How can I increase the morale on my unit?

[BecomingNursey]

Hi All,

So I've only been a nurse for a little over a year in an ER in South Alabama. I absolutely love my job and (most of) my coworkers lol. I was a tech first where I work now so I've been in the same hospital since March of 2012.

One of the things that I've really noticed is our extremely high rate of turn over for nurses in our facility, and specifically our ED. I know this is probably a nationwide issue in nursing and not any unit specific, but it just seems like our management sees it and does nothing to try and improve the morale in the hospital and in our ER.

It's very disheartening to go into work, excited to be there and literally NO one else is enjoying being at work. Now, I'm not talking about the "OMG! We're going to Disney" level of excitement, but just enjoying what you do.

So here's my question for all of you awesome nurses/techs/CNAs and whoever else is on AN tonight:

How (if addressed at all by your facility) has your facility strived to reduce the level of turn over in your facility? What part (if any) have you played in raising morale on your unit? What do you think would improve your work experience? What changes would you like to see from management to make you excited to come to work and be a part of a team?

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

At my PRN job, I just found out this week that the hospital PAYS for a woman to come in every now and then and do massages! She works for three hours or something like that, and gives ten minute massages for free. You can just sign your name on the door while she's there and you can get a free massage. You can get a free massage every time she works if you want to. I think my unit is the only unit in the hospital that does it. It comes from having a nurse manager who actually cares. It probably only costs the hospital a few hundred bucks a month, tops, and it makes a huge difference for me personally. My spirits were so lifted after that massage. I think I had a smile on my face for a couple hours after that!

[labordude, BSN, RN]

TL;DR - Don't just treat the symptoms, figure out what the actual problem is. Blaming is ineffective, stop it and start doing something.

I think many of the comments here are missing the big picture. If this poster's unit was a patient, would your first question be 'how can I make you feel better?" No, it should be, what is the actual problem here? What is causing morale to be low? Many hospitals implement programs of recognition, bonuses, etc that only treat the symptoms of the underlying problem. Inevitably and usually sooner rather than later, the same issues crop up as study after study has shown that increasing pay or benefits is only a short term solution that gives minimal long-term satisfaction.

Other posters have taken to blaming their management, who are most likely middle-managers. That position is considered the toughest role to play in any organization. While many managers are quite inept at their job and may have been put in that position because they had the most clinical experience, how often do the employees try to help them out in any way? It is true that a direct line manager can have a significant impact on the unit morale, but without other morale impacting factors in place, it would be difficult for a single low-level manager to really damage a high-functioning unit. It's also highly unlikely that underlying cause for lower morale is only one unique factor. You may think you have identified the issue, but it's more likely a complex web of multiple things leading to the spot your unit is in now.

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

Is there a committee at your hospital that addresses employee morale? If so, find out who is on it and approach them to find out more about it. If there's not, maybe consider talking to your manager if forming one for your dept would be beneficial.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

I don't have the golden egg answer either, but what I dislike (hate) the most is a staff that doesn't get along or work well together. That has sent me packing more than most things. If I am work with real team players, I can deal.

[BecomingNursey]

Thank you everyone who has responded :) I truly appreciate your comments and opinions.

My unit really does (for the major part) have good teamwork. The #1 thing I hear from coworkers when I ask them what would make them feel more valued at work and help them enjoy their jobs is just a simple email from our manager saying "Thank you". I've heard over and over; "All we hear is what we've done wrong. Never what we've done right." And in my experience there so far that's been the truth.

But who knows? Maybe one day I will be in a better supervisor position to help change some of this. I'm doing what I can with the birthdays and going away parties and welcoming new staff. I ALWAYS make sure to tell ANY new nurse that if they have any questions or need any help I'm more than happy to help and if I don't know the answer I can find out :) So I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and try to be positive and keep a good attitude!

Trying to set an example and stick to it. Again, thank you all!

