Study of attraction, retention and engagement of nurses in the Singapore healthcare industry.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate components of Total Rewards that affect the employee

attraction, retention and engagement of nurses in Singapore. Singapore is facing a

shortage of healthcare workers and as such understanding which components have a

direct and significant impact on attraction, retention and engagement is crucial to

improving this shortage. In this study, we tested components like base pay levels, worklife

balance policies, employer branding, empowerment, job characteristics,

preceptorship culture, rewards and recognition to examine their impact on attraction,

retention and engagement of nurses in Singapore. Usable data came from over 100

respondents from 3 local hospitals. Results indicated that work-life balance policies and

level of employer branding do have significant impact on attraction whereas base pay

level does not have such impact. Out of our 12 formulated hypotheses, 9 were

statistically supported and the implications of these results were discussed.

Recommendations were made on how hospitals can utilize the components of Total

Rewards that have a significant impact on attraction, retention and engagement to

develop HR policies that can improve attraction, retention and engagement. The paper

concludes by noting the limitations faced and explores options for future research.