Some of the most critical industries for public health and growing families are facing such severe burdens with workloads, burnout and resource gaps, that without positive steps for change Australia will lose many of its best educators, care workers and health professionals.
Industries like teaching, nursing and childcare are the backbone of a well-functioning community but they’ve been crippled by the pandemic and an overarching failure to acknowledge and support these workers on the frontlines.
In these conditions, many of those qualified and sufficiently skilled to do this complex care work will have no choice but to leave.
To prevent this from happening, new research by Bain reveals that a mix of long-term and more immediate measures to better mitigate burnout, spark engagement and foster a supportive workplace culture are essential.
The situation is not sustainable
The impacts of COVID have been felt in care industries across the world. In the US, Bain’s survey reveals a quarter of clinicians including nurses, physicians and practice providers are considering switching careers with burnout being the main reason.
More than 60 per cent of respondents said they feel worn out at the end of the day, about the same are exhausted in the morning and 51 per cent are left without energy for loved ones outside work. Similar experiences are being reported in Australia.
A survey of over 2000 nurses commissioned by the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) has found that close to 60 per cent plan to quit in the next five years because of overwork, exhaustion and burnout. Fifteen in every 100 nurses and midwives also reported symptoms of clinical post-traumatic stress.
NSWNMA general secretary Shaye Candish says the findings are sobering.
“Rather than trying to normalise the trail of destruction COVID-19 has left, we need a system-wide, solutions driven focus and we’re calling on the government to work with us to tackle these issues,” she says.
“Ensuring adequate staffing and skill mix, improved reporting of workplace psychosocial hazards, and increased risk mitigation measures to address occupational violence are some of the prevention measures we need implemented.”
Bain’s research further highlights this with clinicians revealing that better compensation, support in delivering high-quality patient care, more manageable workloads, flexible work arrangements, and more clinically focused job responsibilities could make an overwhelming difference.
These solutions can be extended to help address similar burdens in industries like education and childcare. A La Trobe university study on the mental health of Australian teachers, found over 90 per cent feel stressed because of increased workloads.
Australian Education Union (AEU) federal president Correna Haythorpe says the pandemic intensified difficulties for teachers in a system that has long been under-resourced.
In addition to rising hours, swift changes between remote and face-to-face learning and combined classrooms when staff fall ill, Haythorpe says there have been growing concerns around mental health care, disability support and behaviour management at schools.
“We’ve had a decade now of underfunding for the public system so it means that we’re experiencing chronic teacher shortages and our schools don’t have the resources to cater for the increased complexity,” she says.
“You’re asking schools to do much more with less funding and that is not sustainable.”
Haythorpe, a former primary school teacher, says a majority of public schools are now below the minimum Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) set by the federal government. The SRS provides an estimate of the total public funding needed by a school to meet student needs.
“That’s the minimum funding that schools need to educate students,” she says.
“It’s not maximum, it’s not aspirational, it’s minimum.”
“97 per cent of our schools will not achieve it in the current funding cycle.”
Over the past eleven years, Australia’s average real wage has dropped to its lowest with a McKell Institute report showing occupations like nursing have lost nearly $3000 when compared to a decade ago. With inflation and rising living costs, jobs like childcare become grossly unaffordable.
Executive director of early education at United Workers Union Helen Gibbons says childcare worker rates can be as low as $24 per hour; a “stark reminder” of how undervalued their responsibilities are.
“I often say we don’t have a shortage of early educators, we have a shortage of early educators who want to work in early education,” she says.
“This means that centres are closing rooms, they’re turning away enrolments.”
“It’s having a wider impact on the broader community.”
Solutions for change
Aside from legislative change to improve pay conditions and entitlements for care industries, a number of steps can be taken within workplaces like hospitals to ensure staff feel better supported and able to function more sustainably.
To mitigate burnout, Bain suggests employers routinely assess staff wellbeing and address any issues by providing support and resources to ensure a benchmark of overall wellness is maintained before stress levels peak.
In line with this, implementing long-term solutions like technology that reduces administrative burdens and automates processes that can be labour or time-intensive will alleviate workloads. Reviewing how your workplace functions and creating space for new operational models or flexible working can also ensure staff are able to do their jobs in the most efficient and productive way.
Opening channels for feedback and systemically keeping employees engaged in the way their workplaces function can boost productivity, morale and job satisfaction. Bain’s research shows having a system in place for workers to quickly escalate issues and have them addressed leads to ongoing improvement of the employee experience and better outcomes for clients.
Care professionals need to feel valued and recognised for their important work. This applies both externally and internally. Every workplace needs a supportive culture that champions the efforts of its team while providing opportunities for mentorship and ongoing growth.
Employers who take these measures seriously may be able to curb some of the impacts expected from the burnout in these industries. As Bain reports, “those that take near- and long-term actions today will not only be better positioned to retain their current workforce but also to attract the next generation of top talent.”