Abstract
The Hong Kong government had reduced funding for the services provided for non-governmental organizations (NGO) since 2000. Social workers must cope with heavier workload and are experiencing great stress in the workplace. They certainly need to empower themselves before empowering their clients. This study examined organizational empowerment and psychological well-being of social workers in non-governmental organizations. A questionnaire consisted of items on sociodemographic characteristics, empowerments, and psychological well-being was designed for data collection. A total of 341 completed questionnaires were gathered (response rate = 68.2%). Additionally, 56 completed questionnaires were collected through personal network. Mean age of the total sample was 34.5 years old. More than half (66.3%) of them were females and 81.1% attained a Bachelor’s degree or above. Among the four components of organizational empowerment, opportunity for learning and development was perceived as most accessible, followed by access to information and supports. Resources for work were considered least accessible. While opportunity for learning and development exerted no significant effect on psychological well-being, access to information, resources, and supports were significantly associated with psychological well-being, which was mediated via psychological empowerment. Non-governmental organization should provide greater supports and resources for social workers in the workplace. To promote psychological well-being, organizations need to ensure that their staff members subjectively feel being empowered.
Author Information
Hoi Nga Ng, Saint Francis University, Hong Kong
Kam Weng Boey, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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