What would make you happy?...employee satisfaction

Nurses General Nursing

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I've been asked to sit on the employee satisfaction committee at the hospital where I work, and I'd just like to get an idea of some of the measures taken by other facilities around the country re: ways of improving employee morale. Not the obvious (more money, better benefits, better ratios), but other things your hospital/LTC/etc does (or that you wish it did) to make you happier at work. TIA!

Specializes in Emergency Room.

geez. How about giving us the tools to DO our job? Like IV poles that actually roll, IV pumps that don't die when they get unplugged. Transfer carts that one person can use, instead of two people to struggle to get it down the hall. How about more thermometers? So I don't have to track down the ONE good one?

Oh yeah, guess this won't help because it costs $$$$$$$$$$$. Same as paying me for what I'm worth, and getting me more help to do my job.

I'm weird, I have a great job and work with great people. I feel I get paid very well for what I do, despite the fact that I don't get as much as nurses in the hospital down the road. But these are my suggestions:

1. Meetings, evals, and management available when I am there on nocs.

2. Policies that hold colleagues accountable for tardiness and absenteeism - WITH TEETH. We have recently gone to a point system, we'll see if it has teeth.

3. Management that will hold lazy and incompetent colleagues accountable - I can only speak to the offender so many times and then only report them to management so many times before I figure out no one cares, then pretty soon, neither do I.

4. Opportunities and encouragement to go to continuing ed - I would love a set $ amount each year that could be accumulated over the years to participate in conferences, etc... (we don't have a requirement for continuing ed hours in Wisconsin)

5. Subscriptions to professional journals for the unit.

6. I love the idea of the mucky mucks coming in on holidays on all shifts to serve a meal - heck, just stop by and say hello and thanks for working the holiday.

7. We have a nurse-physician liason committee that has made some things a little better. RNs were polled about the worst offenders for rudeness, etc... and nurses have the ability to 'write up' an offending MD. The MD in charge of the committee is not afraid to confront docs that nurses have legitimate gripes about, and is not afraid to go to the bosses of the physicians and tell them when the docs don't come around to the right way of thinking and behaving.

8. SELF SCHEDULING!!!!!!!

I think that's enuf for a start :wink2:

Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

10 bucks an hour night shift premium, 15 on the weekend !

Specializes in Emergency Dept.

The setting has a lot to do with it. I used to float and always liked going to 4E around ANY holiday because they always decorated and made it a very welcoming environment.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Here's a peeve of mine, our hospital does "Hospital Worker's Week". God forbid you should acknowledge nurses are a special group! National Nurses Week is shared with everyone, because we are "a team". As much as I appreciate (and I do!) our secretaries and techs, I think Nurse's Week should be for nurses. And secretaries on Nat. Sec. Day, etc.

And no cheesy cheap keyrings: the best gifts I've received over the years were scissors, or a really sturdy tote bag (with hospital logo of course). Those were a long time ago.

Good things my hospital does: gift certificate on your birthday to the cafeteria (we actually have good food);

admin comes in and serves a special meal on holidays, including nights;

the grill is open for a few hours at night, (despite supposedly losing money on it, night satisfaction is up);

automatic time and a half when the ns/pt ratio is below norm for those having to carry the extra load (everyone on the floor, aides, techs, scy and nurses);

automatic time and a half plus hourly bonus for any extra shifts picked up (last two are union negotiated).

Staff meetings held two or three times, once at change of shift at 0700, another mid afternoon around 1500. Who says they all have to have "everyone" there all at once?

If the scy. shift isn't covered or coverable by another secretary, a nurse can pick time by being scy. at her own wages (see above for picking up extra time) because our manager knows how important having a scy. is. (The supervisor, and all 5 ED docs, plus my fellow nurses all thanked me frequently last week and today when I pulled extra hours that way).

Specializes in Utilization Management.

automatic time and a half when the ns/pt ratio is below norm for those having to carry the extra load (everyone on the floor, aides, techs, scy and nurses);

automatic time and a half plus hourly bonus for any extra shifts picked up

If the scy. shift isn't covered or coverable by another secretary, a nurse can pick time by being scy. at her own wages

These are fantastic ideas!! I'll pass them along to my bosses. We currently use an incentive reward system, but it's one of those that look easy on paper, but complicated to administer.

Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.
I've been asked to sit on the employee satisfaction committee at the hospital where I work, and I'd just like to get an idea of some of the measures taken by other facilities around the country re: ways of improving employee morale. Not the obvious (more money, better benefits, better ratios), but other things your hospital/LTC/etc does (or that you wish it did) to make you happier at work. TIA!

You must consider the obvious.....skirting the issue is the problem. You have to fix what is broken first....then the fluff would show appreciation!

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I don't need nurses week, presents, or even much recognition at all.

SAFE RATIOS!

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