MORALE

[avg5012]

1. Recently our unit has experienced a mass exodus leading to a decrease in morale, any suggestions on non costly ways for improving unit satisfaction?
   

[Luckyyou, BSN, RN]

Why did they leave?

[Sour Lemon]

1. Recently our unit has experienced a mass exodus leading to a decrease in morale, any suggestions on non costly ways for improving unit satisfaction?
   

No. Things that people care about actually cost something ...like good staffing, adequate supplies, fair wages, etc. Please don't think a "pizza party" will fix anything. That's just something to eat while working on a resignation letter.

[JKL33]

1. Recently our unit has experienced a mass exodus leading to a decrease in morale
   

More than likely you have that backwards.

There was a problem with culture and morale leading to a mass exodus.

It probably won't be non-costly to get the unit back on track; a starting point is treating/regarding others the way [you] wish to be treated/regarded.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

No. Things that people care about actually cost something ...like good staffing, adequate supplies, fair wages, etc. Please don't think a "pizza party" will fix anything. That's just something to eat while working on a resignation letter.

But what if sports water bottles with the facility logo are part of the package...?

[beekee]

But what if sports water bottles with the facility logo are part of the package...?

Pizza party is way too expensive if you are getting fancy water bottles like that. Pot luck! í ½í¸œ

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

More than likely you have that backwards.

There was a problem with culture and morale leading to a mass exodus.

It probably won't be non-costly to get the unit back on track; a starting point is treating/regarding others the way [you] wish to be treated/regarded.

Yes, I agree with this. Poor morale is probably why there was a mass exodus.

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

Do an exit interview for those that are leaving. Listen to their feedback and go from there. There is no cheap way to fix a mass exodus. You actually have to fix the problem in order to keep nurses.

[Julius Seizure]

1. Recently our unit has experienced a mass exodus leading to a decrease in morale, any suggestions on non costly ways for improving unit satisfaction?
   

You post lacks a lot of detail.

What is your role - manager, team lead, staff nurse?

Why did they leave? Were the staff unhappy before the mass exodus?

What indicators of low morale have you seen?

Have you asked staff why their morale has gone down? Do they feel like they have a voice?

Why aren't you willing to expend resources to improve morale and retain staff? (I realize that you may not have budget control - consider this as the hospital being "you".) I wonder if just knowing that the hospital isn't willing to put actual resources towards staff satisfaction is contributing to the low morale.

[Julius Seizure]

A quick Google search re: improving employee morale provided me with some other thoughts:

Organization-level promoters of good morale:

• ​Confidence in the capability of the organization's leadership.
  
• Shared positive vision for where the organization is headed.
  - Feeling a part of something bigger than themselves (and their role).
  
• A focus on serving the actual needs of the patient (not the "hotel" needs).
  
• Communication from the organization.
  - Being included on important and current information about the organization and what it is doing.
  
• Interaction with senior leadership.
  - Feeling valued equally with other roles (like physicians).
  - Held in serious regard by senior leadership.
  
• Yes, good compensation and benefits - crappy health insurance sucks.
  

Unit-level promoters of good morale:

• Managers who know how to lead!
  - Many nurse managers would benefit from actual training on leadership styles, communication, and emotional intelligence.
  - Management is the #1 determinant of morale.
  - If you aren't actively working to improve morale, then you are allowing negative morale.
  
• Supportive managers/team leaders who act with integrity, fairness, and consistency.
  
• Clear expectations
  - Staff can't feel accomplished if they don't know what the goal is).
  - Provide feedback and coaching.
  - Deal with problem employees. Address issues before they become big problems that are toxic to the unit.
  
• Open and regular communication about issues that are important to the team.
  - Keep employees in the loop, don't drop changes on them at the last minute.
  
• Two-way communication - their opinion needs to matter and they need to believe that it matters.
  - Ask THEM what challenges they are facing, and how things could be improved.
  - Appreciate their feedback, consider it/act on it, let them know what you did with it.
  
• Make the employees feel respected and appreciated as individuals (versus as generic worker bees).
  
• Empower employees to make decisions about their work. Avoid micromanaging.
  
• Provide opportunities to grow professionally (on the clock, or with reimbursement - certification costs, conference fees, etc.)
  - Great employees want room to grow and move up. If you don't provide opportunities, they will move on somewhere else.
  

Improving morale is worth it! Having happy employees increases retention, productivity, and improves care delivery. It is worth spending the time and, yes, the money!

[Daisy Joyce]

Why do bosses always want their employees to cheer up and snap out of it?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Was it a decrease in morale that lead to the mass exodus in the first place? If not, then why the mass exodus in the first place? Large numbers of staff don't usually leave within a short amount of time for no reason. If you are in a position that has the ability to facilitate change you first need to find out why so many people left before you can begin to address the problem or problems that caused them to leave. If you don't hold a position with real decision making power I am not sure what you as an individual can do except voice your concerns to those who do have the ability to create new policy, increase pay, improve benefits or do whatever else needs to be done to fix what's wrong.