Meaningful Work and Employee Loyalty among Low-Paid Childcare Workers: A Phenomenological Study of Job Embeddedness in Indonesian Childcare Settings
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Abstract
Employee loyalty among low-paid childcare workers presents a theoretical paradox, as conventional retention models primarily emphasize financial rewards and career opportunities as key determinants of organizational commitment. This study explores how childcare workers construct the meaning of their work and sustain employee loyalty despite limited financial compensation. Adopting a qualitative phenomenological design, the study involved in-depth interviews with 21 childcare workers who met two inclusion criteria: (1) having at least four years of professional experience and (2) residing within a 0–5 km radius of their workplace. The interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, enabling the identification of recurring themes that reflected participants' lived experiences and interpretations of their work. The findings reveal that childcare workers perceive their work not merely as a source of income but as a meaningful vocation shaped by spiritual beliefs, a sense of calling, maternal identity, and social responsibility. Employee loyalty emerged through the interaction of meaningful work, job embeddedness, and non-financial rewards, including supportive workplace relationships, social recognition, work flexibility, and a family-like organizational climate. Structural conditions, such as limited alternative employment opportunities and age-related constraints, further reinforced participants' decisions to remain in their current positions. These findings demonstrate that employee retention in low-paid childcare settings is influenced by the interplay of intrinsic motivation, social embeddedness, and structural realities rather than by economic considerations alone. This study contributes theoretically by integrating meaningful work theory and job embeddedness theory within the context of informal childcare employment, extending current understanding of employee loyalty in care-based professions. Practically, the findings suggest that childcare providers and policymakers should strengthen non-financial retention strategies while simultaneously improving employment conditions and financial well-being to support the long-term sustainability of the childcare workforce.
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