Creating a Welcoming Workplace for the Older Worker

The nursing workforce is aging rapidly. In fact, Baby Boomers constitute the largest group of nurses currently practicing. This aging workforce poses two significant ramifications for nurse managers. First, due to the volatility and uncertainty in the world and national economy, many Baby Boomers have shifted their retirement plans and are staying in the workforce. This is requiring creative responses on the part of employers. Conversely, as these highly experienced and knowledgeable nurses do begin to exit the active workforce, experts anticipate a “brain drain” that will affect all levels of health care environments.

In this week’s Assignment, you critically assess your current organization or one with which you are familiar to determine why older workers may stay in or leave their positions. In addition, you suggest strategies that could help to retain and further engage this specific population of nurses.

To prepare

• Review the article, “From Veterans to Nexters: Managing the Multi-Generational Nursing Workforce.” Reflect upon the key ideas: the challenges and implications of managing a multi-generational workforce, common generational differences, interventions for increasing generational motivation, and strategies for retaining the older nurse.
• Reflect on your current organization or one with which you are familiar and determine the demographic breakdown of employees based on age. Then, consider how this specific work environment might present difficulties for older workers and think about factors that might cause these employees to leave your setting.
• Use this week’s Learning Resources, as well as your own scholarly research, to identify strategies that could engage and retain this population of nurses.

To complete

By Day 7 of Week 10

Submit a 3- to 5-page paper in which you do the following:

• Identify the demographic breakdown of employees in the organization. If you are unable to access exact demographical data, provide your best estimate for each of the following age ranges: 20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–60, and 60–70, and 70+.
• Describe at least two ways the work environment is conducive to older workers and at least two difficulties it might present. Support your response by citing authentic examples from the workplace and this week’s Learning Resources as applicable.
• Propose at least four specific strategies you could implement to engage and retain older workers.

Required Readings

Beheri, W. H. (2009). Diversity within nursing: Effects on nurse-nurse interaction, job satisfaction, and turnover. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 33(3), 216–226.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Beheri’s article examines the effects of diversity in nursing. The study found that nurses who are satisfied with their jobs and have a higher level of education are more likely to tap into the potential offered by cultural diversity.

Collins-McNeil, J., Sharpe, D., & Benbow, D. (2012). Performance potential. Aging workforce: Retaining valuable nurses. Nursing Management, 43(3), 50–51.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Due to the increasing connectivity between patient safety and government-sponsored financial incentives, it is important for nurse managers to understand the specific language used by finance. This article examines the importance of this topic.

Harton, B. B., Marshburn, D., Kuykendall, J., Poston, C., & Mears, D. A. (2012). Self-scheduling: Help or hindrance? Nursing Management, 43(1), 10–12.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article discusses the possibility of allowing nurses to create their own schedules to boost retention.

Outten, M. K. (2012). From veterans to nexters: Managing a multigenerational nursing workforce. Nursing Management, 43(4), 42–47.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The author of this article addresses the need for effective management of a multigenerational workforce. Increased nurse turnover and interpersonal conflict are some of the consequences of overlooking this type of diversity.

Wisotzkey, S. (2011). Will they stay or will they go? Insight into nursing turnover. Nursing Management, 42(2), 15–17.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

In this article, the author focuses on creating a work environment that will decrease the effects of nurse turnover. The author states that organizational commitment has the most direct effect on these turnover rates.