The impact of workplace organization technique on job satisfaction among nurses

Background: Physical characteristics of the workplace are among factors affecting job satisfaction in nurses, who work in crowded and hectic environments. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 5S workplace organization technique on nurses’ job satisfaction.

Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 70 nurses, selected from medical and surgical units of two therapeutic-educational centers in Gorgan, Iran, were studied in 2015. The subjects were selected through census sampling and were assigned into intervention and control groups (n=35 per group). The intervention group was exposed to an organized work environment for six weeks. A visual workplace audit checklist was used in order to assess the need for workplace organization in the units before and one month after the intervention. Also, nurses’ job satisfaction was measured using the questionnaire designed by Kohli and Jaworski before and after the intervention in both groups. For statistical analysis, Fisher's exact test, Chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test were performed, using SPSS version 20.

Results: The nurses' mean score of job satisfaction changed after the intervention from 14.94±2.66 to 18.48±2.03 in the intervention group (P<0.001) and from 15.31±1.54 to 14.80±1.47 in the control group. The difference between the groups was significant after the intervention (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The present results showed that implementation of 5S workplace organization technique could improve nurses’ job satisfaction. Considering the simplicity of this technique, nursing managers can use it as an effective strategy to improve nurses’ job satisfaction.