The relationship between workplace incivility and turnover intention in nurses: A cross-sectional study

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between workplace incivility and the turnover intention in nurses.

Studies assessing the association between nurses' turnover intention and workplace incivility are limited.

The research was carried out on a total of 250 nurses working in three private hospitals in Antalya, Turkey. The data were collected using a Demographic Questionnaire, the Workplace Incivility Scale and the Turnover Intention Scale.

The mean workplace incivility scores of the nurses were determined to be 6.68 ± 7.96. The mean turnover intention scores of the nurses were 6.38 ± 3.44. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between workplace incivility scores and turnover intention scores (r = 0.632, p = 0.0001). The linear regression model showed that workplace incivility, working in the emergency or intensive care unit, and dissatisfaction with the current institution were independent factors of turnover intention.

The results of the study demonstrated a significant relationship between workplace incivility and turnover intention in nurses. Nurses who are less exposed to workplace incivility were seen to have a lower turnover intention.

Simple measures that organisations may take to reduce workplace incivility may increase nurses' workplace satisfaction, reduce turnover intention and enable them to work more efficiently. It would be useful for nursing managers to lead initiatives in institutions to reduce workplace incivility and improve the culture of civility.