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THE RIGHT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP Monique Veld looks at how managers can improve nurses’ commitment to their jobs by emphasising trust and investing in staff
NOTICE BOARD
Many healthcare organisations struggle to retain their employees. Irregular work times, unsocial hours, heavy workloads and emotionally demanding interactions all jeopardise nurses’ intentions to stay in health care. From previous studies, we know that nurses who are more committed and feel less job strain are more inclined to remain working in health care. However, we still have a limited understanding of the actions organisations can take to improve commitment and retention, and reduce the levels of job strain among nurses. Karina Van De Voorde, assistant professor in the department of human resource studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and I conducted a study of two relevant organisational factors. We were interested in how the relationship between nurses and their employers is related to their
feelings of commitment and their experiences of job strain. We distinguished between two types of relationship: Economic: characterised as a short-term relationship concerned with financial aspects such as pay and benefits. Social: characterised as a long-term relationship emphasising trust and investment in nurses.
To investigate how these organisational factors improve commitment and reduce stress, we asked 263 nurses working in a number of Dutch healthcare organisations about the extent to which they perceived their employment relationships as economic or social and about their perceptions of their work environments and their feelings
Lessons from the study Creating a positive climate for wellbeing fosters social exchange, while reducing the emphasis on economic exchange. This enhances nurses’ commitment to their immediate work and reduces job strain. Managers can enhance a climate of wellbeing by expressing support for and appreciation of nurses’ behaviours and values, investing in relevant training, and removing obstacles to excellent care. Managers are responsible for ensuring that nurses receive support at ward level, such as by providing sufficient development opportunities and career support. Too much focus on economic oriented relationships with employees has an adverse effect on commitment. In light of the expected staff shortages in health care and given that commitment is a precursor of employee retention, healthcare organisations need to search for ways to increase nurses’ commitment.
Leadership Skills for Health will be running a Level 5 Leadership and Management Programme in London on September 1, October 2 and 23, and November 13. The programme is accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management and is designed to equip delegates with skills and knowledge that will enable them to be more effective in the workplace, develop productive working relationships and have a greater appreciation of their capabilities. tinyurl.com/SfHLandM Specialist nurses Prostate Cancer UK and the British Association of Urology Nurses would like to understand more about the work, activity and needs of specialist nurses working in urology/uro-oncology and prostate cancer in
particular. Collecting data on specialist nurse roles and work will improve understanding of the workforce, its future plans, show where investment might be needed and understand the contribution of specialist nursing. The two charities would like to explore this in more detail and are asking specialist nurses to complete a short survey by July 31. www.surveymonkey.com/s/PCUK Public Health Public Health England will hold its annual conference on September 16 and 17 at Warwick University. The event will include a keynote address by secretary of state for health Jeremy Hunt and the chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens. It will bring together people from national and local government, industry, academia, the voluntary and community sectors and the NHS. There
64 july 23 :: vol from 28 no 47 :: 2014 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 06, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CAREERS
Monique Veld is assistant professor in the faculty of management science and technology at the Open Universiteit of the Netherlands RESOURCES Taking Care of Nurses tinyurl.com/VeldM Association of Occupational Health Nurse Practitioners www.councilforworkandhealth. org.uk/aohnp The Society of Occupational Medicine www.som.org.uk
Catherine Sadler talks to MBE-recipient Marisa McFarlane
‘Surprised and honoured’ Supporting children with cancer and their families is central to recent MBE recipient Marisa McFarlane’s role as Macmillan paediatric cancer nurse specialist for Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. ‘The journey from diagnosis, through treatment to remission or the disappointment of relapse has an enormous impact on the lives of children, their parents and the wider family,’ she says. Ms McFarlane was drawn to cancer nursing during general training at Belfast’s Mater Hospital. She attended a post-qualification oncology course and it was while caring for children receiving radiotherapy that she first recognised the unique needs of young cancer patients and their families. Once she had decided that paediatric oncology nursing was for her, she opted for sick children’s nurse training at the Royal Belfast Hospital and worked there for six years. The creation of her current post was triggered by ward nurses’ recognition of these patients’ community needs. Ms McFarlane explains: ‘We built close relationships with our young patients while in and out of hospital for treatment. We visited them at home and found many needed specialist community support – for example, when a child returns to school after treatment or during end-of-life care.’
are pre-conference masterclasses and delegates can book to attend on one or both days. www.phe-conference.org.uk Awards Shire UK has launched its 2014 Nursing Bursary Awards in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The awards are open to all specialist ADHD nurses and nurses working with people with ADHD. Applications can be made to support creative nurse-led activities that go beyond day-to-day clinical duties. The deadline for applications is September 5. www.fullattention.co.uk/nursing-awards Parental leave A new system of shared parental leave will apply to parents whose babies are due on or after April 5 2015.
