A lack of choice, control and flexibility is contributing to staffing shortages and retention issues in NSW’s public health system, a new report launched at the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) 81st annual conference has revealed.
The landmark Choice, Voice, and Control report, written by Professor Rae Cooper and her team from the Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work at the University of Sydney Business School, surveyed 2,000 public sector nurses and midwives across the state to understand what they want in relation to hours, rosters and shifts, and why their aspirations are not currently met.
Commissioned by the NSWNMA, the report found two-thirds (66%) of nurses and midwives regularly consider quitting, 82% agreed they had too much work to do, 56% said the often had to stay at work after their shift ended, 54% didn’t believe they had an adequate work-life balance, and 88% believed they were paid a low wage for the work they do.
NSWNMA General Secretary Michael Whaites said the findings should serve as an urgent blueprint for the NSW government.
“This report lays bare the realities that are driving our public sector workforce to breaking point. For years, nurses and midwives have been telling us they are exhausted and this is clear, irrefutable data showing exactly why: the current way healthcare work is designed is unsustainable,” said Mr Whaites.
“We know the current workplace design has a domino effect, with understaffing leading to overwhelming workloads which results in regular overtime. This creates a cycle of poor job quality, leaving nurses and midwives with less time and ability to manage their caring and other responsibilities, let alone have time for recreational activities.”
The report identified several key factors required to rebuild the female-dominated workforce, including flexibility and better control over rosters and shifts, manageable workloads that protect worker wellbeing, work design that encourages work-life balance and increased support from managers.
The NSWNMA has called on the government and NSW Health to collaborate with them on addressing the report’s recommendations, which warn that a failure to establish and scale flexibility initiatives, provide greater control over rostering, and deliver manageable workloads, will only compound the public health system’s recruitment and retention struggles.
“We cannot afford to file this report away on a shelf. Already we are seeing nurses and midwives decreasing their hours, despite the hit to their wages, as the only way to gain a sustainable work-life balance,” Mr Whaites said.
Professor Cooper, who presented the report on day two of the conference, highlighted the risks that emerge when the highly feminised nursing and midwifery professions do not have access to “good flex”.
“Nurses and midwives are essential to the health and wellbeing of our communities and the functioning of our healthcare system. In this study, nurses and midwives told us they need flexibility and want better control over rosters and shifts, more manageable workloads, and work that lets them have a life,” said Professor Cooper.
“A sustainable workplace provides what we call as ‘good flex’: predictability, support and genuine choice. This is different from ‘bad flex’, where workers are expected to absorb unpredictable hours or changes to their working time. Flexibility is only good when it works for both workers and employers, and this is a key retention factor in feminised, frontline workforces like nursing and midwifery.”
“The public system cannot continue to rely on the commitment of its staff, while expecting them to sacrifice their own wellbeing. We must ensure that the people who save our lives are not sacrificing their own lives to do it.”
Read the report here
