ABSTRACT
A leader should create an environment in which everyone feels safe. Yet, there is a rising, deadly epidemic in healthcare on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic: workplace violence. Healthcare workers, particularly nurses, are at a far higher risk of violence on the job compared with most other professions. Leaders have the power to reverse this trend by sounding the alarm, doubling down on their commitment to workplace safety organization-wide, and taking a comprehensive approach that integrates high-tech with high-touch strategies.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Workplace Violence , Humans , Touch , Pandemics , WorkplaceABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated long-standing challenges in the workforce, resulting in a shortage of nurses that has now reached crisis levels. At the same time, there is a concerning "skills gap" that has been emerging for some time. Leaders have typically relied on legacy recruitment and retention strategies to mitigate these challenges, but these will not be sufficient to address staffing gaps. In this article, the authors discuss how current staffing challenges differ from previous workforce shortages and propose 7 executive strategies for C-suite leaders to prepare for the future nursing workforce.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Nursing Staff , Humans , Pandemics , WorkforceABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic exhausted the nursing workforce, casting doubt that future supply will meet demand. To preserve their workforces, nursing leaders are offering emotional support to the frontline. Although these efforts are essential, leaders are overlooking an untapped opportunity to safeguard staffing levels: creating a more flexible nursing workforce. In this article, the authors discuss flexible nurse staffing and suggest 4 key opportunities for improvement.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/nursing , Nursing Staff/supply & distribution , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/organization & administration , Health Workforce/organization & administration , HumansABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has left frontline staff burned out and exhausted. Meanwhile, executives need to ask more of their staff to ensure organizational viability. In this article, the authors propose that executives commit to taking specific actions to create a more supportive work environment and form an executive-clinician compact. This article outlines the 5 actions executives should take to bolster staff engagement and resilience long-term.