Expatriate Nurses' Job Satisfaction Study

Introduction

The purpose of conducting this research was to evaluate the level of job satisfaction among expatriate nurses in public hospitals in Hali. Through this study, the researcher has identified and assessed different factors and forces that influence the job satisfaction level among nurses who left their countries for better work opportunities (Wanders, 2017). Expatriates are those individuals who leave their home countries in order to search for new jobs that can provide them with a better life. Conducting this study enabled the researcher in identifying and understanding the various aspects that affect the motivation as well as job satisfaction levels of the expatriate nurses. The focus of this study was on healthcare employees. The necessary data was collected through a questionnaire survey of the selected sample respondents. The topic of job satisfaction level among expatriate nurses was selected because these individuals usually experience a lot of pressure than normal employees. The language barrier is one of the most common problems experienced by these individuals. Through this study the researcher aimed at examining and evaluating the satisfaction among expatriate nurses through their job. The decision makers can use the findings of this research in the healthcare industry in Saudi Arabia.

Research Questions

This study answers the following research questions.

What is the level of job satisfaction among expatriate nurses in the Hali public hospital?

What are the factors that dissatisfy expatriate nurses from their jobs in Hali public hospital?

How can job satisfaction level of the expatriate nurses be improved?

Descriptive Statistics

Reliability Analysis

In the current scenario, the reliability coefficient was computed at 0.84. Any figure above the mark of 0.70 indicates that the study and its findings are reliable (Smith, Begley and Clarke, 2011). On this basis, it can be said that the current study is reliable and it can be used by future scholars investigating the same topic. Moreover, the results of this research and the future study would not have too many variations. This improves the quality of the current research by a great margin.

Demographic Characteristics

All the participants in this study were female nurses who had left their home nations to Hali in search for better job opportunities in the field of health and social care. The following table shows different categories of hierarchical position on which the selected participants worked at. Herein it can be observed that majority of the participants were aged between 20-30 years and were working at the position of staff nurse. Out of the 100 married participants, 43 were at the position of Charge nurse, and only one of them was working as a director in the organisation. Further, more than 100 were of Filipino origin, and only 91 were Indian. 2 Filipino participants worked as a supervisor in the firm while one Indian was employed as a director. 185 Staff Nurses had a Bachelor’s degree. Similarly, 39 Charge Nurses were also educated till graduation level only. 76 staff nurses had experience of 1-3 years; while 40 of the charge nurses had working experience of more than 50 years. 48 Charge Nurses had a contract of 1 year with the organisation.

Quantitative Findings

The responses collected were put into the IBM’s Statistics Package for the Social Sciences (STATA).

Objective 1: The level of job satisfaction among expatriate nurses in Hali public hospitals.

The following table provides information about job satisfaction level among the research participants. Herein it can be observed that the majority of the participants are satisfied with their job. The table presents the number of observations and the mean value determined through the software. The answers for each of the ‘points’ ranged between 1 and 6. (1 = Disagree very much; 2 = Disagree moderately; 3 = Disagree slightly; 4 = Agree slightly; 5 = Agree moderately; 6 = Agree very much). Any value of the mean above 4 meant that the employees are happy and satisfied with their workplace. The level of job satisfaction for these individuals was higher. These categories were selected by the researcher to measure the job satisfaction levels, as they are considered as some of the key factors that affect the performance of the employees as well as their dedication towards the company.

On the basis of the table, it can be said that the participants were happy and content with their pay package with the mean computed at 4.07. The selected expatriate nurses were also very satisfied in terms of benefits that they get while working with the healthcare organisation. However, the table also reveals that the participants believe that the chances of promotion are very less. The mean here was calculated at 3.76, much less than the required mean of 4. Following are the graphs that show the responses of the participants.

Herein it can be observed that a large number of participants agreed with the statement that they are satisfied due to the benefits that they receive. Such benefits include the likes of bonuses, holidays, perks, etc. This motivates them to perform even better and contribute heavily towards the attainment of the organisational goals as well as on providing better services to the care users. Very few of the participants showed disagreement that they get a fair amount. This means that the majority of them believe they are paid according to their skills and the work they do. Due to this reason, they feel motivated and thus remain loyal towards the workplace.

Objective 2: The factors behind expatriate nurses job dissatisfaction in Hali public hospitals

The following table shows the results of t-test that was used to identify the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction among the expatriate nurses at Hali public hospital. The researcher decided to use t-test in the current study because they are simpler to interpret and require less amount of data than any other form of statistical tests and analysis. Herein, a p-value greater than 0.05 was considered significant (Riedl, Davis and Hevner, 2014). This means any of the factors that scored less than the threshold mark were the ones that caused dissatisfaction among the participants in relation to their job.