[marienm, RN, CCRN]

When we have a really good night at work, it's not uncommon for one of the nurses to email our manager directly and say "I'm so proud of our team tonight, we got x, and y, and z done etc..." We're only staffed with 3 RNs overnight (6 bed ICU; one of several ICUs in the hospital)...no techs, no secretary, just 3 RNs...so when things get crazy we all really have to pull together to make things happen. The manager usually turns that right back around and praises us. She doesn't work at night-- she'd never know what we made happen if we didn't tell her!

I'm not usually someone who would blow my own horn, but I will absolutely praise a coworker to a manager for exactly this reason.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I admire your ambition. You will not be able to affect morale. Your facility and it's administration...

DOES NOT CARE.

They view nurses as a dime a dozen. Is that wrong? Most certainly .. can you change it ... NO!

Continue to be responsible for your own practice and attitude. Way to soon to try to make any changes.

Been there, tried that.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Thank you everyone who has responded :) I truly appreciate your comments and opinions.

My unit really does (for the major part) have good teamwork. The #1 thing I hear from coworkers when I ask them what would make them feel more valued at work and help them enjoy their jobs is just a simple email from our manager saying "Thank you". I've heard over and over; "All we hear is what we've done wrong. Never what we've done right." And in my experience there so far that's been the truth.

But who knows? Maybe one day I will be in a better supervisor position to help change some of this. I'm doing what I can with the birthdays and going away parties and welcoming new staff. I ALWAYS make sure to tell ANY new nurse that if they have any questions or need any help I'm more than happy to help and if I don't know the answer I can find out :) So I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and try to be positive and keep a good attitude!

Trying to set an example and stick to it. Again, thank you all!

I receive an occasional email....." blah blah.. that was good". That is a job requirement my manager needs to fulfill for herself. We are all adults here...Not hearing from your manager is a good thing. We are professionals and responsible for our own practice.

I do not need or expect a pat on the back for doing my job. I do expect management direction where it is needed.

I do not expect (or want) birthday acknowledgement in the workplace. I get my cake and balloons at home.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

When we have a really good night at work, it's not uncommon for one of the nurses to email our manager directly and say "I'm so proud of our team tonight, we got x, and y, and z done etc..." We're only staffed with 3 RNs overnight (6 bed ICU; one of several ICUs in the hospital)...no techs, no secretary, just 3 RNs...so when things get crazy we all really have to pull together to make things happen. The manager usually turns that right back around and praises us. She doesn't work at night-- she'd never know what we made happen if we didn't tell her!

I'm not usually someone who would blow my own horn, but I will absolutely praise a coworker to a manager for exactly this reason.

Awesome! Great way to inform management that every sucked up the short staffing.. and live just to do it again.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Just be aware of the backfire potential. If you were short-staffed and still managed to pull off x-y and z, don't let your manager think that it should be the norm. It would be typical manager-think to come up with "Well, if they can do all that with current staffing levels, why pay more?"

Make sure the manager knows that everyone went WAY above and beyond and deserves recognition and accolades galore and there's NO way this can be S.O.P.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I receive an occasional email....." blah blah.. that was good". That is a job requirement my manager needs to fulfill for herself. We are all adults here...Not hearing from your manager is a good thing. We are professionals and responsible for our own practice.

I do not need or expect a pat on the back for doing my job. I do expect management direction where it is needed.

I do not expect (or want) birthday acknowledgement in the workplace. I get my cake and balloons at home.

It's bad enough when you can't get out of working your birthday. An unacknowledged birthday at work is a dismal thing.

[BecomingNursey]

I admire your ambition. You will not be able to affect morale. Your facility and it's administration...

DOES NOT CARE.

They view nurses as a dime a dozen. Is that wrong? Most certainly .. can you change it ... NO!

Continue to be responsible for your own practice and attitude. Way to soon to try to make any changes.

Been there, tried that.

Maybe I won't be able to make a difference. But I won't know if I don't try.