Relationship between organizational empowerment and job satisfaction perceived by nursing assistants at long-term care facilities.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between organizational empowerment and job satisfaction among nursing assistants at long-term care facilities in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Nursing assistants are the major manpower at long-term care facilities. The responsibilities of nursing assistants are complex and numerous and affect their job satisfaction. We assumed that a well-organized and pleasant work environment is an important characteristic of organizational empowerment and ought to enhance the nursing assistants' job satisfaction. However, little information exists that can be used by long-term care facilities managers when they strive to increase the nursing assistants' job satisfaction by modifying the regulations or interventions from an organizational perspective.

METHODS: We used a cross-sectional design with a descriptive correlation approach to understand the relationship between organizational empowerment and job satisfaction among nursing assistants at long-term care facilities in Taiwan. A total of 28 long-term care facilities and 114 nursing assistants participated in the study.

RESULTS: The results indicated that, where there was a moderate level of organizational empowerment, a higher level of job satisfaction was found. Organizational empowerment was significantly associated with total job satisfaction (r = 0.366, p < 0.01). The variables of nationality (Vietnamese), resources, opportunity and informal power were significant predictors of job satisfaction (R(2) = 0.318, F = 12.24, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Organizational empowerment is significantly associated with job satisfaction among nursing assistants in this study.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing assistants need to receive more assistance and resources from their co-workers to enhance their job satisfaction. The manager should initiate regular meetings and activities for staff who work in long-term care facilities that will allow sharing, communication and support among the staff in terms of ideas, information and feelings.