Improving Structural Empowerment and Job Satisfaction Among State Health Facility Surveyors

State survey agencies are experiencing an increase in work requirements and surveyor staffing instability thereby compromising organizational performance. No information has been published about surveyor perceptions of the work environment and job satisfaction to inform management interventions for improvement.

The purposes of this study were to evaluate state health facility surveyor perceptions of the work environment and to formulate management recommendations for improving recruitment and retention.

The Theory of Structural Empowerment (SE) served as the framework for this study which employed a nonexperimental descriptive survey design. Data were obtained using the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, the Job Satisfaction Survey, and open-ended questions. Participants were surveyors employed by a state survey agency in northeast United States (N = 52).

Surveyors reported moderate and ambivalent overall SE and job satisfaction, respectively. Significant differences among bureaus, divisions, disciplines/backgrounds, and level of nursing education were identified.

Surveyor perceptions of SE and job satisfaction are suboptimal and could be improved with modifications to the work environment.

Managers should assess how staff perceive the work environment and implement data-driven, evidence-based interventions that can reduce attrition and improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.