The relationship between perceived leadership style of CEO and direct care workers' job satisfaction

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of direct care workers' (DCW) perceptions of their CEOs' transformational leadership style on employment satisfaction and retention. The topic is relevant because DCWs are the fastest growing employment segment in the healthcare industry. Companies invest significantly in preparing DCWs to work with clients in a meaningful and supportive way. However, DCWs have a very high turnover rate, which diminishes care and impacts financial resources. The study undertook a quantitative analysis of survey data to determine the relationship between perceived transformational leadership style, race, gender, retention, and employment satisfaction. The analysis results demonstrated a correlation between perceived transformational leadership style and DCWs' employment satisfaction and retention. The results also demonstrated a surprising lack of gender and racial diversity in the population. The study also found a moderately weak relationship between overall employment satisfaction and intent to leave; suggesting that employment satisfaction is not necessary for employee retention. The results imply that leaders should engage more significantly in the transformational leadership style to reduce the turnover among DCWs.