How Hiring Process Satisfaction Influences Nursing Staff's Willingness to Recommend Their Organisation: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

AimRecruitment of nurses is driven by peer recommendation for which effective hiring and onboarding processes are crucial. The present study evaluates the association between Nurse's satisfaction with hiring process and their intention to recommend the organisation.Study DesignThis mixed‐methods study was conducted in a 550‐bed tertiary‐care hospital in New Delhi, India among the nursing staff from June'2023‐February'2024.MethodsRecently joined Nurses (last 1.5 years) who agreed to participate were included. Satisfaction with the hiring processes was assessed through 20 items and an additional item assessed the ‘intention to recommend the organisation’ (dependent variable). One‐sample t‐test was used to test the variations within the sample. Pearson's correlations were computed between dependent and independent variables. Variables with statistically significant correlations were entered in the Linear Regression model to identify the predictors of intention to recommend. From the same cohort, a few nurses were invited to participate in the qualitative study. Through thematic content analysis we identified the categories for the final model.ResultsOut of 180 newly joined nurses, 171 agreed to participate. Overall hiring Satisfaction was moderate. Selection round and document verification scored the lowest whereas the overall intention to recommend the organisation was above average. Vacancy notification and Induction and onboarding showed strong correlations with the intention to recommend and were its strongest predictors. Qualitative results revealed three main themes—Information provided during hiring, Knowledge enhancement opportunities and Employee centeredness which had a predominance on the intention to recommend.ConclusionProviding unambiguous information, positive work atmosphere, growth opportunities and recognition systems creates a strong intention to recommend the organisation.ImpactThe hospitals should focus on information transparency during hiring and later on knowledge enhancement to create a positive intention to recommend. Further, studies are required to validate these findings in other settings.Patient/Public ContributionNo Patient/Public Involvement.