Workload, workplace violence and harassment, and well-being of personal support workers in home and community care

We examined the experiences of personal support workers (PSWs), the role of workload in workplace violence and harassment and the consequences of this experience for well-being. Workplace violence is physical force, and harassment is behaviour. Well-being refers to stress and to extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction. A 2015 survey of 1,347 PSWs employed in home and community care work in Ontario was analyzed using structural equation modeling. We found that heavy workload was associated with decreased extrinsic and intrinsic job satisfaction, and this relationship was mediated by violence and harassment at work and by stress. Our findings contribute to the theory and knowledge of policy makers, employers and unions by providing insight into how workload and violence and harassment at work can affect PSWs' well-being.