Why is staff turnover considered bad?

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

I've read a lot of threads on this board. The collective wisdom of nurses here is amazing. However, there seems to be a common theme that I have been trying to figure out. Every time there is a job/career/management/interview related thread, people mention asking about staff turnover, implying that it is across-the-board bad.

See, I work in what I consider to be a stagnant environment. There is glacially low turnover. There are some staff who have been here a loooooong time, and interactions with them leave me with the impression that a lot of them dislike working here, but that it is just kind of comfortable and mediocrity is tolerated and oh, well. You know, lots of sick calls, management making excuses for chronic poor performance (when management is there at all), things like that.

One day an email came out that we should congratulate so-and-so for having worked there for 20 years. I thought, so shouldn't that mean she would be really super good at what she does by now? Know it inside and out, really own it.

I mean, people move on in normal workplaces, right? Fresh opportunities? Promotions, transfers, growth? What's wrong with working in a place two years and moving on?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Turnover of professional staff is VERY expensive to the organization - in terms of training and orientation costs. It also impacts patient safety and continuity of care.

And yes, it should be that the longest tenured staff ARE the clinical experts- in many environments this is true.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

OK, I see that, but is there a point where people who seem like they clocked out for good a long time ago are more of a drain than the new person that could be hired and oriented, who would bring a fresh perspective (and be paid less per hour as well).

Today was an especially bad day, so I'm feeling more negative than usual about having to pick up behind other staff....then got hauled into the office because I'm enabling them to not do their jobs (??!)

[MomRN0913]

The turnover in my current position was awful. I am getting kudos for going onto month 6 (for which if i didn't have a child, i probably could have quit by now). My job was honest, said there was a lot of turnover and people had left due to paperwork.

Yup, I want to leave mainly due to the horrible paperwork that consumes my life.

Usually if people have been there for a while and there hasn't been much turnover it indicated job satisfaction and a healthy work environment.

Then there is turnover due to my first nursing job i was at for almost 5 years. I left because I needed more money, home situation reasons, and I got offered a job that was an advancement for me (although a very large mistake that has be where i am now)

But that rate of turnover is usually lower and not as prevelant. but 6 nurses leaving in the past 3 months should throw upa red flag.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

High turnover often signals a bad working environment. Not only does it warn off potential employees from deciding to apply there, it also impacts their reputation among other organizations/people who may wonder why they can't retain staff or why people don't want to work there.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

There must be a happy medium, then- a moderate level of turnover.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

At your hypothetical two-year mark one is probably comfortable and competent ... but not anywhere near his/her full potential.

This is costly in many ways (beyond tangible dollars) to both the individual and to the larger organization.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

At your hypothetical two-year mark one is probably comfortable and competent ... but not anywhere near his/her full potential.

I totally agree with this. You can only reach your full potential if you're actually moving toward it. Maybe I just need to move on to a place with a clinical ladder.

[nursel56]

I don't feel I get my "sea legs" at any job until around two years have passed. Yes, I can do the job well, but it never rises to the point that the basics feel so natural you can devote more mental energy into seeing things you couldn't while you were concerned with hanging on for dear life.

Just as there are new hires who have attitude issues there are people who stagnate in their jobs and suck the life out of the unit culture. I don't think that it's number of years on the job so much as it is personality. I've always tried to keep an attitude of "what can I learn today?" and "how can I improve things?". For me, a boring job is deadlier than a stressful job, so doing that is self-interest as well as the natural desire to excel.

[mariebailey, MSN, RN]

I actually agree that there is a balance/happy-medium that is preferable to no turnover at all. I'm saying this b/c I've worked in places with high turnover & very low turnover. These "clinical experts" with 20 or 30 years in the same job may not have taken the time to learn & grow during that period. It's what you do while employed there that matters. Longevity does not equal expertise. Sometimes you need a new face to challenge you and discourage you from settling for mediocrity.

[PennyWise]

I don't think turnover is good or bad. I think an extreme in either direction (stagnant staff or the revolving door) is bad though. Plus, turnover for the sake of turnover is never good. If it is the good employees leaving and the bad one's staying, no good will come of it even if a "change" is needed.

More often than not, that is the case too.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

2012 National Healthcare & RN Retention Report - NSI Nursing ...

For the third consecutive year, the national average turnover rate for hospitals continued to move in a positive direction. The current national turnover rate is 13.5%, down from 14.6% in 2011 and 15.0% in fiscal 2010. Based on this study, the profile of a hospital with the lowest turnover is a facility with over 500 beds, has a for-profit classification and is in the North East region. Conversely, the profile of a hospital with the greatest turnover is a facility with 350 – 500 beds, has a government ownership status and is in the South Central region of the U.S.

The turnover rate for bedside RNs also decreased during this same time period and continues to trend below the hospital rate. The 2012 average turnover rate for bedside RNs is 11.2%, down from 13.8% in 2011. Registered Nurses working in Step Down recorded the lowest turnover rate at 7.6%. The turnover rate for nurses working in Women’s Health is higher than any other specialty and reported at 23.0%. Turnover of nurses working in Emergency Services, Med/Surg and Critical Care all exceeded the national average at 18%, 16.3% and 11.3%, respectively......

...Over a quarter (26.4%), of all employee separations, had less than one year of tenure. This group, alone accounts for twenty-eight percent (27.5%) of all turnover. More than half or 50.3% of the exiting employees had less than 2 years of service. Employees with “5 – 10 years” and “more than 10 years” of tenure experienced the greatest level of organizational commitment and posted a lower turnover rate of 11.0% and 12.1%, respectively...

A significant opportunity to protect a hospital’s investment in Human Capital and recapture revenue exists. Operational considerations must address how employment decisions are made and include programs that build relationships, commitment and confidence early on in the employment cycle.