Relationship between shift assignments, organizational justice, and turnover intention: A cross-sectional survey of Japanese shift-work nurses in hospitals

Aim

Shift management and planning processes for shift-working nurses are important for their continued work. This study aimed to determine the association between shift assignments, organizational justice, and their interaction with turnover intention among shift-work nurses.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire administered to Japanese nurses between January and February 2020. Enquiries pertaining to their daily start and end times for each shift type, the shift assignments, organizational justice, and their turnover intention were made. To examine the association with turnover intention, logistic regression analysis was performed with shift assignments, organizational justice, and their interaction terms as independent variables.

Results

A total of 386 nurses participated in the final analysis. Of these, 161 nurses (41.7%) had turnover intention. Unequal work assignments and procedural justice were significantly associated with turnover intention. However, the interaction between these factors was not significant.

Conclusion

The results suggest that procedural justice in the workplace and turnover intention are related, but in shift planning, even procedural justice cannot buffer unequal work from leading to turnover intention. This study provides valuable insights for nursing managers who manage the schedules of shift-working nurses.