Professional activity of social sphere specialists in conditions of uncertainty

Sorokina Natalia Viktorovna ORCID: 0000-0002-9906-3399 PhD in Sociology Associate Professor; Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Cultural Studies; Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov 77 Politechnicheskaya str., Saratov, 410054, Russia, Saratov region natalia.sorokina.nv@gmail.com

The social service system, consisting of state and non-governmental organizations providing social services to the population, has today been influenced by new challenges associated with transformations in the socio-cultural, political and economic spheres. There is a diversification of the social sphere, expressed in the recognition of non-governmental organizations as social service providers who receive compensation from the budget for conducting their activities, they are increasingly involved in the implementation of social services for the population, while the role of the state is decreasing ^{[1, pp. 429-431]}. The professional group of social workers of state and non-governmental organizations is experiencing new demands characteristic of the era of instability. The practical experience of social sphere specialists in the field through the prism of pandemic problems illustrates the complexity of finding new solutions to overcome difficulties provoked by the urgency of the new social reality ^[3].

Since the end of 2019, there has been a wave-like spread of a new coronavirus infection, accompanied by the introduction of restrictive regimes for the activities of various professional groups and everyday life of citizens ^{[6, 10]} due to high threats to the health of the population of Russia and the world. Despite the decline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the epidemiological risks of infection with various diseases (such as measles, INFLUENZA, etc.), as well as measures to prevent them, remain relevant and are carried out depending on the degree of prevalence in specific territorial and temporal boundaries. The post-pandemic era continues to threaten with new strains of the COVID-19 virus against the background of limited vaccination opportunities ^[2].

The experience of the pandemic has significantly affected the strategies of health-saving behavior and forms of social services provided to the most vulnerable categories of citizens (the elderly and people with disabilities) ^[12]. With the beginning of the special military operation in 2022, new public challenges were formed and, as a result, new requests from citizens for social support measures. Social service organizations have joined the work with military personnel, veterans and their family members. Thus, in conditions of instability of public life, accompanied by crisis situations, the social work system provides support to the most vulnerable groups of the population, who find it harder to experience and cope with social changes.

One of the important components of the social work system is the structure of institutions and the professional activities of specialists ^[8]. The circumstances associated with the increase in public risks have a significant impact on the organization of professional activities of social workers. The practice of professional activity of specialists is based on generally accepted cultural patterns, which are formed and consolidated in the process of performing everyday work.

The professional culture of social work specialists is considered by us in line with the sociology of professions and occupations as an informal tradition of the community, "within the framework of which informal rules for the joint activities of fellow social workers, strategies and tactics of interaction of specialists with representatives of other government agencies and clients of social services are created and reproduced" ^{[7, p. 124]}. Within the boundaries of professional culture, forms of following official and unofficial rules of conduct are closely intertwined. These rules act as a guideline for practitioners regulating their daily activities. In the professional routine, generally accepted discourses and knowledge about the principles of interpersonal interactions, the boundaries of activity, subjective responsibility and the possibilities of expressing the agent position of social work specialists are formed and broadcast.

The professional community of social workers in the form of a "supportive" profession providing social care services ^{[7, p. 46]} implements its activities in the field of public services in order to solve acute social problems by providing assistance to vulnerable categories of citizens. International experience in the functioning of social work in the context of pandemic challenges indicates an aggravation of the problems inherent in this professional field, such as: "low wages, staff shortages, rapid changes in work functions, excessive bureaucracy, lack of support from social services and the lack of a sense of personal security among specialists while working in the field" ^{[12, p. 170]}. The trials that social workers face in the course of their professional practice are noted by many authors ^{[15, 16]}. At the same time, the importance of activism, a critical approach, and research in the field of social work is emphasized in order to improve this kind of practice in the interests of the citizens served.

This article is based on the materials of semi-structured interviews collected from social workers (service administrators, specialists and volunteers) of the public and non-profit sector (Saratov, N=7) during the implementation of a collective research project^[1]. The purpose of the study was to identify changes that have occurred in the professional activities of social services specialists under the influence of pandemic challenges. The COVID-19 epidemic was accompanied by the introduction of new regulations and restrictive measures justified by sanitary and epidemiological discourse. There was a forced restructuring of the work of social organizations serving citizens, which required sometimes urgent and difficult decisions on the part of management and specialists in a situation of uncertainty. The pandemic challenges were caused not only by threats to human life and health, but also by the ambiguity of the regulations and sanctions imposed, which is especially typical for the first wave of the pandemic. In the first couple, little was known about effective ways to combat and prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, fuzzy rule-making flourished, in which the bureaucratic logic of decision-making was justified by the medicalized regulation of daily life ^{[5, pp. 183-203]}. 

