South Shore Health leaders discuss how they improved workplace culture

Nursing leaders at South Shore Health in Weymouth, Mass., reduced nursing turnover from 20% to 11% by improving workplace culture, states a Voice for Nursing Leadership article. Leaders paired an evidence-based online learning module on workplace behavior with a unit-based activity in which each team developed its own compact of expected behaviors. The compact enabled staff nurses to take ownership by defining how they would treat each other and holding themselves accountable. Human resources worked closely with nurse managers to ensure the compacts were consistent in how the hospital hired, coached, and held workers accountable. The authors maintain leaders can strengthen workplace culture when they create the conditions, structure, partnerships and peer support enabling teams to embrace positive behaviors, rather than mandating them. (Voice of Nursing Leadership article, 11/1/26)