The process of decision-making by stressed social workers: to stay or leave the workplace.

This paper considers the perception of stress and its impact on social workers, their relationships and decision-making. It begins with an exploration of stress, perception and how perception is utilized to understand stress experiences. It continues with exploration of decision-making processes. Finally it explores themes relating to decision-making based on case study findings of social workers who experienced stress and explores the outcomes of decision-making in relation to the workplace and how this might impact on retention.