Job Satisfaction amongst Social Work Faculty: The Role of Relationships

Faculty retention is paramount given the steep financial investment required for recruitment. To study factors associated with job satisfaction, participants (N=591) were recruited from the Council on Social Work Education’s membership. Results indicated that greater job satisfaction was most strongly associated with colleague and administration satisfaction and satisfaction with pay (not salary) explaining 57% of the variance. An analysis on salary indicated that the number of years in academia had the greatest effect size. Content analysis of an open-ended item revealed that dissatisfaction with administration and leadership was the most frequent reason for someone wanting to leave their position. Results suggested that relationship building is at the heart of job satisfaction, and investments in the climate may facilitate retention.