2023 The current motivation in the department I work in is low related to inadequate staffing and poor teamwork

The current motivation in the department I work in is low related to inadequate staffing and poor teamwork. There have been a lot of call outs over the past few months which leads to staff being mandated to stay over in order to take care of the patients that are scheduled for a procedure that day. The mandated overtime has caused a lot of stress because the nurses have already worked 10 hours and have responsibilities outside of work that are neglected because of having to stay beyond the end of their shift. The state of California has mandated patient to nurse ratios which allow us to provide the best care to our patients but with the short staffing it has forced the nurses to work beyond their scheduled time which is not abide by the rule of no mandated overtime per our union contract. I understand the patients need to be treated, but the non-emergent cases should be delayed until staffing can meet the demand. An exhausted nurse or healthcare worker can be a risk to public health and patient safety (Marquis & Huston, 2021, p. 455). 

Poor communication in a team can lead to low morale from the team. In the department I work in there is good communication and team work only amongst certain staff members. There are certain nurses that are willing to help each other and there are other team members that want to function independently and not offer help to others. In research from Weaver et al. (2014), “Patients are safer and receive higher quality care when providers work as a highly effective team.” The communication and teamwork needs to be initiated and guided by the managers, by implementing team building skills and scenarios on how a team can function better together. There needs to be communication from the manager and leader so the staff knows what is expected from them.