The first post of its kind in Northern Ireland, Ms McFarlane’s role involves liaising between hospital and community services as part of a multidisciplinary paediatric oncology team that includes children’s nurses and GPs. She says: ‘Each family’s circumstances are unique and, as children progress through treatment and mature, their needs change. ‘For example, a young child may just want to play, while adolescents might wish to talk through the implications of their illness. ‘On returning to school, children may have difficulty reintegrating with their peer group. Parents also often grow closer to their children during treatment, so find it hard to ease them back into school life.’ Ms McFarlane was ‘surprised and honoured’ to recently be awarded an MBE for services to nursing. She hopes this recognition of her team’s work motivates others in her speciality. ‘Northern Ireland’s paediatric services are under review, so hopefully this raises awareness of the need for more resources.’ Ms McFarlane suggests that nurses planning to specialise in her field should gain additional experience and training in oncology and children’s nursing NS KATE WEBSTER
of commitment and experiences of job strain. Our findings indicate that nurses evaluate their relationships with their employers in terms of their immediate work contexts. Nurses who were more positive about the climate for wellbeing in their ward experienced more socially oriented relationships; those who were less positive experienced more economically oriented relationships. Moreover, the results of our study showed that if nurses perceive their relationships with their employing organisations as social, they feel more committed and experience less strain. If they perceive their relationships primarily as economic, they feel less committed NS
Catharine Sadler is a freelance journalist
The new regulations also extend the statutory right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service. The regulations state that employers must deal with requests reasonably and within three months, unless an extension is agreed. tinyurl.com/ACASSPLFW Masterclass Healthcare Conferences will run an interactive masterclass on September 9 at the Hallam Conference Centre, London, on how to make better decisions. It will bring together practical information from a variety of disciplines and develop techniques to improve decision-making. Delegates will leave with new ideas and practical material that can be used in their organisations. Nursing Standard readers can claim a 20 per cent discount on the fee by quoting HCUK20RCN when booking. tinyurl.com/DecisionsHCC
NURSING STANDARD july No 23 other :: vol uses 28 no 47 :: permission. 2014 65 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 06, 2015. For personal use only. without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
THE RIGHT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP Monique Veld looks at how managers can improve nurses’ commitment to their jobs by emphasising trust and investing in staff
NOTICE BOARD
Many healthcare organisations struggle to retain their employees. Irregular work times, unsocial hours, heavy workloads and emotionally demanding interactions all jeopardise nurses’ intentions to stay in health care. From previous studies, we know that nurses who are more committed and feel less job strain are more inclined to remain working in health care. However, we still have a limited understanding of the actions organisations can take to improve commitment and retention, and reduce the levels of job strain among nurses. Karina Van De Voorde, assistant professor in the department of human resource studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and I conducted a study of two relevant organisational factors. We were interested in how the relationship between nurses and their employers is related to their
feelings of commitment and their experiences of job strain. We distinguished between two types of relationship: Economic: characterised as a short-term relationship concerned with financial aspects such as pay and benefits. Social: characterised as a long-term relationship emphasising trust and investment in nurses.
To investigate how these organisational factors improve commitment and reduce stress, we asked 263 nurses working in a number of Dutch healthcare organisations about the extent to which they perceived their employment relationships as economic or social and about their perceptions of their work environments and their feelings
Lessons from the study Creating a positive climate for wellbeing fosters social exchange, while reducing the emphasis on economic exchange. This enhances nurses’ commitment to their immediate work and reduces job strain. Managers can enhance a climate of wellbeing by expressing support for and appreciation of nurses’ behaviours and values, investing in relevant training, and removing obstacles to excellent care. Managers are responsible for ensuring that nurses receive support at ward level, such as by providing sufficient development opportunities and career support. Too much focus on economic oriented relationships with employees has an adverse effect on commitment. In light of the expected staff shortages in health care and given that commitment is a precursor of employee retention, healthcare organisations need to search for ways to increase nurses’ commitment.
