How Nursing Leadership & Management Affects Work Environments

Creating a happy and productive work environment for nurses on the floor can be accomplished with the effective leadership and management practices of the nursing manager. A smooth and efficient nursing department provides patients with the best possible care and services. In order to maintain a happy nursing department, the nursing manager must ensure that everyone is doing their part to create a desirable work environment. Several factors can assist nursing managers with their leadership and management.

Instructions

• 1

  Design a realistic work and patient schedule. This helps maintain a happy work environment by giving the nurses time to provide all necessary patient care and documentation while on duty without time constraints. Nurses who have adequate time to perform their job duties are more productive and enjoy their position. A realistic schedule allows nurses to provide direct patient care, chart on each patient's condition and maintain equipment without the stress of rushing to get things done. Mistakes may occur when nurses are forced to rush around or become distracted by unfulfilled duties while caring for patients. Realistic schedules help prevent unnecessary mistakes caused by lack of time and attention to details.

• 2

  Manage and show leadership by enforcing policies among those in the department. Lack of discipline in a nursing department leads to decreased performances among employees. This may occur when consequences are not enforced when rules or policies are disobeyed. Animosity may result among employees who feel that some workers are not held to the same standards as others. Nursing managers who treat all employees equally help to create a happier work environment by holding all employees accountable for their actions and pursuing disciplinary actions when appropriate.

• 3

  An open door policy helps managers stay in contact with staff.

  Allow employees to voice their concerns and provide solutions whenever possible. Nursing managers who comply with an "open door policy," allowing employees to bring their concerns and suggestions to the management staff, find themselves with fewer problems in the department. An open door policy allows employees to speak to the nursing manager about their complaints and suggestions for resolving any problems in the department. Managers who talk to their staff on a regular basis are more informed and have less difficulty when situations occur. Nursing managers can walk around the floor asking nurses if they are having any problems or if they have suggestions for ways to make the department an enjoyable place to work.

• 4

  Assist nurses who are busy to prevent them from feeling overwhelmed by their job duties. This helps maintain a happy work environment by showing nurses that their managers care about them and will help in any way they can to provide and maintain an efficient nursing department. Managers can assist nurses who fall behind on their work due to a patient's deteriorating condition, patient admittance onto the floor or a discharge from the floor. Nurses who receive help when needed are less stressed than those who are required to perform their duties without assistance when certain situations, such as a patient's deteriorating condition, occur.

• 5

  Lead the nursing department by example. Nursing managers who practice the same good work ethics that they enforce are more likely to gain the respect of their staff. Earning the respect of the department will make it easier to enforce the policies and hand out punishments to those who break the rules. Employees will listen to and follow the recommendations of a manager they see working just as hard as they do. Managers who cannot control their department often find themselves managing a less desirable work environment that may make it harder to hire and keep staff working in the department.