organizational support (specifically training, communication, workload, and innovation) were summarized.
The most frequently occurring themes were as follows: (1) salary, specifically in relation to the merit system, performance evaluation, and workload; (2) job security with emphasis on funding, organizational transformation, and politics/government; and (3) career development related to the merit system, performance evaluation, and management. Respondents also reported opportunities in the areas of training, communication, workload, and innovation to improve satisfaction levels.
These findings serve as a call to action for leaders in health departments as well as national public health leaders to remedy the concerns raised in their responses. Some of the solutions are within the realm of public health agency leadership, but some may fall within the realm of governors and public health leaders at the federal level. It is important to share these findings so that appropriate decision makers can address public health workforce retention and recruitment issues in the interest of retaining valuable employees.
鉴于持续存在的劳动力短缺、大规模退休的可能性以及职责的不断扩大，公共卫生机构可能难以维持必要的人员配备水平。尽管大多数公共卫生工作者总体上对自己的工作感到满意，但了解他们的满意程度以及找出导致任何不满的因素至关重要。
本研究确定了公共卫生机构改善工作环境的机会，进而提高员工满意度和留用率。
利用2014年公共卫生劳动力兴趣与需求调查的数据，我们分析了对调查问题“如果愿意，你可以在下面就你的工作满意度水平发表评论”的回答。对表明负面态度的2966份回答（2389份来自州公共卫生机构，542份来自地方公共卫生机构）进行了审查，以了解员工的不满情况。
该调查针对州卫生部门的代表性样本和地方卫生部门的便利样本进行。
考虑了州和地方卫生部门员工的回答。
确定了总体上最常出现的主题。此外，还总结了描述组织支持方面弱点（特别是培训、沟通、工作量和创新）的回答。
最常出现的主题如下：（1）薪资，特别是与绩效制度、绩效评估和工作量相关的薪资；（2）工作保障，重点是资金、组织转型和政治/政府方面；（3）与绩效制度、绩效评估和管理相关的职业发展。受访者还报告了在培训、沟通、工作量和创新等方面提高满意度的机会。
这些发现呼吁卫生部门领导以及国家公共卫生领导人采取行动，解决他们回答中提出的问题。一些解决方案属于公共卫生机构领导的范畴，但有些可能属于州长和联邦层面的公共卫生领导人的范畴。分享这些发现很重要，以便适当的决策者能够为了留住有价值的员工而解决公共卫生劳动力的留用和招聘问题。
