Nurse perceptions of workplace environment: differences across shifts

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Work schedules are known to influence employee attitudes, particularly within the nursing profession.
• Further research is needed to understand the specific reasons behind differing nurse perceptions across various work shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of nurse work shifts on perceptions of the workplace.
• To identify specific aspects of the work environment that are perceived differently by nurses working different shifts.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory study analyzed observational data from the Veterans Health Administration All Employee Survey (n=14057) across 2008, 2010, and 2012.
• Graphical evaluation assessed the magnitude of differences in item means across shifts.
• Ordinal logistic regression was employed to control for demographic variables and survey year effects.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in workplace perceptions were observed among nurses working different shifts.
• Perceptions related to supervisors and fairness showed the most substantial variations across shifts.
• Nurses working night and weekend shifts reported more negative perceptions compared to those on weekday shifts.

Conclusions:

• Nurses working off-shifts reported lower satisfaction with work-life balance, supervisors, and fairness.
• Overall job satisfaction and intention to leave the job were not as significantly affected by shift work.
• Identified disparities offer actionable insights for nurse managers to enhance workforce support and communication strategies.