Most people have a misconception about what social workers actually do. Often, you find social workers in human service jobs, providing therapy or working alongside systems, sometimes in harmful ways (re: child protective services). However, I think social workers can work in a variety of settings and organizations.

In honor of Social Work Month, I’m sharing a few ways organizations could benefit from hiring people with social work experience and education.

1. We’re people people because our work is social.

All formally educated social workers have to study human behavior (which is a topic I personally love discussing). We practice facilitation and study organizing to move groups of people. The informal (as in didn’t go to college) social workers I run into have above-average skills in relationship-building and organizing, which shows me they also get people. Social work practices lead with community engagement to understand community problems and solutions, as opposed to making assumptions about the problem and how to fix or navigate those problems. Most social workers I encounter have a unique attention to people, not just clients or people receiving services but also the people providing the service. I think this is an area that many organizations, especially nonprofits, need to give more attention to as the workplace continues to morph and transform. Furthermore, if your organization works with people (and most government agencies and nonprofits do), you have to have a social worker on your team.

2. We’re big picture thinkers.

Not only do we get people but, in our education and work, we also think about what people need to make a change at the individual, community, and/or system level. Additionally, we think about the intersections – how are individuals affected by system change, how do individuals affect the community, and how does a community impact an individual or affect change in a system?

To achieve the vision of our organizations, and to make the impact we wish to make, we are required to see and think about the big picture to identify strategy and opportunity, as well as consider how to ensure the work is sustainable. If you’re not quite making the impact you want to make, getting a social worker on your team can help ensure the day-to-day activities connect to the big picture.

 3. We’re comfortable with leading change and innovation.

Working in change management, I see how challenging change and innovation can be for an organization. Of course, different people have different levels of comfort with change; however, I think social workers are more open to change than others. This may not apply to every social worker you meet, but I do believe folks become social workers because they want to make change happen. Sometimes we’re really passionate and skilled at making change happen for an individual; sometimes we’re passionate about big movements (racial equity, environmental justice, fair housing, human rights) and want to do the work of making changes that shift our culture.

Additionally, while social work does have a formal field of study, I also find that people engage in social work because they are fed up with the status quo and want to do something about it – I’ve run into a lot of formally trained artists in social work spaces (raise your hand if you need creatives on your team). This desire for social change makes social workers more open to change and thinking outside of the box. The unexpected pandemic of 2020 and its lasting impact has required us to be innovative in the workplace. The uprising against police brutality towards black people and people of color has pushed us to reimagine how we live together through a lens of racial equity and justice. If your organization is ready for change and innovation or wants to make a change or be more innovative, consider including someone with a social work background to help you shape the change you want to make. Innovation and change really revs our engine!

I might be biased, but I believe social workers know what it takes to change the world. We have the knowledge, tools, and willingness to figure out viable solutions to the problems we’re facing – not because we have all the answers but because social change takes social work.

There is an epic change taking place in our communities and institutional knowledge will not be enough to sustain through it. So, consider hiring a social worker, like me*, to help shape the change you want and know is possible.

 *Note: I am one of many amazing social workers in the Richmond community