Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Sarah Matthey

Abstract

Human services caseworkers have shifted from traditional means of providing services to their clients since the onset of COVID-19. Providing services and/or resources to clients from the home environment leads to work responsibilities and family demands that may affect work-life balance. Researchers have studied working remotely, but they have not explored human services caseworkers and their experiences of providing remote services during a pandemic. The purpose of this qualitative generic study was to explore human services caseworkers’ experiences with work-life balance while providing remote services versus face-to-face services to clients during a pandemic. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 human services caseworkers in the United States. The adaptive structuration theory was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Saldana’s thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Seven themes were identified: (a) communication tools improved services to clients in telework, (b) autonomy affected remote work role transitioning, (c) technology competence thrived during the pandemic, (d) challenges and positives occurred while teleworking, (e) productivity excelled with telecommuting, (f) satisfaction and achievements enhanced during the pandemic, and (g) organizational commitment emerged from telework. The participants found satisfaction in balancing work and home roles, and they had some good experiences working remotely during the pandemic. Human services caseworkers may benefit from the results of this study through understanding experiences that may have a lasting influence on balancing work and home lives, which may encourage a positive social change.

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