Long work shifts, staffing shortages, stressful work, family pressures, and lack of resources has led to an overwhelming rate of nursing burnout. How bad is it? As of last year, nearly half of nurses said they wanted to leave their job; and that number rose as the pandemic has dragged on. There are a few things you can help reduce burnout and empower your nurses:
- Acknowledge, empathize, listen, and help. Encourage them to share their fears and needs, then make a real effort to address them.
- Support nurses’ physical and mental wellbeing. This can be as simple as hosting events such as meditation classes or walking groups, starting a wellness program, or creating support groups. Share opportunities for online education, counseling, and supportive services.
- Encourage nurses to take breaks and have a work-life balance. Make sure they know what breaks and time off they are entitled to.
- Offer flexible hours. Flex schedules are increasingly popular, and studies show that these can help decrease exhaustion and stress. Give nurses some control over their schedules so that they feel more empowered and respected.
- Optimize nurse workflows. Especially during a crisis or challenging times, it’s too easy to add administrative work and new responsibilities to nurses’ workloads. It also is difficult not to count on good workers to take up the slack when their colleagues are out sick or there is significant turnover. Look for ways to eliminate time-wasting tasks and activities and make efficient use of technology to streamline work processes and reduce paperwork.
- Improve nurse-to-patient ratios. This can be challenging, but one way to do this is to use demand-based scheduling that is built around appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios.
