John Graham. Photo courtesy of the University of Calgary.

Fifteen percent of social workers in the United States left the profession each year between 1992 and 2001, a far higher rate than that of teachers or nurses.

So  John Graham, a professor of social work at the University of Calgary, decided to look at what factors make social workers happy and willing to continue the valuable work they do, according to this article in the Edmonton Journal.

Graham and his team sent out a survey to 2,500 social workers in the province of Alberta and got 700 responses. He found that social workers who were the happiest  had flexible work schedules, a good work-life balance and strong behind-the-scenes support to do their jobs well.

The goal is to have employers take the findings and work with organizations to improve work conditions for social workers, some of whom struggle under heavy caseloads.