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 Critical Care.

A real place at the table where decisions are made. Not just by managers, but by the rank and file.

Actually, both the ANA and the Amer Assoc of C-C nurses demand that this is a basic need: for 'end users' to have a say in planning the changes that affect them. And not just a say AFTER decisions are made, but a real say in MAKING them.

A typical management complaint: how to get the rank and file to 'buy-in' to changes. How about a role in making them! If I'm not anywhere invested in your changes, why should I be invested in 'buying in' to them?

How about a bedside nurse's voice in budget committees, staffing/fte committees, acquisition committees, overall P&P committees, etc.? You ask for volunteers for THOSE types of committees, and you wouldn't find nurses avoiding committees like the plague, or like they do for useless retention committees that don't have the power to adopt the measures that would actually LEAD to retention.

But, I'm not jaded or anything.

~faith,

Timothy.

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The Hand lotion gift that was mentioned made me chuckle because the male nurses I have worked with are rarely taken into consideration when the gifts are handed out. ("Here John, happy nurses week. Here's your minibasket of hand lotion and lavender bath oil" :yeah: :yeah: :yeah: ) One of these days it will be pay back time and those baskets will be filled with beef jerky and fishing lures!

Well, I agree about the basket of stinky lotions - I'm hypersensitive to the smell of those things - with the beef jerky and fishing lures, I could share them with my husband!:lol2:

At the hospital where I worked they gave us work bags - good ones, and one year an insulated lunch bag.

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:o
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Specializes in Orthosurgery, Rehab, Homecare.

A nice covered area outside where people can go outside on their lunch break.

I love this idea. How much would it cost them really. Kinda like those pavillion things at parks, the picnic enclosures.

~Jen

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

just an idea -- when i worked at deaconess hospital in spokane, washington, the administration was there every holiday. not just the administrator on call, either. there was a special holiday meal free for the staff, and the administrators and other mucky-mucks served it, chatting with the staff as they did so. three meals were served: around noon time, an evening meal and another meal at 0100 for the night shift. it seems like such a silly thing now, but i remember how good it made us feel. we weren't all alone in giving up our holidays -- everone from the chairman of the board on down showed up to serve those meals. we felt appreciated!

one of the several managers i had during my five year stint in spokane made the effort to give each of her staff a christmas gift. the one i remember best was soup. she had an attractive glass mason jar and filled it with ten different kinds of beans. she tied a ribbon around the top and tied a spice packet and a recipe to the jar, and then had a special label with each individual name in calligraphy. it wasn't expensive, but she had put some effort into. (and the soup was delicious -- too bad i can't find the recipe now!) when she handed out the gifts, she made an effort to chat with each one of her staff and mention something about them that she had noticed and appreciated that year. again -- her staff felt appreciated!

contrast that with the manager i had in seattle who mistook me for another member of her staff and chewed me out publiclly for that other person's error. when i pointed out that i wasn't who she thought i was, she said "oh. well it isn't my job to know the staff. i have assistant nurse managers for that." and she never apologized either for the mistake or for the public reaming out until years later when she was working as a staff nurse and i was orienting her to some device. at that time, she allowed as how she had made a number of mistakes as a manager, and she knew she hadn't treated me well . . . .

my point is that it rarely takes more than a few minutes of time to make your staff feel known and appreciated. i think it's worth the time!

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

ASK your staff is the best way to find out what THEY want.

Cull your top five ideas, add space for their suggestions and send out survey. Be prepared for torrent of ideas and emotions as all too often, nobody asks them!

What we want and they want can be opposite sides of the coin.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

At this point, I'm afraid that the only thing would make me happy is to quit working and continue drawing my paycheck and benefits. That suggestion probably doesn't help you, though, does it?

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
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!

(I didn't want to be influenced by other answers, so I will go back and read the other posts after I answer.)

I think that the culture of my workplace is the biggest driver of my personal satisfaction. A nurturing, supportive environment means a lot.

I think of a place where nurses are nice to one another, who help one another, who don't backstab one another or write each other up for petty things, who are fair to one another, and who accommodate one another.

OK, so I describe Utopia. But there you have it. That's my idea of a great workplace and a great team to be on.

Since no such facility exists, you'll just have to pay me enough money and benefits so that I can be more comfortable at home with those who really do love me, no matter how many times I screw up.

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Specializes in Med/Surg; Psych; Tele.

Well, at my job, I think I would be the happiest if they would end all 8 hour shifts immediately, making all the staff 12 hour employees. We are trying to eventually go to all 12s, but there are some 8 hour employees who have been there a long time who are just not agreeable.

I say this because from 3p-7p it is aweful: we 12 hour folk pick up 2-3 extra patients and some times lose a few (and of course pick up replacement patients). It's just kinda difficult to finish all the afternoon assessments/meds/care with 2-3 extra patients who you will only know for about 3.5 hours (after getting report).

OK, that's my wish :biggringi

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Specializes in Acute Med, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.

i'll tell you what would make me a satisfied employee.....more staff!! on night shift there's only 3 RNs for 24 patients and no health care aides. tonite someone called in sick 1 hour before shift start...so here i was scrambling to find a replacement. the only problem is there's no one to call who can work it!

if the unit is staffed adequately, then this shouldnt be a problem. and let me tell you...if we had more staff we'd all be a bit happier.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, Hemodialysis.
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!

"Not the obvious (more money, better benefits, better ratios)"

:rotfl: :rotfl: :roll :rotfl: :rotfl:

Isn't that like going up to a man hanging off a cliff and saying, "what whould you like BESIDES a rope, parachute, or a softer landing."

:chuckle :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

I understand your point and I am sure that you don't have any control over your hospital's budget, but the thought did make me laugh. I mean, you can buy me a top of the line radio for my car, but if my car doesn't start, has four flat tires, and a missing transmission, I will eventually have to turn off the radio and "catch the bus." Other "perks" will be nice at first, but eventually if hospitals CARE about retention, they MUST address proper pay, benefits, and safe pt to Nurse ratios!! I know of two hospitals that I worked for that BRAGGED considerably about "how much" they spent to "get the top docs." Huge benefit packages on top of Large salaries! Why not spend at least a percentage of that budget to increase nursing salary. NOT, to compete with the other hospitals in the area, but instead, to show nurses what you think they are worth.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Anything that gives me more autonomy and independence. And that doesn't cost money. Go figure. I've read studies that say one of the top stressors on employees is lack of control.

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