Attracting and maintaining the Y Generation in nursing: a literature review

Work-to-family conflict, family satisfaction and engagement nexus: insights from millennial managers

Purpose

Millennials’ perception of work, personal and family life is different from other generations. Building on studies on workforce generations, this paper aims to uncover not only the effect of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family satisfaction (FS) on millennial managers engagement but also the moderating effect of (gender and marital status) in predicting engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper used a survey to collect data from managers of selected companies in Nigeria. In total, 127 questionnaires were analysed using the partial least square structural equation modelling method.

Findings

Results reveal that the relationship between WFC, FS and millennial managers’ engagement is direct and significant. Besides, the effect of WFC on engagement is stronger in men and for married. The effect of FS on engagement is greater for women than men and for married.

Practical implications

This study informs the research community as well as practitioners and affirms the importance of supportive work-to-family life and FS in fostering millennial managers’ engagement with their organisations.

Originality/value

This study is among the initial attempts to evaluate the impact of WFC and FS on engagement among millennial managers, especially in Africa, Nigeria in particular. The results identify millennial managers’ unique perspectives towards engagement and how gender and marital status may enhance engagement. With millennials fast attaining leadership roles, such knowledge is important.

Investing in Canada’s nursing workforce post-pandemic: A call to action

Nurses represent the highest proportion of healthcare workers globally and have played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has shed light on multiple vulnerabilities that have impacted the nursing workforce including critical levels of staffing shortages in Canada. A review sponsored by the Royal Society of Canada investigated the impact of the pandemic on the nursing workforce in Canada to inform planning and implementation of sustainable nursing workforce strategies. The review methods included a trend analysis of peer-reviewed articles, a jurisdictional scan of policies and strategies, analyses of published surveys and interviews of nurses in Canada, and a targeted case study from Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. Findings from the review have identified longstanding and COVID-specific impacts, gaps, and opportunities to strengthen the nursing workforce. These findings were integrated with expert perspectives from national nursing leaders involved in guiding the review to arrive at recommendations and actions that are presented in this policy brief. The findings and recommendations from this policy brief are meant to inform a national and sustained focus on retention and recruitment efforts in Canada.

Retention strategies and barriers for millennial nurses: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this scoping review were to explore the existing literature related to millennial nurse-retention strategies and barriers, to examine and conceptually map the evidence, to extract any differences between Generation Y and Generation Z nurses, and to identify any gaps in the literature.

INTRODUCTION

The millennial generation has become the largest group of nurses in the workforce. As nursing leaders grow to understand this generation's tendency to change employers frequently, organizations need to identify and implement strategies and reduce barriers to retain this generation as employees.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Studies and reports including registered nurses born between 1980 and 2000 with any level of education preparation and in any setting or geographical location were included. Studies and reports that examined nurse-retention barriers and strategies were considered for inclusion. This review considered experimental and quasi-experimental study designs, analytical observational studies, case-control studies, analytical cross-sectional studies, descriptive observational studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, qualitative studies, and text and opinion papers.

METHODS

The review was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Studies and reports written in English after 2010 were included. The databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, Ovid HealthStar, and PsycINFO. The search for unpublished studies and reports included MedNar and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Eligible studies and reports underwent data extraction by two independent reviewers using a tool created by the authors. Along with a narrative summary, results are presented in a diagrammatic format that aligns with the review objectives and questions.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight publications were included in the review. Strategies for millennial nurse retention were provided in 21 publications, barriers were provided in two publications, and 15 publications provided both strategies and barriers. No publications provided information on the differences between Generation Y and Generation Z. The findings from this scoping review were grouped into five concepts, with strategies and barriers for millennial retention identified for each of the concepts. Concepts identified included leadership, work environment, professional growth, professional fatigue, and self-actualization.

CONCLUSIONS

The current evidence base shows that barriers to and strategies for millennial nurse retention commonly focus on the work environment and the relationships between nursing leadership and the bedside nurse. A preliminary scan of the evidence indicates that creating a healthy work environment that is collaborative, fair, flexible, challenging, and provides opportunities for growth may keep millennial nurses engaged. Having nursing leadership that models these values and leads by example may help millennial nurses to feel safe and supported; however, due to the methodology employed in this review, further rigorous research is needed to confirm this.

