Total rewards preferences: A cross‐sectional study among two generations of nurses in rural and remote Thailand

Abstract

BackgroundNursing and health policy focus on retaining nurses in practice, especially because the world lacks more than 6 million nurses. Rewards are believed to be an effective strategy to attract, retain, and improve the performance of nurses in rural and remote areas where nursing shortages are more severe. However, Generations X and Y have been found to have different preferences for rewards in various settings, so a one‐size‐fits‐all approach may not work for rewarding work.ObjectiveTo examine the perceptions of satisfaction and the importance of rewards among two generations of Thai registered nurses.MethodsUsing the Total Reward Scale, a descriptive comparative study design was employed and the data was collected from 354 nurses in rural and remote Thai community hospitals. This study is reported using the STROBE checklist. Descriptive statistics and the Mann–Whitney U test were used to analyze data.ResultsGenerations X (born in 1965–1980) and Y (born in 1981–2000) were most satisfied with and rated base salary as the most important reward. However, these generations significantly differed in their perspective about importance of healthcare, leadership, long‐term incentives, time‐off leave, and variable pay.ConclusionDifferent types of rewards were satisfying and essential for Thai nurses in Generations X and Y.Implications for nursing and health policyNational reward policies and management should be designed on priorities regarding reasonable base salary, and retirement benefits to address nursing shortages in rural and remote areas. Policymakers in health and nursing must invest in developing funded policies that consider the needs of different generations of nurses if they want success in retaining them on the job.

Addressing the global shortage of nurses: A call to arms

“…For example, providing appropriate resources and rewards is critical in attracting and retaining nurses in the workforce (Broetje et al, 2020). Studies have shown that it is now vital to reconsider how younger people can be attracted to nursing by offering customized reward packages, such as for Generation Y, born 1981 and 2000, who have different job expectations than previous generations (Abhicharttibutra et al, 2023;Bussin et al, 2019). A qualitative study in Turkey (Çamveren et al, 2020) undertaken before the COVID-19 pandemic found that young nurses left their organizations due to a hostile work environment and a shortage of nurses.…”

“…Retaining nurses on the job requires a holistic approach to strategizing what is effective for a particular context or culture and for good-quality research to evidence negotiations with health authorities and governments. Another study in Thailand advocated for a national system to address nursing shortages in rural and remote hospitals (Abhicharttibutra et al, 2023). These researchers argue that such a system needs to involve health policymakers and nurses to legislate for improved rewards for nurses, including appropriate base salary, leave arrangements, and retirement benefits.…”

“…Since data regarding the shortage of nurses are often inadequate, we also argue that there is an urgent need to assess the current and potential losses of nurses in every country. This assessment involves periodic impact assessments in nursing, including the impact of the well-being and health of nurses affected by the heavy workloads of the pandemic (Abhicharttibutra et al, 2023). Nurses must become more competent at keeping nurses in the profession and be more committed to providing governments with accurate and timely research evidence about retention rates and nurse shortages (Turale & Meechamnan, 2022).…”