OR Manager - November 2019 - 12

Human resources
Continued from page 11
The goal should be to meld generations,
reaping the best of what each
brings to the table, says Jane McLeod,
MS, RN, co-founder/principal for Capstone
Leadership Solutions, Inc, in
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. " Younger
nurses know the cutting-edge research;
older nurses know the history
of the organization and how things
have been done, " she says. " We need
to have the two work together to find
common ground. "
Rose
Sherman,
EdD, RN, NEABC,
FAAN
It's worth noting, however,
that there are
many similarities among
the generations. Dowling
Dols' 2019 study found
that when asked what
the hospital needed to
do to retain them for the
next 5 years, members
of all generations identified
pay, staffing, and
nurse leadership support. And a Rainmaker
Thinking report concluded that
workers of all ages today are more likely
to disagree with their employers' missions,
policies, and decisions and to
question employers' rules, managers'
instructions, employment conditions,
and established rewards structures. Current
workers don't believe promises of
long-term rewards, and they want more
flexibility in working conditions.
Tulgan says leaders also should remember
that the goal is to take control
of turnover, not eliminate it. " If you are
serious about retaining the best, one
of the most important questions you
should be asking yourself is how you
can get turnover to skyrocket among the
low performers, " he says. For staff who
fall in the middle, leaders should help
them better understand their work targets.
" By paying attention to them and
their work, you tell them they are important
and their work is important, " Tulgan
says. " Best of all, you will help them
work a little faster and a little better. "
12
OR Manager | November 2019
Culture
AACN defines the components of a
healthy work environment (HWE) as
skilled communication, true collaboration,
effective decision making, appropriate
staffing, meaningful recognition,
and authentic leadership. A HWE isn't
just a nicety. " Patient mortality and employee
intent to leave are linked to an
unhealthy work environment, " Ulrich
says. A 2019 meta-analysis by Lake
and colleagues found that better work
environments are associated with better
nurse job outcomes, safety and quality
ratings, patient outcomes, and patient
satisfaction.
" The manager has a big part in setting
up a culture that's healthy, that has
a lot of shared decision making, that's
psychologically safe, and that focuses
on growth and learning, " Sherman says.
Four " c's " -community, celebration, civility,
and communication-help create
a positive culture.
Community
OR leaders can create a community
by fostering bonds among employees.
" Making the people at work feel like
a family is one of the most successful
strategies for retaining staff, " says
Sarah Bosserman, MSN, RN, CNOR,
perioperative clinical nurse educator and
CNOR coach and instructor at WellSpan
Health-York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania.
This is especially true for Millennials,
according to Jim Clifton, coauthor of
the book It's the Manager. Clifton says
that for this group, " the workplace has
become their family and community. "
One strategy to achieve community
is to spend time together outside work
to get to know one another. Bosserman
takes new staff out for group activities
such as bowling, dinner, and axe throwing,
which encourage a deeper connection.
" Some tell me that when they were
struggling halfway through orientation, it
was the activities outside of work that
kept them going, " she says.
Providing support to staff when difficult
situations arise also fosters community.
WellSpan Health has an employee
assistance program, and also
uses therapy dogs. " If staff are going
through a tough time, we'll bring in a pet
therapy dog to spend time with them, "
Bosserman says. The dogs' primary purpose
is to visit with patients, but a visit
with staff, either as a planned or surprise
event, boosts spirits.
Although employees value community
at work, they also want work-life
balance. " Call schedules have to be
flexible, " McLeod says. Creating employee-driven
teams to address scheduling
gives the opportunity for input,
which further enhances retention.
Celebration
Sarah Bosserman,
MSN,
RN, CNOR
Celebration promotes
community and boosts
employee recognition.
" We celebrate both big
and small accomplishments, "
Bosserman
says. Accomplishments
might be mentioned in
staff huddles or via email
notifications. Those who
advance in the clinical ladder get to
choose a cake for the celebration, and a
plaque in the main lobby lists all employees
who have achieved certification.
Natasha Luster, MSN, RN, CNOR,
says nurses at Premier Health-Miami
Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, receive
a small gift such as flowers or a mug
with their name. Other techniques that
Luster, nurse manager of surgical services,
uses to celebrate staff accomplishments
include sending staff cards
to mark milestones such as birthdays,
having a baby, or buying a house, and
thank you cards that point out specific
positive actions of staff.
Civility
Work environment civility, whether from
colleagues, patients, or families, plays
a large role in retention. " Organizations
need to protect nurses not only from latwww.ormanager.com
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