Proceed With Caution: Integrating Newly Graduated Nurses Into an Emergency Department

Virtually, no published research is available on the relationship between employing newly graduated nurses (NGNs) in the emergency department (ED) and the advancing of nursing practice and the optimization of patient care outcomes. Traditionally, nurses hired into these practice areas have required advanced skills in clinical assessment and experience with a variety of situations that were assumed to offer them a framework by which they could recognize and respond to potentially life-threatening changes in a patient's status. This qualitative study explored the issues of integrating NGNs into the ED. Findings clearly established the challenges to integrating NGNs into this practice context. The intersection of variables included a low level of clinical predictability accompanied by high acuity; an increased level of practitioner autonomy combined with high levels of risk when applying decision making to patient outcomes; and the potential for devolution of professional identity in the face of highly intense, morally conflicted, and socially nuanced care situations.

Millennial research on fleek: Suggestions for improving generational research design

This special issue will examine and embrace the uniqueness of millennials. We look at a number of issues related to this generational cohort, examining what makes them unique, challenging and even assets to those they come into contact with in their lives. In our opening article we discuss the unique attributes of millennials, provide researchers a framework for generational research best practices, and provide an overview of the articles featured in this special issue.

Attitudes about work engagement of different generations-A cross-sectional study with nurses and supervisors

AIM

This study investigated whether generation Y nurses (1981-1995) adopt a different attitude about work than generation X caregivers (1966-1980) and baby boomers (1956-1965).

BACKGROUND

Employees' positive attitude to work engagement is a competitive factor for clinics. In age-diverse team structures, possible different attitudes can lead to conflicts.

METHODS

As part of a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study with the survey instrument AVEM-44, health and nursing staff, as well as nursing directors and ward administrators, were interviewed.

RESULTS

A total of N = 992 individuals (n = 312 nursing directors, n = 259 ward administrators and n = 421 nurses) were included in the study. Nurses and executives viewed generation Y as being less willing to give oneself out and as attaching less importance to work than generation X and the baby boomers. On the other hand, professional ambition was more important to generation Y than the older generations.

CONCLUSIONS

Transformational leadership behaviour represents an approach to guide employees of different generations individually and to harmonize different attitudes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSE MANAGEMENT

To lead employees transformationally, it is necessary to know generation-specific differences concerning attitudes towards work.

An analysis of nursing students’ ethical conflicts in a hospital

Background:

Education can be taken as a key factor in transmission of a value tradition in healthcare. In professional and educational contexts, transmission of values appears to be a kind of guarantee for an occupational group’s professional identity, awareness and ethical integrity. Given the positives of such transmission of value traditions, one can also pay attention to conflicts between the professional tradition and individuals who are brought into that tradition.

Objectives:

How does mediation of value tradition in healthcare education appear out of the students’ perspective based on their own narratives?

Research design and participants:

Students’ texts were analysed through a combination of contrastive discourse analysis and sociohistorical description and then evaluated from an ethical perspective. Data were collected from the annual electronic feedback given by students after their clinical practice at a University Hospital.

Ethical considerations:

Organizational approval was received. Information about the voluntary nature of participation was a part of the feedback tool.

Findings:

The analysis points to the fact that there is a definite theme in the students’ experiences that both the previous research has neglected and that stands in conflict with the current tradition of healthcare education in Finland. That theme can be summarized in the experience of ‘losing one’s identity’, and it is expressed in a request to experience of ‘losing one’s identity’ and it is expressed in a request to have a right to ‘use one’s own name’ also as a healthcare professional.

Discussion and conclusion:

Being addressed by one’s name is to make the person directly involved and responsible, realizing that that person’s perspective is of importance to the way the world is. We argue that this theme (my name) is of ethical importance and could have empowering potentiality when used in an ethically sound way.

Millennial managers: exploring the next generation of talent

PURPOSE

While considerable scholarly attention has been given to "millennials" (those born between 1981 and 1997), little is known of this generation's ability to influence healthcare organizations and managerial roles in particular. This paper aims to clarify why millennials enter the healthcare management field and how their motivations correlate with preferences for working in various healthcare sectors and with various patient populations.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Survey data were collected from 107 millennials pursuing bachelor degrees in healthcare management by using a modified version of the multidimensional work motivation scale. Further data were collected on millennials' preferences for working in various healthcare sectors and with various patient populations. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between types of motivation and workplace preferences. Cross-cultural differences were also examined within this generational set.

FINDINGS

Results indicate a significant positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and preferences for working on the payer side of the industry and within finance and IT functions. Findings also reveal a significant positive relationship between prosocial motivation and preferences for working with more vulnerable patient populations. Variance in work motivation among cultural sub-sets of millennials suggests different upbringings, or alternatively, cultural relativity of the motivational constructs themselves.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Despite offering key insights into the next generation of healthcare managers, this study is limited by a sample of millennials from one large, metropolitan university in the USA and thus may not represent the views of all millennials.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

To select, retain and develop the next generation of healthcare managers, it is incumbent upon organizations to better understanding millennials' motivations and preferences.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study is the first of its kind to illuminate the motivations and preferences that underpin a key and growing segment of the healthcare workforce. Millennials, now the largest and most diverse generation on the planet, are poised to change the landscape of health care.

