'A good person does not feel envy': envy in a nursing community

The definition of envy is commonly based on psychoanalytical views of organizational culture. The purpose of this paper is to describe envy in a nursing community. The population study consisted of random sample of 120 subjects drawn from among the employees of one central hospital in Finland. The study material consisted of data collected by questionnaires (response rate 65%). The data were processed by various statistical methods. Open-ended questions were analysed by inductive content analysis. The results of this study indicated that the employee's view of his/her official position in the nursing community, his/her relationships with his/her fellow workers and the management as well as relationships with other nursing communities are all related to envy. The employee's view of his/her official position intensified his/her feelings of envy, if he/she had other negative feelings, anxiety, dissatisfaction with him/herself, and negative feelings towards fellow workers. The major object of envy was fellow workers' salaries. Envy towards other nursing communities was generated by alleged differences in the amount of labour, or by the charge nurse's greater interest in other sections. Employees coped with envy by hiding these feelings and being modest. Women coped with envy by being silent, while men denied the value of the object of envy.