Wanted: A few good nurses
Article Outline
DONNA S. WATSON
Advertisements like these are appealing to the various generations within the workplace, and they are recruiting nurses to areas where the nursing shortage is acute. Coaching in a workplace that employs workers from a variety of generations, however, can be a challenge for the management team and the staffing team alike. Everyone on the perioperative team is different, but many people of certain ages have characteristics in common. This has led the media to assign traits to groups of people based on their ages (eg, Generation X, Baby Boomers).
The differing generations on the perioperative team today can create communication problems as members of each generation struggle to understand the other's point of view. Nurses need to work together to create a solution to the nursing shortage and promote nursing as a career choice. Only by understanding the unique characteristics of the Gen Xers and the Baby Boomers can the two generations come together and work effectively.
GENERATION X
Generation X is the label the media has given to the group of people born between 1964 and 1980.1 These individuals are children of Baby Boomers (ie, those born between 1946 and 1964).2 Gen Xers frequently are the group that is the subject of ongoing conversations among managers and staff members. These conversations focus on the frustrations and lack of insight when coaching this dynamic group of young nurses. Complaints from Baby Boomers include that Gen Xers are unwilling to pull their load or work 16-hour shifts, weekends, or holidays. They even are seen as self-serving with loyalty only to themselves.
To better understand Gen Xers, older nurses need to listen to how Gen Xers describe themselves. This is the most educated group of individuals in our country. This group of bright, articulate people grew up with opportunities frequently not afforded their Baby Boomer parents. Many come from two-parent working families and are accustomed to the luxuries that double incomes afford. Gen Xers also come from families with one of the highest divorce rates in the country.3 Their parents rarely worked the traditional 40-hour work week; instead it was in the range of 40 to 60 hours per week.4 They have experienced first-hand the effects of a demanding workplace with long hours and the corresponding impact on the family unit. They also are very clear about their intent not to follow this same path of long work hours and decreasing personal and family time.
This group of adults is accustomed to taking care of themselves. They are the largest group of latchkey children, so they are adept at managing themselves and their environment and are comfortable with independent decision making. Loyalty to the organization is not a priority for this group because they personally have experienced the effects a seesaw economy had on their patents, who often devoted an entire career to a single company only to lose their job or have their role altered with little or no warning. Gen Xers' parents sacrificed personal hours and missed important school events, activities, and leisure time only to have their jobs lost because of downsizing, reengineering, mergers, and closures. Gen Xers' commitment is to their profession and career, not the organization.
BABY BOOMERS
Baby Boomers' values and experiences are very different from Gen Xers, and it often is the difference in fundamental values between the two generations that creates workplace tension. This group experienced all the gains from a thriving economy. They embraced the attitude of “only the best.” Many members of this generation were raised in a two-parent family, where the mother's responsibilities were related to caring for the children and the home. The father was viewed as the authority figure and rarely questioned.5
They experienced firsthand many social reforms in our country. This is the group that spoke out against traditional norms of society at the time (eg, civil rights, antiwar protests) and spoke against the values of their parents and government authorities.6 Baby Boomers have had cultural experiences that taught them to challenge authority and ask questions. They are committed to making the world a better place and often are driven to work 12-and 14-hour days on multiple projects, which is related to their idealism.
This group can best be classified as workaholics, and they take great interest in material rewards.7 They value promotions and recognition. Baby Boomers entered the workforce and made long-term commitments, and later, they experienced the shock of downsizing, reorganizing, and, often, job loss.8 They also are frequently referred to as the Sandwich Generation because many of them take care of aging parents while their children still are living at home.
GENERATIONAL TENSION
Some of the nursing issues that bring about tension between these groups include recruitment and retention issues. Statements such as “Gen Xers are slackers,” “Baby Boomers are only materially motivated,” and “Gen Xers are not pulling their weight,” also create unnecessary tension between the two generations.
The unprecedented demand for nurses is exceeding the supply, and there appears to be no end in sight. This translates into staffing shortages with room closures and often delays for many elective procedures. If volunteer sign-up sheets fail to produce volunteers, managers often will ask Baby Boomers to work an extra shift or day because this group considers it unconscionable to deny such a request, which potentially could shut down an OR. As this group continues to age, the demands are taking a toll physically and emotionally, and this frequently results in conflict with younger coworkers because when given the option of working an extra shift or day, Gen Xers often will decline.
Gen Xers will take their share of additional shifts and days, but based on their culture, they want to establish their own terms and conditions, which include advance notice and planning. This group views the ongoing request for continual staffing support differently than do Baby Boomers. Instead of working an additional shift or day for an ongoing staffing shortage, their response is to question managers about what the facility is doing as an organization to address the underlying issue, and why they continually need to request additional time and work from already overworked staff members. Gen Xers want to know what the organization's recruitment and retention strategies are for perioperative services.