[Generation Y healthcare students’ expectations: hard skills but also soft skills.]

Generation Y’s (born between 1981 and 1999) educational approach in healthcare studies raises questions about their expectations and which teaching methods to use with this generation. The study involved third year students of occupational therapy. One hundred and twelve students were consulted in September 2012 and September 2013 about their expectations regarding the courses and the teaching methods which were offered. Results allowed to highlight firstly the importance of the usefulness of the course and secondly expectations regarding the teachers’ soft skills. If the link between soft skills and success was pointed out in many studies, only a few studies focus on the teachers’ own soft skills development in order to respond to students’ expectations in higher education. This is the topic of this article, which main interest could be the means to develop teaching methods adapted to this students’ generation.

Identifying the factors that affect the job satisfaction of early career Notre Dame graduate physiotherapists

Objective Previous studies have highlighted the short career intentions and high attrition rates of physiotherapists from the profession. The aim of the present study was to examine the job satisfaction and attrition rates of early career physiotherapists graduating from one Western Australian university. Methods A self-administered online survey was conducted of 157 Notre Dame physiotherapy graduates (2006-2012), incorporating a job satisfaction rating scale. Results Results showed that lowered job satisfaction was related to working in the cardiorespiratory area of physiotherapy and working in multiple jobs since graduation. The majority of graduates did not predict a long-term career in physiotherapy, highlighting a lack of career progression and limited scope of practice as influential factors. Conclusions Job satisfaction in early career physiotherapists varies across different clinical areas of practice related to several factors, including challenge and flexibility. New roles in the profession, including extended scope roles, may impact on the future job satisfaction of physiotherapists. Further studies are needed to explore the effect of these roles on workforce trends, including attrition rates. What is known about the topic? Physiotherapists predict careers of 10 years or less on entry into the profession. No previous studies have explored the individual factors influencing job satisfaction in early career physiotherapists across different clinical settings. What does this paper add? This study highlights specific factors influencing the job satisfaction of early career physiotherapists, including clinical area of practice. Physiotherapists working in the cardiorespiratory area were less satisfied, as were physiotherapists undertaking multiple positions since graduation. What are the implications for practitioners? This study informs employers and workforce planners on the factors affecting job satisfaction in early career physiotherapists. In addition, knowledge of issues affecting job satisfaction in the early career stage may assist educational institutions in their preparation of graduates for the future health workforce.

Linking knowledge sharing, competency development, and affective commitment: evidence from Indian Gen Y employees

Purpose

The present study aims to explore knowledge sharing to evoke affective commitment of Gen Y employees through competency development.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses cross-sectional survey to collect primary data. A questionnaire is developed based on extensive review of literature. A sample was obtained from Gen Y employees (born between 1980 and 2000) working in software organizations in India. In total, 582 completely filled, usable questionnaires were obtained.

Findings

Results indicate that knowledge sharing has a positive effect on competency development of Gen Y employees, which in turn, positively predicts affective commitment. Furthermore, this would result in the enhancement of employee competencies and eventually, the generation of affective commitment.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to the software development professionals working in Indian organizations Therefore, researchers should test the research model further in other industries preferably in a different country.

Practical implications

The more knowledge assets are shared in the organization, the higher the enhancement of employee competencies will become. To evoke emotional attachment of Gen Y employees, an organization must implement learning and development interventions

Originality/value

This study contributes to knowledge management literature, particularly knowledge sharing by exploring its possible linkage with employee attitudinal outcomes through empirical data. This also happens to be an empirical study to investigate Gen Y employees’ commitment in Indian context.

How Does Mentoring Contribute to Gen Y Employees' Intention to Stay? An Indian Perspective

The present study is aimed at investigating the impact of mentoring on intention to stay of Gen Y employees working in Indian IT industry. Also, the mediating roles of perceived organization support and affective commitment are examined. Primary data were collected from a sample of 314 Gen Y employees (born between 1980-2000) from IT industry in Delhi, NCR India. Data analysis was carried out using AMOS and SPSS to test sequential mediation. Findings reveal that mentoring has a direct influence on intention to stay of Gen Y employees and perceived organization support and affective commitment sequentially mediate the relationship between the two. This study contributes to the literature on mentoring, perceived organization support, affective commitment, and intention to stay.