Less than Half of Nurses Feel Proud of Their Profession

LONDON - Sept. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- Nurses are among the least happy of all sectors in the UK when it comes to their professional pride, according to research by specialist recruiter Randstad Care.

In a survey of over 2,000 British workers, 58% of British workers said they felt proud to work in their professions. But just 45% of nurses said they were proud of their profession. At the other end of the spectrum, 90% of those working in insurance were proud of their profession. Teachers and social workers were also above average (both 61%).

In the sectors where employees felt least proud of their professions, staff generally spent less time at work than the national average, suggesting that employers need to make staff feel proud of their profession or they risk creating a disillusioned workforce.

Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad Care, explained: “In order to attract and retain a talented, dedicated workforce, employers need to make their staff feel proud of what they do. No one wants to go to work each day without feeling proud a sense of pride – and the research proves that employees who fall into this category often spend less time each week at work. A good professional reputation isn’t just good for employees – it’s important for the wellbeing of an organisation.”

‘Image Problem’

Following scandals in the health & social care sector in the early 2000’s, Randstad Care recorded a significant downturn in employee motivation in the sector. But the current research suggests that the sector has now recovered in terms of employee pride.

Victoria Short explains: “There’s no doubt that high-profile scandals can have an effect on employee morale in the workforce. When the day-to-day activities of your sector are being scrutinised, those working in the field can feel under pressure and demoralised. We noticed this happening with the health & social care workforce a few years ago, and a similar image problem seems to be affecting nurses today.

“Nurses do a vitally important job in society and have every right to feel proud of their careers. But hospitals are facing challenging times and health & care quality is being called into question. To combat this, employers need to engage their workforce by celebrating success as well as investigating failure. In order to feel pride in what they do, employees need to feel enabled and given the space to perform their jobs effectively.”

-- ENDS --

NOTES TO EDITORS

Randstad Care is part of the Randstad group, one of the leading recruitment & HR services providers in the world with a top five position in the UK and a top three position in fifteen countries including the US, France and Germany.

In the UK, Randstad’s business lines serve the public and private sectors across Accounting and Financial services; Business Support; Construction, Property and Engineering; Education; Health and Social Care; Interim Management and Search; Human Resources; IT; Legal; Retail; Sales, Student and Worker Support and In-House and Managed Services.

At the end of 2012, Randstad had 1,750 corporate employees in the UK, working in 203 locations. UK revenue in 2012 was €799 million. Randstad Holding nv was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands and listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. For more information see http://www.randstad.co.uk/care/ and www.randstad.com.

PRESS CONTACTS

The Wriglesworth Consultancy
Julia Langsman, Account Manager, j.langsman@wriglesworth.com 020 7427 1441

Adam Jones, Senior Account Executive, a.jones@wriglesworth.com 020 7427 1403