Work Motivation and Belief in One’s Capabilities to Continue Working Among Ageing Home Care Nurses: A Qualitative Study With a Mixed Methods Approach

Abstract

Background The need for home care services is increasing. Therefore, it is important to support an ageing home care workforce to remain in work for longer. Personal resources such as work motivation are important in maintaining home care services, and the belief in one’s capabilities contribute to work ability. Few studies have targeted the ageing workers’ personal resources to manage their final working years. This study explore ageing home care nurses’ (HCNs) experiences of what positively and negatively affects their work motivation, and their beliefs in their capabilities to work until the expected retirement age, and to what extent. Methods This qualitative study was part of a cross-sectional survey answered by ageing HCNs. In four open-ended questions, aspects regarding work motivation and beliefs in one’s own capabilities to continue working until the expected retirement age were asked. Data was analysed using manifest qualitative content analysis. Through a quantification of the qualitative data analysis, the quantifiable focus among the responses was explored. Results The open-ended questions yielded 2339 utterances from 235 HCNs. The categories that gathered the most utterances positively affecting work motivation were named “Work environment”, “Significance of work”, “Stimulating challenges”, and “External response”. Correspondingly, categories mainly negatively affected work motivation were, “Organizational work environment”, Time constraints”, “Job characteristics”, and “Work community”. Factors that mostly provided the belief in one’s own capability to continue working yielded the categories “Own health”, “Workplace resources”, “Meaning of the work”, and “Nature of the work”. “Health related decline”, “Multifaceted work”, “Organizational resources”, and “Work related strain” mainly negatively affected the belief in own capabilities. Ageing itself was not seen as a concern. Conclusions When the factors that concurrently affected work motivation and one’s belief to continue working were well-functioning, they positively affected both motivation and belief. When they were insufficient they negatively affected either or both motivation and/or belief. Through highlighting the positive aspects of home care nursing, both work motivation and the belief to continue working might be facilitated among ageing HCNs. Meaningfulness of work should be addressed, together with strengthening the work community, a supporting leadership and offering challenging but overcoming demands.