Nursing staff discouraged now

The morale of some of our nurses is really low and they complain about how horrible this job is for them. This keeps repeating every day and nobody is adressing it. It gets to the point that the rest of us who enjoy our job just stay away from them. The nurse manager is aware of the issue and she states that she can not afford to lose any nurses right now. How would you adress the issue without creating conflict? Last edit by Ivana RN-BC on Jan 11, '11 : Reason: How to adress negativity
Wow, that really sucks. I'm sorry.

That's so frustrating... considering all we do at the bedside, it takes a lot of energy to participate in volunteer activities at work during our off-hours... Perhaps the right people will notice a drop in participation at these activities and put two & two together... if not a pay bonus, then SOME incentive would be nice!

Just let them know there are many new grads out there willing a ready to take the jobs that they hate just to get a job. I'd rather have a job that I hate if I could just get one at all....

Find out exactly why those nurses are unhappy and find solutions to those problems. I don't understand why the nurse manager says she can't afford to lose nurses if she doesn't try to solve why the nurses are leaving.

Are their complaints valid? What is being done to address them by management?

If somebody throws you a hot potato, throw it back to them! When somebody complains, you can retreat, or you can go forwrd with it. Ask them what they're doing to resolve the problem. If they complain about another person, ask them what that person said when they brought it ot their attention. There are many variations, but the point is for you to not feel helpless, and don't buy into the implied helplessness of the complainer. Soon they'll realise that they either need to do something about the problem, or at least leave you alone for lack of secondary gain. Good luck, glad you've recognised and avoided what I call "the malignant attitude." Hope this helps cause I feel your pain.

You know some complaints are valid, because our facility is undergoing a lot of changes. Most of the changes have been negative (cutting staff, cutting pay etc. ) It hasn't been a joy for the most of us. But I guess some nurses can cope better than others. But I think it is inappropriate to be vocal at the nurses desk how unhappy the job makes them feel.

I don't agree with the usual griping that happens around the nurses station, but in this case I would hope that some visitors overhear what is being done to the nurses. I know I'm a bad girl, but we all know who fills out the surveys (family members) and we all know that is the feedback that means the most to the execs.

Quote from myree72I don't agree with the usual griping that happens around the nurses station, but in this case I would hope that some visitors overhear what is being done to the nurses. I know I'm a bad girl, but we all know who fills out the surveys (family members) and we all know that is the feedback that means the most to the execs.

Nobody likes a Debbie Downer.11 Low Cost Ways to Increase Employee Morale:http://sbinformation.about.com/od/bu...yee-morale.htm

Quote from SweetheartRNJust let them know there are many new grads out there willing a ready to take the jobs that they hate just to get a job. I'd rather have a job that I hate if I could just get one at all....

I see a situation like yours on my unit now. I can tell you- the mood on my unit was at its best when staff felt involved in the decisions and policys on the floor. When staff felt valued and special they tended to have much better job satisfaction than when they were treated like just one more cog in the machine. If your unit manager is concerned about the morale on the unit see if she can have a "mandatory" staff meeting to explore what people see as the problem, and brain-storm changes to improve the state of affairs. The "discouraged" staff need to be in positions on leadership in developing a plan for change. Empowering people to make positive changes ends up making more positive people.From a peer standpoint- is there anything you can do to promote group identity and cohesion. Organize something as simple as a bowling night, or better yet- a conference that can improve your practice,-anything that gets a group together outside of work. Invite the discouraged staff specifically. Being told the gathering won't be the same without you does a lot to help people feel better about thier value to the floor and thier peers.To make much difference you are going to need the suppport of you manager- but if you want the situation to change, ostracizing the staff with poor morale just makes the problem worse.