Quarantine restrictions and the need to observe self-isolation provoked an increase in unemployment, a decrease in household incomes, became the reasons for the closure of a wide variety of institutions (medical and rehabilitation centers, social and cultural organizations), led to a shortage of goods and services ^[10], exacerbation of anxious public sentiment, negatively affected the psychological and physical health of citizens. The already disadvantaged categories of the population have fallen into an even worse situation. There has been an increase in the number of consumers of social services. Elderly people who find themselves in a special dependent position due to their classification as persons for whose life and health COVID-19 poses the greatest threat have experienced all the hardships of the new pandemic reality: living in anxiety, isolation, in the absence of live communication, sometimes without the possibility of obtaining basic life support items (food and medicines).

All of the above circumstances have led to a significant increase in demand for social assistance, as well as stimulated the development of new types of services. On the basis of state social service centers, telephone hotlines were launched, which accepted applications from citizens for the purchase and delivery of basic necessities: "A person applied, a list was formed and a team of two or three people went to the address. The staff were prepared. They were wearing masks, they had bathrobes, gloves and disinfectants to minimize the number of contacts. Most of the people, of course, were panicking. They no longer needed goods or to get any accurate information" (And 1). Thus, in addition to the provoked adverse consequences, the pandemic contributed to the design and development of new useful forms of public services, expanding the boundaries of accessibility to social services.

The pandemic reality as a litmus test has revealed the problems of functioning of various spheres of human activity and the organization of life of the most vulnerable categories of citizens. Preventive measures and information policy aimed at combating the spread of coronavirus infection had a negative impact on the processes of performing professional activities, on the sense of subjective safety of specialists and clients served, on the possibilities of urban mobility and access to various resources. Specialists serving elderly clients drew attention to the negative impact of the media on the subjective perception of the pandemic situation: "the wards were worried, especially they would watch enough TV, and there, if you watch and listen to the day, then there is an escalation of <...> zombies. All the time (customers) think about it: that the products are harmful, then additives, then a pandemic" (And 4). Such panic moods influenced the behavioral aspects of the daily professional practice of social workers.

Social reality, filled with unrest and risks, has found a new dimension through the recognition of identity anxiety, spaces and communities in situations of instability ^[13]. Feelings of anxiety, anxiety and fear generated stress, compounded by the need to develop new strategies for action in the face of the unpredictability of the very near future, which negatively affected people's physical and mental health. Social workers were afraid of several possible risks at once: getting infected themselves and infecting others (clients and loved ones): "I had a feeling of fear and apprehension at the very beginning, because I was afraid to bring them something, a virus, I was afraid to infect them" (And 1).

Emotionally, "it was very difficult, because this outburst of emotions was on the part of both management and employees. It was very hard. It was very difficult for me emotionally, I even cried right now, because I couldn't refuse services, because I was working" (And 3). During this period, the professional routine of specialists was filled with traumatic emotional experiences that affected interpersonal interaction with clients, colleagues, family and loved ones. Social workers, forced to work in a situation of fear in the face of a new coronavirus infection, experienced tremendous emotional stress, but for the most part they were forced to continue working face to face, realizing the degree of insecurity of their clients, serving those most in need of help. Thus, social workers have found themselves at the forefront in terms of supporting the most vulnerable categories of citizens (especially those with limited mobility: people with disabilities and the elderly).

The realization of work in the circumstances of the COVID-19 epidemic was accompanied by an increase in emotional costs and a high level of stress, which was provoked by factors such as "the need to work in hazardous conditions; excessive sense of responsibility both towards colleagues and social security clients; lack of procedural clarity at the national level; difficulties in combining work and responsibilities to the closest family members who are dependent (for example, minor children and the elderly)" ^{[12, p. 170]}. Such circumstances of professional activity actualized issues related to mental health support and prevention of accumulating stress among social professionals. One of the important professional missions is discussed by specialists as the need to support and encourage their clients, to charge them with optimism, which is associated by social workers with their personal qualities: "It's the way my life works out that I have to support everyone" (And 4).

The prescriptions for observing social distance have influenced everyday bodily practices ^{[4, pp. 41-45]}. The clients served began to react differently to the presence of social workers: some completely excluded face-to-face interaction, others continued face-to-face communication. Clients and specialists had different individual reactions to body regulation: from distrust and formal compliance with the rules to faith in the care of the authorities for citizens and full compliance with the new regulations regarding physical presence. The established culture of distance is rooted in communication through a closed door: "Some grandmothers are very closed. They were so scared that I came and when I picked up the order, it was through a closed door" (And 2). The basic regulatory requirement for the body interacting has become the use of personal protective equipment. Some experts have noted that the use of masks and disinfectants led to skin irritations, rashes and itching.

