Job sharing: a retention strategy for nurses

Job sharing is a part-time employment alternative which offers advantages for employers interested in retaining experienced staff and nurses who are seeking a more equitable balance between work life and home life responsibilities. This quasi experimental, ex post facto research study was designed to determine if there are differences in job satisfaction, burnout, and desire to leave their position, in nurses who are employed in full-time, part-time, or job sharing positions. The sample (N = 269) was drawn from a large Canadian teaching and referral hospital. Three sample groups were developed, consisting of job sharing, full-time, and part-time nurses, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to identify characteristics of the selected population. Analysis of variance was used to examine differences between the three employment groups on the outcome measures of job satisfaction, burnout, and desire to leave their position. The results of this study significantly support the belief that job sharing has a positive impact on job satisfaction and job retention. Implications for nursing administrators as well as individual nurses will be discussed.