Supporting nursing staff during crises : impact of organisational support measures and resources in job satisfaction in German nursing homes

Abstract

Background/objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic placed an immense burden on nursing home staff, significantly increasing their workload. How the impact of these challenges on job satisfaction is mitigated by personal and social resources, along with organisational support measures initiated by nursing homes, is investigated in this study.

Methods: In 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among nursing home staff in Rhineland-Palatinate (n = 373). The questionnaire contained parts of standardised instruments (parts of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), Brief Resilience Scale) and self-developed questions related to support measures such as training, psychological support and work organisation changes. The association of these support measures, as well as personal and social resources (e.g., resilience, social support, sense of community), with job satisfaction was explored. Descriptive, bivariate and regression analyses were conducted.

Results: While various support measures were offered to the nursing home staff, significant gaps remained. Training on hygiene and COVID-19 care was beneficial but not universally available. Similarly, psychological, pastoral and palliative support was lacking for a large portion of nursing home staff. Surprisingly, in the regression analysis, frequent information updates from supervisors were found to be negatively correlated with job satisfaction (p = 0.002). However, some personal and social resources (resilience (p = 0.002), social support (p = 0.001), sense of community at work (p ≤ 0.001), commitment to the workplace (p = 0.019), recognition by management (p ≤ 0.001)), and various support measures (training programmes (p = 0.005), changes in work organisation (p = 0.008), technical measures (p = 0.025)) were positively correlated with job satisfaction.

Conclusions: This study highlights that despite the implementation of various support measures for nursing home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, significant gaps remained. Notably, a substantial portion of staff members lacked access to crucial support services such as psychological, pastoral and palliative care. Furthermore, healthcare facility managers should prioritise the following support measures, especially during crises: comprehensive training, including resilience training; flexible working arrangements; and recognition for nursing staff. Ultimately, healthcare organisations should aim to create a supportive work environment that fosters a sense of community and belonging among their nursing workforce.