Leadership Skills for Health will be running a Level 5 Leadership and Management Programme in London on September 1, October 2 and 23, and November 13. The programme is accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management and is designed to equip delegates with skills and knowledge that will enable them to be more effective in the workplace, develop productive working relationships and have a greater appreciation of their capabilities. tinyurl.com/SfHLandM Specialist nurses Prostate Cancer UK and the British Association of Urology Nurses would like to understand more about the work, activity and needs of specialist nurses working in urology/uro-oncology and prostate cancer in
particular. Collecting data on specialist nurse roles and work will improve understanding of the workforce, its future plans, show where investment might be needed and understand the contribution of specialist nursing. The two charities would like to explore this in more detail and are asking specialist nurses to complete a short survey by July 31. www.surveymonkey.com/s/PCUK Public Health Public Health England will hold its annual conference on September 16 and 17 at Warwick University. The event will include a keynote address by secretary of state for health Jeremy Hunt and the chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens. It will bring together people from national and local government, industry, academia, the voluntary and community sectors and the NHS. There
64 july 23 :: vol from 28 no 47 :: 2014 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 06, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CAREERS
Monique Veld is assistant professor in the faculty of management science and technology at the Open Universiteit of the Netherlands RESOURCES Taking Care of Nurses tinyurl.com/VeldM Association of Occupational Health Nurse Practitioners www.councilforworkandhealth. org.uk/aohnp The Society of Occupational Medicine www.som.org.uk
Catherine Sadler talks to MBE-recipient Marisa McFarlane
‘Surprised and honoured’ Supporting children with cancer and their families is central to recent MBE recipient Marisa McFarlane’s role as Macmillan paediatric cancer nurse specialist for Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. ‘The journey from diagnosis, through treatment to remission or the disappointment of relapse has an enormous impact on the lives of children, their parents and the wider family,’ she says. Ms McFarlane was drawn to cancer nursing during general training at Belfast’s Mater Hospital. She attended a post-qualification oncology course and it was while caring for children receiving radiotherapy that she first recognised the unique needs of young cancer patients and their families. Once she had decided that paediatric oncology nursing was for her, she opted for sick children’s nurse training at the Royal Belfast Hospital and worked there for six years. The creation of her current post was triggered by ward nurses’ recognition of these patients’ community needs. Ms McFarlane explains: ‘We built close relationships with our young patients while in and out of hospital for treatment. We visited them at home and found many needed specialist community support – for example, when a child returns to school after treatment or during end-of-life care.’
are pre-conference masterclasses and delegates can book to attend on one or both days. www.phe-conference.org.uk Awards Shire UK has launched its 2014 Nursing Bursary Awards in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The awards are open to all specialist ADHD nurses and nurses working with people with ADHD. Applications can be made to support creative nurse-led activities that go beyond day-to-day clinical duties. The deadline for applications is September 5. www.fullattention.co.uk/nursing-awards Parental leave A new system of shared parental leave will apply to parents whose babies are due on or after April 5 2015.
The first post of its kind in Northern Ireland, Ms McFarlane’s role involves liaising between hospital and community services as part of a multidisciplinary paediatric oncology team that includes children’s nurses and GPs. She says: ‘Each family’s circumstances are unique and, as children progress through treatment and mature, their needs change. ‘For example, a young child may just want to play, while adolescents might wish to talk through the implications of their illness. ‘On returning to school, children may have difficulty reintegrating with their peer group. Parents also often grow closer to their children during treatment, so find it hard to ease them back into school life.’ Ms McFarlane was ‘surprised and honoured’ to recently be awarded an MBE for services to nursing. She hopes this recognition of her team’s work motivates others in her speciality. ‘Northern Ireland’s paediatric services are under review, so hopefully this raises awareness of the need for more resources.’ Ms McFarlane suggests that nurses planning to specialise in her field should gain additional experience and training in oncology and children’s nursing NS KATE WEBSTER
of commitment and experiences of job strain. Our findings indicate that nurses evaluate their relationships with their employers in terms of their immediate work contexts. Nurses who were more positive about the climate for wellbeing in their ward experienced more socially oriented relationships; those who were less positive experienced more economically oriented relationships. Moreover, the results of our study showed that if nurses perceive their relationships with their employing organisations as social, they feel more committed and experience less strain. If they perceive their relationships primarily as economic, they feel less committed NS
Catharine Sadler is a freelance journalist
The new regulations also extend the statutory right to request flexible working to all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service. The regulations state that employers must deal with requests reasonably and within three months, unless an extension is agreed. tinyurl.com/ACASSPLFW Masterclass Healthcare Conferences will run an interactive masterclass on September 9 at the Hallam Conference Centre, London, on how to make better decisions. It will bring together practical information from a variety of disciplines and develop techniques to improve decision-making. Delegates will leave with new ideas and practical material that can be used in their organisations. Nursing Standard readers can claim a 20 per cent discount on the fee by quoting HCUK20RCN when booking. tinyurl.com/DecisionsHCC
NURSING STANDARD july No 23 other :: vol uses 28 no 47 :: permission. 2014 65 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 06, 2015. For personal use only. without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
