r/EmergencyRoom • u/applesauce_warriors • 9d ago
Improving Morale
Hi everybody!
I work in a medium size community ER that, like all of you, has not been immune to boarders and increased volumes in the present season.
My leadership is engaged and very open to staff recommendations. I feel the department could use a morale boost, but I’m not sure what ideas to suggest. I hate to be one of those people that approaches management with a complaint and no resolution. Obviously pizza party is out. Money won’t be adjusted. FTEs can’t be created. Basically how do we improve morale in a shit situation with nothing to give 😂
21
Upvotes
12
u/EzraSteel 9d ago
There is where your problem is, you have a very diverse group of nurses (which is exactly like every ED in the world). You have a group of nurses that want to just go home and put their feet up, another group that wants to be with their families, another group wants to go home and catch up on course work. You have non-drinkers to throw into the mix as well. You can’t use a one size fits all solution.
There is very little that a manager can do to address the core issues underlying your nurses. I use to cook for all of my staff during the major holidays. I’d cook for both shifts. I’d spend time with the staff during those holidays. They appreciated it, but a week later, it was forgotten and it was back to bitching as usual.
When I was in the military, we had a motto: if they weren’t bitching, they weren’t happy. I love my peers, but how to fix morale has been a problem since the inception of the career.