Restrictive measures have become a prerequisite for the emergence of a new type of serviced - a "coronavirus" client. The rules of service and communication with the sick wards were unclear, accompanied by tension and anxiety, required large time and emotional investments on the part of specialists, were accompanied by the supervision of administrators and medical services. The daily routine began to change, filled with requirements for compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards and the pressure of possible sanctions that may follow an incorrect action.

The working regime of specialists has also undergone significant changes. In difficult circumstances, it was necessary to spend more time on servicing each ward: "We have service days twice a week. Due to the pandemic, I changed my schedule, and I began to work four times a week, i.e. to serve, <...> so that I had more time for clients" (And 3). Requests for additional services were made, food packages and medicines were collected and delivered for low-mobility customers, which provoked an expansion of work schedules and increased the workload of specialists. The food packages were heavy, and it was inconvenient and physically difficult for specialists to form and deliver them.     

The practice of specialists from state social institutions involves the maintenance of accounting documentation necessary to comply with prescribed formal rules for customer service and management control: "We report <...> we always need to know what condition my client is in" (And 3). Changes in service modes due to the requirements for compliance with preventive measures have not abolished the force of bureaucratic regulations. The State social services continued to fill out and submit paper reporting forms. Experts noted that the use of electronic forms would greatly facilitate the work process, but there were no changes in the field of document management and the transition to reporting via online services. Experts of non-governmental organizations, on the contrary, felt the flexibility of the administrative approach, which was reflected in the transition to electronic document management and to the online format of meetings. This circumstance, demonstrating the flexibility of non-governmental organizations to operating modes, characterizes the current trend in the development of the non-profit sector of social services based on their own strategies developed at the junction of the "institutional logics" of the state, the market and communities ^[11].

Sometimes the established procedure for the provision of social services is not consistent with the form of assistance that will be effective at a particular time. This circumstance was clearly manifested during the period of overload of various social institutions due to pandemic restrictions. For example, the problem in the healthcare system was most vividly revealed due to increased demand for medical care, staff shortages and interruptions in the supply of medicines: "The biggest new problem is the problem with doctors: you call, and they don't come. Or very late. It happens that they did not come for three days" (And 2). The specialist had to get involved in the process of waiting for medical care, searching for new ways for his ward client to receive medical services.

The professional sphere has become conflicted. When the first cases of COVID-19 infection were detected, there were disapproving reactions from colleagues, administrators and employees of medical organizations: "the management scolded me [because of contact with a client with a confirmed diagnosis] that I went, no one wanted to take my people from the staff, they refused to go to the people I served. It was very hard for me" (And 3). In the case of a confirmed illness in a client with whom the specialist was in contact, the social worker was sent to quarantine, and his wards were redistributed among colleagues who continued to work, which sharply increased professional costs and provoked the dissatisfaction of the latter.

Of particular note are the difficulties of the emotional work of social work specialists: "I have so many phone calls from my wards in a week <...> I go in and listen to what this doctor Myasnikov said on Channel 1. I have to listen, but sometimes I want to hide. And then you break up somehow..." (And 4). Specialists make a choice as to whether to engage in emotional experiences about their clients or not. As we can see, more often social workers demonstrate a high degree of empathy and inclusion. In their daily activities, specialists play their professional role by expressing or restraining certain emotions during their interaction with the serviced persons, focusing on their subjective understanding of the client's benefit. Despite personal worries and fears, social workers, restraining personal negative emotions, encourage and support clients. These professional skills in managing external manifestations of feelings are described by Arlie Hawkshield's theory of emotional labor ^[14]. It is obvious that measuring work through an approach to managing emotions in a certain socio-cultural context is especially relevant in conditions of increased risks, as demonstrated by the practice of social work during the coronavirus pandemic. The skill of managing emotions in the process of interaction between specialists and clients is one of the key and most valuable strategies that has entered and become entrenched in the professional practice of social work. Emotional involvement or aloofness can act as a criterion of professionalism put forward to specialists in the social sphere by both clients and fellow social workers. 

