Tips to improve morale

rn&run · Feb 20, 2021

I find that good pay, adequate staffing, sick leave, paid vacation, and good health benefits correlate directly with good morale.

Guest856929 · Feb 20, 2021

On 2/17/2021 at 12:35 AM, travellingnurse1 said:

And to address the under appreciation, some type of shout out corner where we can shout each other out.

That is a good example of patching holes on the worn out denim, when you need a new pair. If the underlying cause of lack of morale is understaffing and high turnover, it would be an insult to any intelligent RN to offer a shout out corner as remedy. I remember having the burden of getting 3 patients in the ICU once when one of the patients qualified to be 1:1 on more than 1 factor (fresh Impella/balloon pump and CRRT w citrate) additionally, the pt. was on an insulin infusion and 3 vasopressors/inotropes, heparin gtt etc).

The powers that be saw it fit to give me a psych patient and a post-CABG day 2 pt that needed to get lines D/C'd and transfer. Torturous task, because I "could handle it". I expressed my concern about patient safety, but to no avail. The tone-deaf, unencumbered, and in no uncertain terms, imbecilic manager bought pizza as solace. Talk about lack of leadership.

How about you put on scrubs and get your hands dirty rather than patrolling the unit, combing through irrelevant details like who's doing bedside report and who did not write their names on the white board. The pizza gesture irritated all fibers of my anatomy. Work me like a mule then feed me swine. Ugh!

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Feb 20, 2021

Here’s how Shout Out Corners work.

At first they are OK.

But then, someone from the not popular crowd will get a Shout Out.

This will annoy the Popular Crowd. So the Popular Crown will give Shout Outs to each other. And post things like “ Great team today “ when there is a shift of all Popular Crowd people.
in the end, the result is a bunch of hurt people because their efforts are over shadowed by the Popular Crowds self congratulations

SarHat17, ASN, RN · Feb 20, 2021

My first reaction to previous posts was 1. every reply is negative, and 2. I agree with most of it.

We were all asked for similar ideas regarding morale and resiliency recently, and while I am more in the Susie Sunshine camp, I know they were asking for little bits like food days and co-worker compliments, when really, CONSISTENTLY staffing the unit fully is one of the best ways to boost morale/show respect for our work I can think of. (There has been major turnover on my unit, with significant change from cardiac/CVRU focus to ICU stepdown with BiPap/AirVo Covid patients. We have 10 rooms that often have those patients in every part of their journey from crashing and moving up to the ICU, transitioning to comfort care and passing on our unit, and long-haulers that are waiting for a spot in a LTACH to open because they can't go anywhere else with the amount of O2 they need. Honestly, it's emotionally and physically exhausting. And angering. But that's a rant against Covid for another post. ) Add together the staff turnover, (which necessitates much of the shift staffed with float and agency staff instead of a more consistent core team), high acuity/high emotional stress of and from our patients, multiple orientees, AND 1st year nursing students twice a week, sometimes 2 to a RN, because they can't take Covid. Sigh.

*I'm not against/negative about orienting or students, but as one of the only qualified preceptors for my unit, we are tapped to precept a lot, and students on the floor change the dynamic of the shift a little as well. It all adds up.

Some things that help morale in my opinion are smiles and acknowledging each other throughout the day. Everyone pitching in to help. Cleaning up around the nursing station/supply/break rooms. Peep your head in to isolation rooms when you see another staff member in there and ask if they need anything. Say Thank You and Please! Grab the VS/BG on your patients when you have time, instead of waiting for the CNA to do it. Best of Luck!