How to Help New and Young Workers Thrive in Social Services

Do you struggle to retain new staff in your organization? Are burnout, stress, or mental health injuries impacting your team’s morale and well-being?

Research shows that young and new workers are more likely to be injured due to limited training, insufficient orientation, and being unaware of their rights and responsibilities.¹ In fact, in 2024, WorkSafeBC expanded presumptive coverage for psychological injuries to include social workers, shelter workers and other social services workers.²

While this expansion means claims are more likely to be accepted, it also highlights a challenge: without strong organizational support, workplaces may remain vulnerable.

The good news is that investing in Workplace Wellness not only strengthens staff well-being but also protects the long-term health of an organization. The Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety identify 13 psychosocial factors that can positively or negatively impact employee wellness.³

In this article, we’ll explore practical steps leaders can take to manage four of these psychosocial factors that impact young and new workers.

Jane and Jordan are young workers new to Social Services. They were recently both hired as Mental Health and Addictions Coordinators at a large non-profit organization. From day one, they hit the ground running. They are given multiple projects which most times lacked clarity and where some projects included overlap. Jane and Jordan did their best to manage by liaising with each other for support and asking for clarification. However, after months of uncertainty both Jane and Jordan experienced a drop in morale and increased anxiety.

Why is this important? Several studies have shown that low job satisfaction is linked to role ambiguity – where workers don’t fully understand what is required of them – and role conflict – where workers have conflicting demands or tasks that cannot be completed with the time or resources available.⁴

“Onboarding is a process through which new employees move from being organization outsiders to becoming organizational insiders” (Bauer and Erdogan). It is during this process that workers understand how they can be successful at their job. It is an important first step in building morale which can ultimately lead to employee retention. If this is not done effectively, it can lead to the departure of new staff and restart the cycle of ineffective recruitment and onboarding experience all over again. One-way leaders can support new workers is by giving them a Success Guide document to help support them in their roles. Please see below for what this can contain. 

What gaps do you see in our current onboarding approach, and what components could be added to this success guide to help new and young workers feel more engaged and confident in understanding their role? 

Since Jane and Jordan were very busy for the first few months of their positions, this did not leave space for them to feel like they were part of the team or connected with other workers. This left them feeling isolated in their roles, which contributed to their discouragement. 

Why is this important? Belonging communicates “you are safe here. You belong here. We share a future together” (Coyle). When workers feel a sense of belonging, they become more engaged and are more willing to share ideas and speak up.⁶ Without belonging cues, workers may feel like they’re on their own. 

Belonging is built over time and therefore should be signaled on the workers’ first day and beyond,⁶ Overtime, workers feel like they are included and valued, which increases psychological safety. Here are some ways to build belonging into your teams: 

Belonging cues work best if they are communicated throughout the employee life cycle, not just at the beginning. What are some ways you can communicate belonging and inclusion to employees beyond the first few months? 

Jane and Jordon experiencing signs of burnout during their employment is sadly a very familiar issue within the sector. In fact, according to a study by the Federation of Community Social Services, nearly half of frontline workers surveyed mentioned that workload was a top challenge.⁷ 

Why is this important? Excessive workloads are a sign of systemic issues and not due to individual shortcomings. Many organizations have trouble retaining qualified staff, many of which link this to burnout and unsustainable caseloads.⁷ By leaders proactively monitoring and adjusting workloads, this can have a direct impact on staff well-being and retention. 

Young and new staff usually want to do well in their roles and are likely to take on new projects without voicing their concerns. Since some staff will not feel comfortable expressing themselves when they are overwhelmed, it is the leader’s responsibility to create regular opportunities to check in on workload and adjust as needed. Here are some ways to do this. 

Some staff don’t feel comfortable with asking for help or expressing their concerns. What are some barriers at your workplace that make it hard for your staff to ask for help?