Job Demands, Engagement, and Turnover Intentions in Polish Nurses: The Role of Work-Family Interface

Abstract

Background: Poland has lower ratios of employed registered nurses per 1,000 inhabitants than the EU average. Polish nurses work under miserable conditions without assisting personnel, and they reconcile their professional demands with responsibilities for their families; 96% of them are women.Rationale/Aims: This study uses Hobfoll’s conservation of resources (CORs) theory to explain the role of various resources in the improvement of work conditions in the nursing profession. Work-family conflict (WFC) and family work conflict (FWC) threaten to deplete nurses’ resources. This paper set out to (1) examine the extent to which perceived job demands (workload and interpersonal conflicts at work) and engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption) are associated with turnover intentions (the intention to leave the present workplace and the intention to leave the nursing profession); (2) attempt to determine whether levels of WFC and FWC moderate these associations.Design/Method: This study comprised 188 female registered nurses. The inclusion criterion was to live with a partner and/or have children.Results: WFC was moderately related to FWC. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that only high job demands and low vigor were significantly associated with turnover intentions. WFC was experienced more intensively than FWC. Job demands, vigor, dedication, and turnover intentions had a strong effect on WFC, while absorption had a strong effect on FWC. However, levels of WFC and FWC did not significantly moderate these associations.Originality/Conclusion: The study produces new knowledge by examining a constellation of job demands, work engagement and WFC, which reflect the management of personal resources. Results from such a constellation in nurses from countries with a post-transformational economic system have not previously been discussed in the light of COR theory. Most importantly, we conclude that WFC does not intensify turnover intentions.

The Relationships among Emotional Demand, Job Demand, Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intention

“…This finding is also consistent with the findings of previous studies. That means, job demand is positively associated with turnover intention (Cortese, Gatti, & Ghislieri, 2014;Daderman & Basinska, 2016;Bon & Shire 2017).…”

“…A study conducted by Daderman and Basinska (2016), shows that, only high job demands and low vigor were significantly associated with turnover intentions among the nurses. According to previous literatures, this review establishes that job demand has a positive relationship with turnover intention of the employee.…”

The Reciprocal Effect of Psychosocial Aspects on Nurses' Working Conditions

“…The financial difficulties of individual institutions and the overall decline in the number of professionally active nurses mean that the number of nurses employed per 1,000 inhabitants is 5.2 in Poland and is significantly lower than in other European countries, for example in Sweden it is 10.2 in Germany 13 and in Norway 18, 8 (Healthcare Personnel Statistics - Nursing and Caring Professionals, 2016 ). This is the main reason why nurses in Poland are more burdened at work than their colleagues in other European countries (Basinska and Wilczek-Rużyczka, 2011 ; Borowiak et al, 2011 ; Dåderman and Basinska, 2016 ).…”

“…According to them, various organizational factors, such as demands, overload, underload, control, ergonomic mismatch, or physical factors may not be the only potential stressors. They also noticed that stressors can result from individual human characteristics: personality, health status, setting inadequate goals, and acquired experiences (Basinska and Wilczek-Rużyczka, 2011 ; Borowiak et al, 2011 ; Dåderman and Basinska, 2016 ). According to this theory, the imbalance between the above mentioned factors and the individual characteristics of an employee can lead to functional changes at the psychological, physical, and behavioral level and, consequently, to stress (Cox and Cox, 1993 ; Leka et al, 2010 ; Potocka, 2010 ; Hegney et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Literature data indicate that full-blown stress is preceded by behavioral, psychological, and medical problems (Cieślak and Widerszal-Bazyl, 2000 ; Hasselhorn et al, 2008 ; Widerszal-Bazyl, 2009 ; Basinska and Wilczek-Rużyczka, 2011 ; Borowiak et al, 2011 ; Cox et al, 2016 ; Dåderman and Basinska, 2016 ). Behavioral problems, such as alcohol and/or drug abuse, smoking tobacco, aggressive behavior, which are most noticeable to the environment, are first to occur.…”