When Nurses Week rolls around each May, healthcare employers order a plethora of mugs, pens, pins and other schwag for distribution to their nurses in order to show appreciation for their contributions. This is all well and good, but what types of engagement do nurses really want and deserve? And how can employers use these tools in order to retain nurses over the long term?

Paying it forward

High-quality nursing care contributes enormously to patient satisfaction, which we all know is now tied to reimbursement. Since nurses are the frontline personnel with whom patients interact most consistently, one can surmise that nurse-patient relationships have a direct correlation to patient satisfaction, and ultimately, a facility's earnings.

In some regions of the U.S., nurses report that salaries are relatively robust and fair. In other areas, salaries are significantly lower, and nurses may find that their earning potential — when measured against inflation — hasn't changed much since the turn of the century.

Image: U.S. Department of Labor

While we recognize the financial squeeze being put on healthcare institutions (Medicare reimbursement reductions being one factor), we also recognize that nurse retention is worth its weight in gold, and appropriate salaries likely have a significant impact on retention and satisfaction.

Can all healthcare facilities increase nurse salaries? Of course not. But those who can should seriously consider how salary, satisfaction and retention are intrinsically linked.

Workplace culture and relationships

Nurses know some healthcare employers may be financially strapped, thus we look for other incentives in order to remain happily employed.

Positive treatment in the workplace is an enormous boon for nurse retention and satisfaction, and we nurses recognize when we're treated well. If respect, compassion, a positive workplace culture, and corporate and administrative transparency are practiced assiduously, nurses take notice, and employer loyalty follows.

Meanwhile, if bullying and harassment are rampant within an institution, and management turns a blind eye, nurses take note of the facility's lack of decisive action. Bullying between nurses (also known as "lateral violence" or "horizontal violence") can wreak havoc on team cohesion and effectiveness, and facilities desiring to retain their best staff must take a proactive stance against aberrant behavior.

Anti-bullying posters are fine, but bringing in experts to deal with the situation can be crucial, and there should be zero tolerance for bullying from the top down.

Teamwork and collectivism

Healthcare workplaces need to create environments wherein nurses feel safe to reflect on their experiences and co-create solutions to identified problems.

When aspects of collectivism and empowered teamwork are brought to the fore, nurses respond. While some nurses shy away from joining committees or task forces, many nurses love to get their hands dirty, use their powerful skills of critical thinking, and play an active role in creating answers to vexing questions.

Encouraging collective thinking and team-oriented problem-solving helps nurses to invest in their workplaces through the creation of trust, teamwork and communal effort.

Think from the heart and the head

Healthcare institutions should think from both the heart and the head. The costs and benefits of onboarding, nurse retention and patient satisfaction are crucial factors, as are the emotional and spiritual aspects of workplace culture. If we ignore any of these, we all lose in the end.

Managing from a purely left-brained perspective will shoot a healthcare institution in the foot, as will focusing too keenly on culture while ignoring cash flow. Forward-thinking healthcare management considers nurse satisfaction, remuneration, workplace culture and the ways in which cohesive teams are formed and helped to thrive.

Engage nurses in positive action, retain them through a positive workplace culture, and pay them as well as you possibly can. It's a big market, and nurses and patients alike can vote with their feet. When healthcare institutions walk their talk, positive results will make themselves known.