The Importance of Autonomy and Performance Goals in Perceived Workload Among Behavioral Health Providers
Objective: The authors sought to assess workplace characteristics associated with perceived reasonable workload among behavioral health care providers in the Veterans Health Administration. Methods: The authors evaluated perceived reasonable workload and workplace characteristics from the 2019 All Employee Survey (AES; N=14,824) and 2019 Mental Health Provider Survey (MHPS; N=10,490) and facility-level staffing ratios from Mental Health Onboard Clinical Dashboard data. Nine AES and 15 MHPS workplace predictors of perceived reasonable workload, 11 AES and six MHPS demographic predictors, and facility-level staffing ratios were included in mixed-effects logistic regression models. Results: In total, 8,874 (59.9%) AES respondents and 5,915 (56.4%) MHPS respondents reported having a reasonable workload. The characteristics most strongly associated with perceived reasonable workload were having attainable performance goals (average marginal effect [AME]=0.10) in the AES and ability to sched