Trivselsmålinger: Et virksomt ledelsesværktøj til at skabe trivsel og godt arbejdsmiljø?

Abstract

This master's thesis aims to investigate how Head Nurses work and use employee satisfaction survey to create well-being and improve the working environment in a psychiatric ward. Head Nurses play a central role in handling the well-being measurements and psychiatry has been chosen, as the working environment is particularly pressured by challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.
The working environment in a psychiatric ward is characterized by high emotional demands and often complex and demanding tasks.
In Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri employee satisfaction survey are sent out to all employees 4 times a year, with several questions about the working environment. Employee satisfaction survey are a central tool for working with the environment, but it is unclear how Head Nurses use them in practice. What opportunities and challenges do the head nurses experience in their work with well-being measurements and how are they used strategically and meaningfully to promote well-being in a psychiatric ward.
The master's thesis is based on 5 qualitative interviews with 5 head Head Nurses from the psychiatry, and their experiences and challenges in working with employee satisfaction. The 5 interviews form the basis for an analysis based on three theoretical perspectives: Mark Moore's theory of Public Value, Karl Weick's theory of sensemaking and Camilla Sløk's theory of power and care. The three theories have been chosen to illuminate the issue from different aspects of the head nurses' work with well-being measurements.
The analysis shows that well-being measurements can function as a valuable management tool for working with the environment and well-being. Head Nurses point out that they use the well-being measurements to put the environment on the agenda and as a starting point for a dialogue with the employees. However, they also experience several challenges and limitations, such as a lack of commitment from both employees and senior management. In addition, it can be difficult to translate the results into concrete actions due to a lack of time and resources.
The head nurses find that the employee satisfaction survey often function as an assessment of their abilities as a leader and how they succeed in the/their leadership role, which leads to an experience of being very much alone with the responsibility. This can lead to increased pressure which affects their ability to balance the complex and conflicting demands that they often face. The assignment shows that the potential of employee satisfaction survey as a strategic management tool can be realized if greater legitimacy is created around the employee satisfaction survey and if both managers and employees experience them as meaningful and relevant. This requires open communication and a clear link between the results from the employee satisfaction and concrete improvements. In addition, organizational support and backing play a big role, so that the head nurses do not feel that they are completely alone with the responsibility. This applies both to the Head Nurses support from senior management, but also to their relationship with managerial colleagues. The head nurses need meaningful communities where they can discuss and spar about the work with the well-being measurements.
The head nurses navigate in complex environments characterized by cross-pressure, and their ability to manage the balance between the professional, private, and personal can be decisive for how they succeed in the task of converting the results of the employee satisfaction into concrete improvements in the working environment.
The assignment contributes both practical recommendations and theoretical insight into the work with well-being measurements in a psychiatric ward. The results from this master's thesis will, however, be transferable to other organizations that also work with employee satisfaction to promote well-being and focus on the working environment.