Revista de Enfermagem e Cuidados

Work-Family Conflict and the Role of Family Supervisor Support as a Promising Approach to Retain Qualified Nurses

Abstract

Sitah S Alshutwi* and Adel F Almutairi

Many hospitals worldwide have recently experienced a rise in turnover rates among their healthcare professionals. For example, in the United States, the turnover rate of healthcare professionals has dramatically increased from 13.5% in 2011 to 17.2% in 2015. Almost 40% of newly employed nurses in the United States intend to quit their jobs and search for new positions within the first year of their employment. The existing literature has documented many factors that can contribute to high turnover rates such as stress, feelings of inadequacy, lack of professional development and training, limited opportunities, and lack of the required skills and knowledge. However, a new factor that can lead to turnover has recently been discussed in the literature and is gaining greater attention: the conflict that exists between work and family demands. In this paper, we discuss the concept of workfamily conflict, its consequences, and a promising strategy to effectively tackle this issue and address its consequences. Helping healthcare providers to maintain the balance between work and family demands can reduce stress and increase job satisfaction among nurses, which can eventually lead to their retention in the workplace.