Reality vs expectations: An exploratory study of New Zealand nurses' perceptions of HR measures
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Date
13/03/2018
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Open Access Location
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Abstract
When nurses believe that human resources (HR) measures used to record data describing their work are inappropriate, it may result in low engagement in the measurement process and in higher on-the-job stress, and it may be indicative of problems in the HR system. The purpose of the present study is to explore nurses' views on which HR measures are most appropriate for use in the healthcare sector and their perceptions of the current practice at their organisations. A cross-sectional survey of registered nurses in New Zealand was conducted, resulting in N=916. The respondents rated commonly used HR measures for importance and indicated whether they are used in their organisations. The data were analysed by using graphical representations of descriptive statistics to identify patterns in the relationship between perceived importance and perceived use of HR measures. Patient satisfaction and nurses' competencies measures were seen as both highly important and in use. However, a group of measures related to nurses' job satisfaction and empowerment stood out as, from nurses' perspectives, highly important but relatively unused. The results suggest that in healthcare organisations in New Zealand there is a divergence between nurses' ideas about the best HR measurement practice and their perceptions of the current practice. We argue that to address the underlying causes of the divergence and to mitigate its negative effects, healthcare organisations should involve nurses in making decisions regarding the use of HR measures.
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Human resource measures, Human resources measures' importance, nurses
Citation
New Zealand Journal of Human Resource Management, 2018, Winter, 18 (1), pp. 25 - 46