Insecure Employment Contracts during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Need for Participation in Policy Making

Abstract

Job security influences the ability of nurses to provide high-quality nursing care. The Iranian health system has always faced nursing shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this situation. Although nurses have been labelled ‘heroes’ across the globe, many of them have been hired using insecure employment contracts. This commentary aims to describe issues surrounding job contracts for Iranian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses how the current situation can be improved. Iranian nurses are at the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 and need to receive better support in terms of job security and dignity. They should participate more in policymaking activities to improve their job condition and prevent the development and implementation of the short-term and insecure job contracts that lead to job insecurity.

Happiness and Achievement Motivation among Iranian Nursing Students: A Descriptive Correlational Study

“…Another study found that the nursing students' motivation to finish their program of study decreased with the number of semesters [ 61 ]. The shortage of nursing in the Iranian health system is critical, and even nurses with low grades can be easily employed in the Iranian health system [ 62 ]. It seems that nursing students' motivation may decrease with the number of semesters by the thought that nursing is a safe job.…”

“…It seems that nursing students' motivation may decrease with the number of semesters by the thought that nursing is a safe job. In addition, a feeling of the large salary gap between nurses and physicians in Iran [ 62 ] could lead to a decrease in the motivation of Iranian nursing students over time.…”

The future of Iran's health workforce

“…The rate of immigration requests from nurses has increased by 300% during the pandemic. 4 Those who remained in the country have worked day and night through multiple waves of COVID-19, hoping for permanent elimination of the virus and a better, healthier future.…”

“…Except for the permanent staff and those with longterm employment contracts, the rest of the health workforce was recruited in hospitals using various forms of employment that did not ensure any future job security, including 89-day contracts and a volunteer workforce with small payments. 4 Moreover, national laws needed to support medical staff were only partially implemented or not implemented at all. The ratio of nurses and nurse aid staff per hospital bed is approximately 0•8-1•0 per bed 6 (compared with the standard of 3•0 nurses per bed and 4•0 nurse aid staff per bed).…”

Abuse and Wellbeing of Long-Term Care Workers in the COVID-19 Era: Evidence from the UK

“…Abuse of care workers negatively impacts their physical and mental wellbeing, reduces job satisfaction, increases burnout, absenteeism and turnover, and reduces retention at the organisational level [19,[38][39][40][41][42][43]. Such experiences ultimately impact care quality, safety and efficiency [18,[44][45][46][47].…”