Creating a Healthy & Positive Nursing Work Environment

• A negative workplace can be detrimental, particularly in the nursing work environment.
• With lives on the line, it is vital that we address methods that will improve the workplace for nursing staff.
• Of course, these are only a few options that we believe to be effective from our experiences in the field.

The Effects of a Poor Nursing Work Environment

Burnout

As we have covered in previous blogs, one of the main outcomes of negative workplace environments in nursing is burnout.  

In a recent Nursing CE Central burnout study, evaluating its severity among thousands of nurses, 66% claimed negative workplace morale was a major contributor to their feelings of burnout.  

Addressing nursing burnout must be one of the first steps taken in order to overcome negative nursing work environments, as it has a direct connection with patient safety.  

Increased Turnover Rates

When there is a lack of organizational support, turnover rates will suffer. From chief nursing officers (CNOs) to physicians, effective, respectful, and patient-centered communication must be exchanged between all healthcare staff.

Additionally, an OfficeVibe study found that 70% of employees claim that developing friendships is “crucial” to a positive workplace environment.  

Decreased Productivity

In the healthcare setting, productivity means patients are being seen, cared for, and discharged at a reasonable rate.  

If productivity is diminished, the implications can be fatal.

How Can I Change the Nursing Work Environment Without a Leadership Role?

Your voice is more powerful than you think, and there are several small moves you can make to help make a cultural shift.  

Danielle LeVeck, DNP, ACNPC-AG, CCNS, RN, CCRN, from Nurse.org, outlines several things she has done with her unit to improve morale that doesn’t require a leadership position: 

1. Dedicating a spot on your unit where staff can drop off gift cards, special pens, badge reels, etc. 
2. Decorating for the holidays.
3. Surprise coffee or lunches.
4. Having potlucks.
5. Posting shoutout/kudos cards around the unit.

Anything that will brighten someone’s day or make them feel valued is a step in the right direction toward creating a positive nursing work environment — and you don’t need a leadership position to do that. 

What Can Nurse Leaders Do?

Understanding Your Staff

Every facility is different, and it’s crucial that nurse leaders understand the stressors that affect their staff. Factors affecting burnout in a clinic are very different from the ICU. Oftentimes it will be obvious, but at other times, presence and involvement will lend valuable insights.

Staff must feel comfortable bringing concerns to leadership and confident that those concerns will be addressed.  

Leaders should create an open, non-judgmental environment for nurses to bring forth concerns. It is not unusual to see nurse leaders become burdened with managerial tasks, which can further lead to detachment from their unit.  

Mitigating these instances through effective time prioritization is essential in having unit successes.   

Advocating for Your Nursing Team

Hospital administration can become unaware of the day-to-day stressors their nurses are enduring.  

From our experiences, we have found that impactful decisions from administrators have been made without adequate consideration for the nursing staff. Nursing leadership should advocate for their staff and ensure that their concerns are appropriately represented during discussions.

The Bottom Line

Hospital administration can be unaware of the day-to-day stressors their nurses are enduring. We’ve found that impactful decisions from administrators have been made without adequate consideration for the nursing staff. Nursing leadership should advocate for their nursing staff and ensure that their concerns are appropriately represented during discussions. The road to creating a positive nursing work environment can be a long one, but it is necessary that we start today.

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