The other side of emotional work is its routine, as a result of which the specialist burns out: "working with the elderly in targeted care is an obligatory part of me, as a certain set of functions. That is, she is not particularly interesting to me <...> Of course, I am touched by the stories of this grandfather there, I understand that this is important. When we get to conferences, I understand that the problem is much bigger, it is much deeper than what I see here, as part of my work. And for a while, this fuse is enough for me to think: "That's it, we need to save the world, we can already do so much!" Well, this is such a routine [with an exclamation] that kills all this fuse, kills in 2 weeks. It can be very difficult for me to communicate with them" (And 6). Examples are given when the elderly, applying for the delivery of a grocery set via a hotline, and then start long conversations that distract the specialist from receiving new calls: "they [customers] continue to tell me, share their experiences… I understand that I can't hang up, it's not tactful, it's bad, it's not cultural. I can't do this, and it starts to piss me off" (And 6). Here the values of following the norms of the moral and ethical code collide with the need to solve specific professional tasks, such dilemmas increase the emotional stress of social workers and illustrate the "deformational role" of professional activity ^[9]. P. Sorokin emphasized that the influence of profession on behavior and people's experiences manifest themselves anatomically and somatically, motor reflexes, mental experiences and the whole way of life ^[9]. Routine performance of work duties contributes to the formation of shared views, corporate ethics and the functioning of a professional group.  

The format of social services determines the difficult process of interpersonal communication and the need to agree on the rules of interaction:  "When I come to meet a new person, I immediately stipulate that this is my job. And there are rules here. And if these rules are violated, then we say goodbye. There is a contract for this, and if I break it, I will be scolded. Why would I do that? That's why I say, "Let's strictly follow the contract. Of course, they are trying to remember something to me: "But another social worker did this." I explain to them, <...> now there is me, and we are working on different terms" (And 2). Despite the desire of specialists to maintain subordination and be limited to the list of prescribed services, some social workers go beyond the established limits, striving to qualitatively improve the lives of their wards. Thus, social work professionals are regularly faced with a choice between following formal or informal practices identified with their professional qualities. The challenges of the era of uncertainty have illustrated the importance of an individual approach in social care. The meaning of such individualization is expressed, on the one hand, in building trusting relationships with the client, and on the other – in a targeted approach to social services, expressed in formal rules for assessing customer needs, "accessibility of assistance and the inclusive nature of social services" ^{[1, p. 433]}.

The new pandemic reality has exacerbated the problems of ensuring the livelihoods of the most vulnerable categories of citizens and demonstrated the demand for social specialists to solve emerging social problems. Especially in conditions of strict quarantine and isolation, it was important for social service clients to maintain the ability to receive elements of the basic set to maintain their lives and preserve their health. In addition, a larger number of people who previously coped independently through personal social connections lost during the pandemic turned out to be in a dependent position, which also led to an increased demand for social assistance.

The system of social work with citizens has faced a number of difficulties. The interpersonal interaction of social workers with clients and colleagues began to be accompanied by emotional tension, a sense of anxiety, and a constant reassessment of the degree of safety of face-to-face contacts regarding the likelihood of contracting a new coronavirus infection. Social workers were forced to continue to perform their duties in hazardous conditions; with a lack of procedural clarity; in a state of excessive sense of responsibility to their wards and fellow social workers; experiencing difficulties due to the combination of professional duty and obligations to their circle of loved ones. Continuing their professional activities, specialists rebuilt familiar practices, mastered new rules of distance culture, managed external manifestations of emotions, agreed with colleagues and wards on new social service procedures.   

The pandemic and the modern post-pandemic period can be defined as an era of uncertainty characterized by anxious moods and perceptions of challenges threatening habitual social life. The practice of social work today is carried out on the basis of state and non-governmental organizations. The work of social sector specialists in the context of pandemic challenges has demonstrated a significant degree of formalization and bureaucratization of the forms of service provided by government agencies. The destabilizing situation has contributed to the growth of demands and the strengthening of regulations on the form and content of services provided by social workers. Increased control over the activities of social sphere specialists, justified by medical discourse, sometimes acted as a demotivating factor in the work of specialists. There were acute and open questions regarding psychological assistance and the system of financial incentives for social workers who faced professional costs in providing social assistance to the population in conditions of system overload and prevailing risks in conditions of instability.

Description of the field data:

Informant 1. Female, 38 years old, head of social services, 20 years of work experience, higher education.

Informant 2. Female, 37 years old, social worker of the municipal service, 4 years of work experience. Informant 3. A woman, 42 years old, a social worker of the municipal service, 4 years of work experience, secondary technical education, currently studying for a bachelor's degree in social work. Informant 4. Female, 55 years old, social worker of the municipal service, 15 years of work experience, higher education. Informant 5. Woman, 40 years old, head of the Fund for social support of the elderly, higher education.

Informant 6. Woman, 32 years old, employee of the Fund for social support of the elderly, incomplete higher education. Informant 7. A woman, NGO volunteer.

^[1] The research was carried out at the expense of the grant Russian Science Foundation No. 18-18-00321. The research was supported by grant № 18-18-00321 of the Russian Science Foundation.

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