Workplace violence and relational aggression are contributors to nurse burnout, turnover, and lack of engagement. By proactively addressing relational aggression and violence, organizations can have higher nurse engagement and reduce turnover intention (1). Healthcare organizations can work to improve the physical and emotional culture of safety within the workplace in the following ways:
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Meaningful recognition perception has an inverse relationship to burnout and has been linked to job embeddedness increasing one’s perceived connection with peers and the organization (1, 2). How recognition is communicated plays a vital role in the perception of its significance. Organizations are encouraged to take a personal approach in determining what delivery method is meaningful to the “end user (1).” Once known, the recognition should be specific to an act or accomplishment, timely, delivered by someone professionally important to the individual, and aligned with the individual’s values. Delayed accolades or non-specific recognition efforts can be disingenuous (3, 4, 5). Steps to take to engage in meaningful recognition of frontline staff can include the following:
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Allowing employees to be involved in decisions that impact their work increases engagement and strengthens the voice of individual contributors. True professional governance and shared decision-making have direct care staff at the core of decisions impacting their practice and patient care areas, increasing their autonomy and validating their professional competence (1). Things organizations can do to enhance professional governance and shared decision-making:
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Nurses have experienced significant trauma since early 2020. Those working in emergency departments, critical care, medical-surgical, psychiatric, and mental health report higher stigma associated with seeking help. Studies indicate that nurses who may have a higher need for services, like other high-stress occupations, may be less likely to seek help. Organizations can take steps to normalize help-seeking behaviors through the following actions (1):
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Nurses require personal space, privacy, quiet time, and preferably uninterrupted time out of the patient care area for meaningful rest breaks. Some ideal break spaces include: