Career optimism and job-related well-being of Australian nurses during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Australia has been confronted with a severe nursing deficit, making it difficult to maintain a strong healthcare workforce capable of meeting the mounting demands of healthcare organizations. AIMS: This study aimed to understand how personal and organizational resources influence career optimism and job-related affective well-being of Australian nurses during a pandemic using the Conservation of Resource Theory. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was emailed to 123 Australian nurses from January to February 2021. The survey consisted of self-reported measures, including mindfulness, career optimism, job-related affective well-being, personal and job resources measures, and the Dirty Dozen scale. Correlations, independent sample t-test, and a series of hierarchical regressions were conducted on the cross-sectional data with SPSS Version 27. The STROBE checklist was used to report the results. RESULTS: Findings suggested that mindfulness, perceived supervisor support, and job autonomy were significant predictors of job-related well-being, whereas mindfulness, perceived supervisor support, and opportunities for professional growth contributed more to career optimism of nurses during a health crisis. Male nurses in this study reported significantly higher mindfulness, career optimism, and job-related well-being levels than female nurses. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Developing mindfulness among nurses, allocating organizational resources to facilitate more supervisor support, and providing job autonomy may enhance career optimism and job-related well-being of nursing staff who work in disruptive and high-demand work environments such as those experienced during the COVID-19 health crisis. Supervisors should also facilitate and encourage nurses to reflect and be mindful of their behaviors with their peers and patients which can help to reduce exploitative or arrogant behaviors in the workplace.

Building workforce well-being capability: The findings of a wellness self-care programme.

AIM: To implement and evaluate a co-designed staff well-being programme. BACKGROUND: Working in health care can be physically and psychologically demanding. The job demands-resources model indicates job resources moderate the impact of job demands on staff well-being. Well-being initiatives introduced by organisations improve staff commitment, and reduce absences and incidents. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was applied. In 2019, within an Australian local health district, 232 health care professionals across eight hospitals and two community settings attended a six-week well-being programme, which included a variety of self-care strategies, for example mindfulness. Nine 1-hr focus groups were completed 2-4 weeks post-programme. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to explore participants' thoughts and experiences. RESULTS: Participants experienced joy from workshops and guilt for leaving peers with their workload. Participants developed strong interpersonal relationships with workshop attendees within a 'safe well-being space'. Broader impacts expressed by participants were; learnt coping mechanisms and proactive self-care practices and can be easily embedded into daily routines. Participants shared their 'toolkit' with colleagues, family and friends, positively impacting the well-being of people around them. CONCLUSION: Participants encouraged by their new well-being 'toolkit' engaged with colleagues, better managed stressors and shared learnings. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Building well-being capability within a health organisation requires nursing management to make staff well-being a strategic priority, use a co-design approach and embed coping mechanisms at the grassroots levels.

Caring for the carers in a public health district: A well-being initiative to support healthcare professionals.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of the proactive organisational resource allocation in terms of a 6-week well-being initiative to support public healthcare professionals' workplace engagement, well-being and job satisfaction. BACKGROUND: Burnout of healthcare professionals can be a major cost to the Australian economy and public healthcare sector. According to the social exchange theory, when healthcare professionals perceive that their organisation proactively allocates resources to caring for its employees, then they are more likely to reciprocate and become more engaged in their work roles. DESIGN: The study used a pre- and postsurvey of healthcare professionals who participated in the well-being initiative. METHODS: Between February-June 2019, 172 healthcare professionals were surveyed before and after a well-being initiative. The survey included questions on workplace engagement, workplace well-being and job satisfaction. Paired t tests were used to determine whether the difference between before and after averages was significant. The TREND statement was used to ensure the quality reporting of this study. RESULTS: The well-being initiative had a positive impact on the healthcare professionals involved in the initiative. Nursing staff benefitted the most from the well-being initiative, while the full-time staff members and highly experienced demonstrated an increase in engagement. CONCLUSION: Well-being initiatives can be a targeted strategy to help alleviate burnout amongst healthcare professionals and build a mutually beneficial relationship between management and employees. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study shows how implementing a staff well-being initiative increases workplace engagement, which benefits both the individual and the organisation.