Improving Nurse Satisfaction and Retention

The nursing shortage in America is a pressing problem that needs to address. Healthcare organizations are employing creative strategies to promote nurse satisfaction to retain their best nurses. The following are some suggestions to promote nurse satisfaction and retention:

1.Employees Benefits, Fair Compensation and Salary Adjustment based on market value
Pay and benefits issues often have to be first and foremost when employees consider whether they can remain in the organization. Additionally, when employees are unhappy about compensation, they often complain more about other issues, especially if they do not believe it is possible to correct the problems without leaving the
organization.

Managers need to ensure that pay systems have internal equity between jobs by paying them in accordance with their importance to the organization based upon job evaluation, establishing equity in pay between employees by proper distribution of rewards, and maintaining equity in pay between organizations by proper budget allocations.

2.Build on social strengths:
-Creation of calendar of social activities that include celebration such as:
Cultural diversity month – bring in food from different culture
Thanksgiving party
Christmas party for the unit
Breakfast with employees’ children and family in December
Valentines socials in February
Organize health and fitness activities (jogging, aerobics and dance class etc.)
Annual Team building retreat
-The major outcomes of team building retreats are
a.Staging ongoing activities that create, nourish, and nurture a positive morale
b.Professional development
c.Employees sharing a positive social experience
d.Staff satisfaction, rewards, and recognition initiating a celebration/morale committee developing a mission statement for specific unit/area and core beliefs goal setting

3.Enhance employee recognition to show employees that they are valued.
-Birthday and work anniversaries celebration
-Bulletin board recognizing employees with exemplary performance, thank-you card and commendations from patients and families

4.Promote work-life balance programs and policies
-It will help individuals balance their work and non-work lives, such as flexible work arrangements (self-scheduling), provision of childcare benefits, and others

5.One time cash incentive (1-2%) for passing certification exams and a plaque listing employees’ names and achievements placed in a prominent place where co-employees can see

6.Grievance processing system
-The system should enable employees to bring problems and questions to the attention of managers without fear of retribution.
-Such a process can be very helpful for managers to determine issues that could lead to undesired turnover if they are not resolved.
-Employees may be less likely to leave if they feel their problems can be addressed equitably in-house.
-To improve employee perceptions of equity in the process, the organization may want to consider alternative dispute resolution with an arbitrator selected to decide the issue if the employee and management cannot reach a mutually satisfactory outcome.

7.Promote shared governance
Shared Governance is an organizational structure in which clinical nurses have a voice in determining nursing practice, standards and quality of care.

The advantages of shared governance are twofold:
•It empowers nurses to use their clinical knowledge and expertise to develop, direct and sustain our own professional practice.
•It allows nurses to network with colleagues and to collaborate among units and departments.

Retention programs that focus on employee participation and involvement in decision-making processes are the ones most likely to experience long-term success. The common denominator for staff retention is to find ways to improve job fulfillment and staff satisfaction.