The most stable employees pay the highest price

Eleo Evaldsen, social worker.

Why are you a social worker?

– Since I was a child, I have liked children and have picked up children from kindergarten. Even then, I decided that I wanted to work with children. I remember looking forward to turning 18 so that I could work in a daycare center. When I turned 18, I immediately went to sign up to work in a daycare center. I have exclusively worked with people.

How do you experience everyday life?

– The hardest thing is when there is a shortage of staff and you are very busy. You can get so caught up in your work that you sometimes don't have time for breaks. Breaks are postponed again and again. Normally you take breaks in the morning, at lunch and in the afternoon, but I have never had a break before the afternoon. I can understand those who are affected by stress. It doesn’t happen often, but it can happen to all of us.

– Not being able to go to the bathroom, not being able to eat, and thinking: “Oh, we have to remember to drink.” I often get headaches as a result of the busyness. Taking care of children with special needs and at the same time having to put one to bed, wake up others, activate them and feed them – it’s all part of everyday life.

Can you tell me about a day at work that shows how the lack of hands affects you and the children?

– It’s about preventing the children from crying. It takes a lot of energy. And with only two arms you can’t do everything. One is crying, while the other also has needs. In those situations, it’s mostly about creating security. When you sit down, another wakes up, and then you have to get up again. You wish you were three people at once, but the biggest challenge is that there are only three of us in the room. We have to cover many roles – like a doctor, a cook and a cleaning assistant. If the cook is sick, for example, we have to cook, clean and wash the dishes.

If you could change one thing about your job tomorrow, what would it be?

– I would introduce better opportunities for social workers to become educators. They should be able to be assessed and approved based on their skills. Even though I have more than ten years of experience, I cannot become an educator directly. It is also important that employees show up to work every day. There is sick leave all the time, and it is a big challenge to ensure staffing. It is often the most stable employees who are hit the hardest.