What Nurses' Work-Life Balance in a Clinical Environment Would Be.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Nurses' workplaces are critical to both the levels and types of care nurses can deliver as well as to employee retention. The quality of the workplace environment is a significant predictor of employment outcomes, such as improved care and a decrease in nurses' desire to leave their work. Moreover, a favourable work environment can significantly improve organisational performance. A healthy nursing workplace is a safe, empowering, and fulfilling place of employment in which all healthcare personnel work tirelessly for patients' optimal health and wellness. The aim of this study is to identify the association between workplace environment and work engagement among nurses in clinical settings.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional correlational design was used. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 349 nurses from various hospitals in the central northern region of Saudi Arabia. A four-part electronic questionnaire eliciting information on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, job characteristics, work-related quality of life (WRQoL), and work engagement was collected. All ethical guidelines for scientific research on human beings were strictly followed.

RESULTS

The participants had average levels of WRQoL. However, they had generally moderate to high levels of work engagement, which reflects their moderate to low intention to leave work. The findings demonstrated a statistically significant positive link between the WRQoL and work engagement of the participants.

CONCLUSIONS

When the nurses' WRQoL improved, their work engagement increased significantly. Improving WRQoL will almost definitely enhance nurses' work engagement, which will reduce nurses' intentions to leave their employment. It is advised that nurses enhance their WRQoL in order to increase their engagement in the workplace, have fewer thoughts about leaving, and make fewer plans to leave.