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Blog spotlight: Encourage staff to work and play together

Nurse Leader Weekly, December 1, 2008

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Nurses of different generations are bound to hold different values, beliefs, and interests. For effective communication in and outside your unit, you must increase staffs' understanding of these differences. Here are some suggestions to get staff talking and bonding: 

Encourage staff to talk about their differences in a fun way: Get a multigenerational group together and start talking about the defining moments in their lives. Stimulate the discussion by asking questions such as:

• What was all the rage in fashion?
• What music and movies did you like growing up?
• Who were your role models?
• What is important for your generation?
• What are your core values?

Hold roundtable discussions: Every few months schedule a roundtable discussion and encourage each staff member to say to the group, "These are the talents, knowledge, skills, and experience I bring to the team. This is an area in which I would like to improve my performance this next quarter. I need support/help/mentoring so that I can improve. How can I get this from the group?"

Identifying what each person can bring to a group project is helpful. Acknowledge some of the communication barriers that each group has, and reiterate each generation's strengths. Encourage and foster group discussion in order to help them find common ground and understanding.

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