On the basis of the above table, it can be observed that there are a number of factors that caused dissatisfaction among expatriate nurses. Therefore, it can be said that there is a need for the authorities to determine ways in which they can satisfy these individuals so that their performance at the workplace can be improved and as a result, they can be motivated to carry out their roles and responsibilities in a better and more effective manner. If a proper solution is not developed, then there are chances that these employees will not be able to take better care of the patients and provide them with the necessary services. Almalki, FitzGerald and Clark (2012) observed that dissatisfied employees are not able to carry out their roles and responsibilities in a proper manner. This, in turn, has a direct and adverse impact on patient care. Herein it can be observed that the majority of the participants believed that their chances of getting a promotion were very less due to the fact that they were not native to the country. This was determined as one of the main factors that have an impact on the job satisfaction level of expatriates in the country. There have been many more studies which have concluded that those people who are native to one nation have very fewer chances of getting promotions at their workplace (Al‐Dossary, Vail and Macfarlane, 2012). Similarly, many of the participants stated that they are not happy with the benefits that they receive in the organisation. Upon further inspection of the data sets, it was noticed that expats do not get too many benefits in the host nations. This could be because the employers feel that such individuals are being allowed to work is a benefit in itself, and therefore they do not need any more of these. This finding can be supported through the responses given by the participants wherein they stated that their supervisors are unfair to them. Herein the majority of the respondents agreed and believed that their bosses and supervisors were not treating them properly. Their pay package was very less than their counterparts, i.e. the individuals who belonged to Saudi Arabia. Many of the expats also felt that they did not understand the goals and objectives of the organisation. Herein it can be said that there were a number of participants who opined that they were not satisfied at their workplace. For instance, a large number of the participants felt that there were very fewer chances for them to get a promotion in the organisation. This had an adverse impact on their motivation levels, and this affected their performance. The p-value obtained here was 0.00. However, a p-value above the threshold of 0.05 was significant. Furthermore, many participants also felt that their supervisors were unfair with them; many of the participants also added that they felt that the management did not appreciate their hard work and loyalty towards the organisation. This made them dissatisfied with the organisation and negatively affected their loyalty and performance at the workplace.

Objective 3: suggest some programs and strategies to improve the level of expatriate nurse’s job satisfaction.

It is imperative for the UAE authorities to identify ways in which they can improve the level of job satisfaction among the expatriate nurses. Just like any other employee in the organisation, they are an essential part of the workplace. By enhancing their satisfaction levels, the authorities can keep these individuals motivated and happy (Alam and Mohammad, 2010). This way they can make perform to the best of their skills and abilities, ensuring that the best health care services are provided to the patients. It is a well-known fact that supervision has a significant impact on the performance as well as the satisfaction level of the employees (McHugh, Kutney and Cimiotti, 2011). Supervision is a term that can even be replaced with the leadership here. Through proper leadership and guidance, the expat nurses can perform better and they can be even more useful for the organisation as they would provide better care services to the patients (Al‐Dossary, Vail and Macfarlane, 2012). During the study, it was noticed that the expat employees were under a lot of pressure in terms of work. The workload was too much on them. This affected their satisfaction level with the job. Therefore, the authorities should determine a way through which work pressure on these employees can be reduced. This would give them the time to get accustomed to the change in their situation and make adjustments in their lives. Such a task would motivate them, and as a result, their satisfaction level with the workplace would improve significantly (Almalki, FitzGerald and Clark, 2012). Through such steps, the authorities can make it easier for the expats to work in the healthcare industry and also be able to lead a comfortable life in the host nation. Taking such measures will enhance their capabilities and performance within the organisation, thus enabling them to contribute more towards its goals and objectives.

REFERENCES

Alam, M.M. and Mohammad, J.F., 2010. Level of job satisfaction and intent to leave among Malaysian nurses. Business Intelligence Journal, 3(1), pp.123-137.

Al‐Dossary, R., Vail, J. and Macfarlane, F., 2012. Job satisfaction of nurses in a Saudi Arabian university teaching hospital: a cross‐sectional study. International nursing review, 59(3), pp.424-430.

Almalki, M.J., FitzGerald, G. and Clark, M., 2012. The relationship between quality of work life and turnover intention of primary health care nurses in Saudi Arabia. BMC health services research, 12(1), p.314.

Riedl, R., Davis, F.D. and Hevner, A.R., 2014. Towards a NeuroIS research methodology: intensifying the discussion on methods, tools, and measurement. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 15(10), p.I.

Smith, V., Begley, C.M. and Clarke, M., 2011. Methodology in conducting a systematic review of systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. BMC medical research methodology, 11(1), p.15.