Jarrard Inc. National Nurse Survey: Job Satisfaction Steadies; Trust Needs Improvement

Nurse Managers Hold the Key to Increased Engagement

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., and CHICAGO, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Though job satisfaction among nurses is holding steady, less than half of nurses have a high degree of trust in their manager or team lead, according to a new survey from national healthcare strategic communications consultancy Jarrard Inc.

With an ongoing shortage of healthcare workers and myriad studies on job satisfaction and burnout, the workforce challenges facing provider organizations are well established. New research from Jarrard continues an investigation that goes beyond burnout. Instead, it examines more specifically how these vital caregivers feel about their organization and leaders, and the unique factors that contribute to their job satisfaction and loyalty.

"While the fever pitch pressure on nurses and reliance on travelers due to the pandemic has settled some, the nursing shortage persists and the financial stability of our nation's provider organizations remains shaky," said Jarrard Inc. President and Co-Founder Anne Hancock Toomey. "Lacking the resources to increase compensation or staffing levels, smart leaders know investing to improve engagement among their nursing staff is a high-return strategy to bolster their teams and the patient experience."

Jarrard's survey of approximately 1,000 nurses probed:

• Level of job satisfaction and likelihood to stay in healthcare
• Tactical and relational factors that might affect job satisfaction
• Effectiveness of onboarding programs
• Success of their managers' leadership and communication abilities

The findings show distinct bright spots for provider organizations when it comes to job satisfaction and likelihood to stay in nursing. Meanwhile, early engagement initiatives – specifically, onboarding programs – receive marginal marks. The same is true for nurse managers and their leadership. Together, these results can be viewed as encouraging, pointing toward the need for refined engagement versus wholesale change in order to retain nurses.

Career Satisfaction

About two-thirds of nurses say they're satisfied with their career and eight in 10 are likely to stay in healthcare. These numbers are holding steady from last year, indicating a level of stabilization among the nursing workforce. At the same time, nurses' loyalty to their managers and organization is weak. Better communication within teams, along with stronger relationships with managers, are key opportunities to increase job satisfaction. It is critical for provider organizations to offer medical staff the time and space to deepen team bonds. In addition, leaders at all levels must communicate more openly and provide opportunities for two-way conversations with nurses to provide clarity about issues that affect nurses and increase trust.

Onboarding and Retention

Nurses give onboarding at their current organization an average mark of 6.5 out of 10. Regarding ongoing support and career growth, just over half say they've been provided with recent professional development opportunities. About four in 10 say their performance reviews are one-sided or focus on mistakes and problems, while just over half say they are productive and helpful. These results point to a need for rethinking performance reviews to become more conversational and interactive. Indeed, nurses want more frequent feedback, giving organizations a perfect opportunity to create engaging nurse-manager meetings that include elements of professional development along with feedback on the day-to-day work.

Nurse Managers

Less than half of nurses express a high degree of trust in their direct manager. Meanwhile, seven in 10 nurses feel loyal to their team, but only two-thirds feel a sense of loyalty to their team lead. Overall, nurses give their managers an average mark of seven out of 10. Barely six in 10 nurses give their manager high marks on skills such as listening well, communicating well and handling difficult situations with empathy and tact. Providing more communications training for nurse managers may be an important investment for healthcare leaders to increase trust and strengthen the bond between supervisor and nurse – and, by extension, improve the organization's ability to advance change.

"We know that a strong middle-manager cohort can be the fulcrum of a successful provider organization," said David Jarrard, Chairman of the Jarrard Inc. Executive Committee. "These individuals are in the unique position of understanding first-hand both what front-line staff need and how the strategic direction of the organization will affect them."

He added that arming those managers with the tools and support to better engage with their teams will increase overall nurse satisfaction, while also helping managers feel fulfilled and engaged themselves.

"The collective impact of this work across an organization will be invaluable as providers seek to attract top talent, retain staff and deliver on their mission to care for patients," he summarized.

Full survey results can be found here.

About Jarrard Inc.

With offices in the healthcare hubs of Nashville and Chicago, Jarrard Inc. is a specialized healthcare consulting firm devoted to helping leaders during high-stakes moments of change, challenge and opportunity. The firm uses the power of communications, marketing and political strategy to help clients achieve their most important goals. Jarrard Inc.'s mission is to make healthcare better through its work. Founded in 2006, the firm has worked with more than 1,000 clients in 45+ states and served as a communications advisor on more than $75 billion in announced M&A and partnership transaction communications. The firm focuses on change management, issues and advocacy, and strategic positioning. Jarrard Inc. is a division of Chartis, one of the nation's leading healthcare advisory firms.

For more information, visit jarrardinc.com or follow on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Jarrard Inc.