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Publication
Attention to nurses’ rewarding: An interview study of registered nurses working in primary and private health care in Finland.
Journal Contribution - Journal Article
Aims and objectives. To identify meaningful types of rewards and the consequences of rewards as expressed by Finnish registered nurses working in primary and private healthcare.
Background. Previous studies have found significant associations between nurses’ rewards and both their commitment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, appropriate rewards can have beneficial effects on factors including workforce stability and occupational satisfaction that are highly important in times of nurse shortages. Design. A cross-sectional, qualitative interview study.
Methods. Data were collected via individual semi-structured interviews (n = 20) with registered nurses working in Finland’s primary and private healthcare, and subjected to qualitative content analysis.
Results. Six meaningful types of rewards were identified by the registered nurses: Financial compensation and benefits, Work-Life balance, Work content, Profes- sional development, Recognition, and Supportive leadership. Rewards encouraged respondents to perform their work correctly and reinforced occupational satisfac- tion, but also caused feelings of envy and stress.
Conclusions. It is essential to pay attention to nurses’ preferences for particular rewards and to reward management. When designing effective reward systems for registered nurses, it is not sufficient to provide financial rewards alone, as various kinds of non-financial rewards are both meaningful and necessary.
Relevance to clinical practice. When trying to improve registered nurses’ commit- ment and job satisfaction through reward management, it is important to listen to nurses’ opinions to create a reward system that integrates financial and non-finan- cial rewards and is fair from their perspective. Healthcare organisations that offer registered nurses a holistic reward system are more likely to retain satisfied and committed nurses at a time of increasing nursing shortages.
Background. Previous studies have found significant associations between nurses’ rewards and both their commitment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, appropriate rewards can have beneficial effects on factors including workforce stability and occupational satisfaction that are highly important in times of nurse shortages. Design. A cross-sectional, qualitative interview study.
Methods. Data were collected via individual semi-structured interviews (n = 20) with registered nurses working in Finland’s primary and private healthcare, and subjected to qualitative content analysis.
Results. Six meaningful types of rewards were identified by the registered nurses: Financial compensation and benefits, Work-Life balance, Work content, Profes- sional development, Recognition, and Supportive leadership. Rewards encouraged respondents to perform their work correctly and reinforced occupational satisfac- tion, but also caused feelings of envy and stress.
Conclusions. It is essential to pay attention to nurses’ preferences for particular rewards and to reward management. When designing effective reward systems for registered nurses, it is not sufficient to provide financial rewards alone, as various kinds of non-financial rewards are both meaningful and necessary.
Relevance to clinical practice. When trying to improve registered nurses’ commit- ment and job satisfaction through reward management, it is important to listen to nurses’ opinions to create a reward system that integrates financial and non-finan- cial rewards and is fair from their perspective. Healthcare organisations that offer registered nurses a holistic reward system are more likely to retain satisfied and committed nurses at a time of increasing nursing shortages.
Journal: J Clin Nurs
ISSN: 0962-1067
Issue: 7-8
Volume: 26
Pages: 1042-1052
Publication year:2017
Keywords:financial rewards, non-financial rewards, nurses’ turnover, nursing shortage, qualitative study, Registered nurses, reward satisfaction, total rewards
CSS-citation score:1
Authors:International