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Exploring the human emotion of feeling cared for in the workplace
Author(s) -
Baggett Margarita,
Giambattista Laura,
Lobbestael Linda,
Pfeiffer Judith,
Madani Catherina,
Modir Royya,
ZamoraFlyr Maria Magdalena,
Davidson Judy E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/jonm.12388
Subject(s) - feeling , psychology , nursing management , loyalty , organizational culture , nursing , social psychology , medicine , public relations , political science , law
Aim To explore the emotion of feeling cared for in the workplace. Background The emotion of feeling cared for drives health‐promoting behaviours. Feeling cared for is the end‐product of caring, affecting practice, environment and outcomes. Identifying behaviours that lead to feeling cared for is the first step in promoting caring practices in leadership. Method A survey with open‐ended questions was designed, validated and electronically distributed. Data from 35 responses were thematically analysed. Results Unit culture and leadership style affect caring capacity in the workplace. First level coding revealed two caring behaviour categories: recognition and support. Themes emerged aligned to Chapman's model of workplace appreciation: words of affirmation, receiving gifts, quality time and acts of service. The importance of being treated as a whole person was reported: being appreciated personally and professionally. Feeling cared for drives outcomes such as feeling valued, important, teamwork and organisational loyalty. Conclusions This study generalises the applicability of Chapman's model developed for workplace appreciation in the health‐care setting. Implications for nursing management Concrete examples of how leaders stimulate feeling cared for are provided. Caring leadership behaviours have the potential to improve retention, engagement, the healing environment and the capacity for caring for others.