A substantial amount of evidence indicates that if nursing leaders can create an environment conducive to employee engagement they will be better able to face the challenges of today’s healthcare industry. Research also indicates that nurses are willing to accept the hard work and stress associated with the profession as long as they know they can count on their team members for support, they have the resources they need to be effective, and their leaders value their opinions and input 1, 2. As a nursing leader what are some of the ways you support your staff members?
1 Freeney, Y. M., & Tiernan, J. (2009). Exploration of the facilitators of and barriers to work engagement in nursing. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 46, 1557-1565. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.05.003.
2 Laschinger, H. K., Wilk, P., Cho, J., & Greco, P. (2009). Empowerment, engagement and perceived effectiveness in nursing work environments: Does experience matter? Journal of Nursing Management, 17, 636-646. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00907.x.
Tina,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog!
Thanks for visiting Kit, I hope you find some information that will be useful to your daily practice!
DeleteI think asking and being interested in staff is key in providing support. Staff need to feel as if there efforts are supported and their issues understood. Good topic.
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely true. There is nothing worse than feeling lost and feeling like there is no one to help you or hear you. I really liked regular rounding on the floor from management and being asked about my day.
DeleteJenanne and Kathryn,
DeleteYou ladies definitely have the right idea. Nurses do want to feel supported, especially by their manager. According to a recent study, the main driver of nurses' engagement is their direct manager1. Nurses want to feel their managers value them, support them, and are responsive to their needs. Leader rounding provides an excellent opportunity to connect with your nursing staff. Thanks for joining in the discussion!
1Rivera, R. R., Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Boyle, S. M. (2011). Closing the RN Engagement Gap: Which Drivers of Engagement Matter?. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(6), 265-272. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31821c476c
Great blog and great discussion. The cost to replace one nurse is estimated to be around 22,000-65,000 dollars. Nurse turnover also contributes to high organizational costs due to productivity losses, organizational wastefulness from staff instability, and consumption of resources that could be directed toward core business initiatives. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteCarol,
DeleteYou are right. It is very costly to be replacing staff frequently. Sometimes it is the small things that mean a lot. I have a drawer in my desk in my office that I keep chocolate in. When staff are having a rough day sometimes just saying to them it looks like they need some chocolate puts a smile on their face and I can thank them for what they do. We have to do what we can to keep our employees.
Penny
Hi Carol and Penny,
DeleteYou ladies are right, turnover is costly to an organization. Turnover not only effects the bottom line it can also have an impact on employee morale. When employee engagement is high nurses' turnover intentions go down and customer satisfacton improves (Rivera, Fitzpatrick, & Boyle, 2011). Check back later for more discussions about how, as nurse leaders, we can improve custome service in our facilities.
Rivera, R. R., Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Boyle, S. M. (2011). Closing the RN Engagement Gap: Which Drivers of Engagement Matter?. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(6), 265-272. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31821c476c
Personally knowing and seeing leadership present on the floor was always comforting and reassuring to me as a new nurse. Now as a leader, I also like to be present on a regular basis working beside my staff especially when they are busy and overwhelmed. Keeping the lines of communication open is so important and how can you do that if you never see each other. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteKathryn,
DeleteGreat ideas on how leadership can be supportive to staff. Working side-by-side with your nursing staff is extremely important and you will reap many benefits of making this effort.
Kathryn and Kelly,
DeleteI whole-heartedly agree! Working side-by-side with staff allows us the opportunity to experience the challenges they face on a daily basis, develop relationships with them, and reinforces that they can count us for support when needed. I recently took care of a patient in our PACU and experienced first-hand how cumbersome navigating our EHR system can be. Shortly thereafter I worked with the staff to flow-chart their process and we were able to make improvements; it was a very rewarding experience. Thanks for joinng the discussion ladies!
Tina,
ReplyDeleteBrakovich and Bonham (2012) cited that nursing leaders affects the retention of nursing staff by providing a nourishing job atmosphere that yields excellent results for both nurses and patients. If the work environment is satisfying to the nurses, the organization benefits by attracting and retaining nurses and inspires loyalty. The frontline nurses are vital in the achievement of organizational objectives because they are the providers of care. It is important that the staff feel valued and have a stake in the success of the organization by giving them accountability for their actions and a culture of shared responsibility. As a leader we can do this by ensuring that the unit goals, organizational goals, and patient outcomes are shared and clearly communicated to them (Berkow et al., 2012). I also believe that a cohesive and collaborative team is essential in providing quality patient care. A manager that supports team building and cohesiveness also promotes a professional work environment that leads to better communication and job satisfaction (Toofany, 2007). A satisfied employee is a happy and loyal employee.
References:
Berkow, S., Workman, J., Aronson, S., Stewart, J.,
Virkstis, K., & Kahn, M. (2012.Strengthening
frontline nurse investment in organizational goals. The
Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(3), 165-169.
Brakovich, B., & Bonham, E. (2012). Solving the retention
puzzle: Let's begin with nursing orientation. Nurse
Leader, 10(5), 50-61. doi: 10.1016/j.mnl.2012.03.010
Toofany, S. (2007). Team building and leadership: The key
to recruitment and retention. Nursing Management, 14(1),
24-27.
Grace, you make many great points. I should have you on as a guest blogger! High employee engagement does equal lower turnover and better customer satisfaction ratings (Rivera, Fitzpatrick, & Boyle, 2011). When employees are happy they do provide better customer service. At my workplace I often have patients tell me "everyone here seems to love their job." It's very rewarding to hear such sentiments from patients. Thanks for visiting the blog, check back later for more discussion.
ReplyDeleteRivera, R. R., Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Boyle, S. M. (2011). Closing the RN Engagement Gap: Which Drivers of Engagement Matter?. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(6), 265-272. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31821c476c