If Gen Xers feel the core issue of the problem is not addressed satisfactorily, they will leave for other opportunities and experiences that relate to their career goals. In communities where several hospitals exist, there frequently is one facility that does not have issues with recruitment and retention. Often this is the facility that has a waiting list to get into perioperative services or vacancies are filled rapidly. Gen Xers will be at this facility seeking opportunities if they feel managers are not receptive and addressing the core issues of recruitment and retention.
Gen Xers refuse to sacrifice their personal lives for the sake of the job. The sooner this is recognized, the easier it will be to develop a winning strategy for the entire team. This is a philosophical issue for Gen X nurses, and it is unlikely to change. What is of top priority and value to this group is a balance between personal, professional, and spiritual aspects of life.
Additionally, Gen Xers grew up in the Information Age with computers, MTV, and high-tech games, so they are comfortable with technology and can troubleshoot the most difficult monitoring, equipment, or electronic problems in seconds. They communicate, job search, and receive continuing education via the Internet, CD-ROMs, interactive video, or distance learning based on their own time schedule and not on the schedule of the provider or on a weekend when it interferes with personal time.9
They deliver excellent patient care and want training, competency, and to know everything. They take great pride in their work. Gen Xers thrive when they are challenged constantly and offered new opportunities to learn and grow. When this diminishes, they frequently will move on to new challenges.
This group wants the workplace to be fun and to have a strong sense of teamwork. They often seek places of employment that are consistent with the American Nurses Association's Magnet Status. What is in it for them and the patient care they deliver is their drive for providing excellent care, balancing personal life, and continuing to expand on skills and career goals. They view the management team and individual unit managers as part of the overall process of running an organization and will provide input—like it or not—to all levels.
If they have an issue, they do not see it as disrespectful to go straight to the top for resolution or input. The old rules of office politics often are disregarded, not out of disrespect, but out of their world view that everyone is on the team, the team is here for the sake of the patient, and everyone on the team needs to talk to one another. They are willing to work hard for the organization, but they also want the organization to respect their personal time.
Generational differences often force Baby Boomers into the role of being everything to everybody. This group cares for aging parents and children; they frequently are the most active individuals at AORN chapter meetings and are involved with various other community activities. Just like Gen Xers, Baby Boomers take extreme pride in their work and have excellent patient care skills. They are more likely to work an extra day and shift when asked. They often perceive their younger coworkers' unwillingness to take on extra work as a lack of paying dues and disrespect toward the organization and the patient. This is an area where managers can help facilitate growth between the two groups by encouraging an understanding that these are philosophical issues, not personal issues, and that the ultimate goal of safe patient care is a common thread between the two groups. One group should not be devalued because its members hold a different world view on how they define quality of life values and issues.
COMMUNICATION
There is no single solution to resolve all of the generational issues and tension in the workplace; however, the following may offer a start to developing ongoing support and communication between the two generations.
WORKING TOGETHER
As Baby Boomers begin to retire in unprecedented numbers during the next 10 years, we must prepare for the nature. This begins by each of us working collaboratively in an environment that is uniquely different from what it was when most of us entered nursing. Every nurse should commit to working with others to be part of the solution and to promote the message that nursing is a wonderful career choice for the younger generations. It is clear that Gen Xers view career and personal life differently than do Baby Boomers.
Perioperative teams today consist of these two diverse generations, so it is essential that we all learn what is valuable to the respective generations and collectively develop strategies to achieve each group's goals, while also meeting our commitment to safe patient care.
NOTES
- “Managing Generation X in same-day surgery: They are surprising, frustrating, and our future,” . Same Day Surgery . February 2000;24:16
- Ibid, 17.
- . “Multigeneration employees: Strategies for effective management,” . Health Care Manager . September 2000;19:68
- “Managing Generation X in same-day surgery: They are surprising, frustrating, and our future,” 17.
- . “Coaching generations in the workplace,” . Nursing Administration Quarterly . Winter 2001;25:12
- “Multigeneration employees: Strategies for effective management,” 68.
- Ibid.
- Ibid, 69.
- “Coaching generations in the workplace,” 11.
Wanted: A few good nurses. Must be willing to travel with the finest team. Name the location, shift, and wages. Receive free health insurance, free deluxe housing, subsidized vacation, travel allowances, and a $5,000 to $10,000 sign-on bonus.
PII: S0001-2092(06)61083-1
doi:10.1016/S0001-2092(06)61083-1
© 2002 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
