Introduction
“A safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental right at work,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General [
1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also urged governments to recognize the importance of creating a positive working environment and committing to promoting the health and work well-being of nursing practitioners [
2]. A positive working environment encompasses reducing absenteeism and improving retention rates. It is essential to understand that motivation plays a significant role in determining the quality of care [
3]. An individual's work well-being is their perception of cognitive, emotional, health, and social conditions related to their profession [
4]. A demanding work environment can quickly increase work-related stress, reduce work well-being, negatively impact physical and mental health, and lead to burnout [
5‐
7]. About the psychosocial work environment factors (job demands, job control, and social support), previous researches have highlighted that workplace social support (coworker and supervisor support) is positively related to well-being but negatively related to burnout (high job demand and low job control) on health among healthcare workers [
8,
9], In existing studies on nurses' well-being, the high-stress environment of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been overlooked. However, study showed that ICU nurses often work extended hours and care for critically ill patients, which can result in physical and mental exhaustion, as well as burnout [
10].
Background
Over the past three years, most of the research on ICU nurses' struggles to adapt to challenging situations has been descriptive and primarily focused on external resources, revealing weaknesses in the healthcare systems in terms of staffing shortages, limited resources, lack of support, and access to training associated with pandemic [
10‐
13]. Nursing staff in high-demand and low-resource work environments are particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts [
14,
15]. These effects can lead to nursing staff withdrawing from the workplace, which in turn results in poor quality of care and impaired clinical decision-making [
11,
13,
16] and ultimately jeopardizes patient safety [
10]. Recently, studies suggest that implementating organizational citizenship behaviour among nurses can inhibit negative occurrence that may impact patients' health and well-being [
17]. Furthermore, nurse differentiation and job crafting are effective retention strategies [
18]. Overall, ICU nurses worldwide are not adequately prepared to handle the job demands brought on by the crisis, significantly impacting their ability to provide optimal patient care [
19].
Based on the job demands‐resources theory (JD‐R) [
20], which defines working conditions (job characteristics) from the perspective of job demands and job resources and includes two processes: the health-impairment process and the work-related incentive process-related well-being (consisting of burnout and work engagement). For individuals, a positive work environment is achieved through balancing job demands and resources [
21]. Previous studies indicate that ICU nurses successfully utilize internal psychological mechanisms to adapt to work demands, switch job resources to cope with the situation, and maintain work well-being [
6,
22,
23]. Some nurses utilized problem-focused coping strategies, such as seeking information and social support; others used emotion-focused coping methods, such as positive thinking, relaxation techniques, and peer support, to cope with challenging situations [
24‐
26]. It is important to consider individual needs and situational factors when examining nurses' ability to adapt to work demands, as the work environment can positively and negatively impact nurses.
Job crafting refers to an active process in which employees redefine and shape their roles to increase motivation and engagement in their tasks [
27]. Job crafting involves employees proactively adjusting the demands and resources of their jobs to align with their preferences and strengths. Individuals and the work environment can influence job crafting as individuals modify their behaviors to balance work demands and resources [
28]. Ensuring a healthy environment in the workplace can enhance productivity, safety, and comfort for employees [
29]. Research confirmed that job crafting training is an effective method to assist employees in aligning job demands and resources. This can increase work engagement and performance, reduce fatigue, and improve health outcomes [
30]. There has been an increase in ward-level crafting which is related to an individual-level increase in work engagement. Nursing managers who create an environment that encourages crafting task boundaries for team members’ growth are likely to contribute to increasing nurses' work engagement [
31]. For ICU nurses, job crafting can be a valuable skill to help cope with workload and balance work and personal life in the workplace. According to recent studies, individuals who experience positive emotions, exhibit higher job satisfaction, and lower levels of burnout are more likely to thrive in their workplace [
32,
33]. Job crafting is a crucial factor that protects nurses from the adverse effects of work stress and burnout. It can significantly improve their well-being and create a positive psychosocial work environment. However, our understanding of job-crafting behaviors among ICU nurses is limited, and we still need to determine the individual and environmental factors that influence job crafting.
This study aimed to explore how personal perceived health (self-rated health, burnout, stress), as well as the psychosocial work environment (demands at work, work organization and job contents, interpersonal relations and leadership, and work-individual interface), relate to work well-being and job crafting among ICU nurses. Based on the JD‐R model [
5,
34], the secondary purpose was to explore the potential mechanism of this connection with personal perceived health as a mediator and job crafting as a moderator. We hypothesized that: 1. the psychosocial work environment would impact nurses' work well-being. 2. Nurses' personal perceived health would play a role as a mediator in the relationship between psychosocial work environment and work well‐being. 3. Job crafting would moderate the relationship between personal perceived health and work well‐being.
Discussion
The study was conducted after the 3rd year of the COVID‐19 pandemic, capturing the effects of the context on ICU nurses' work well‐being. The findings revealed that a positive psychosocial work environment was associated with nurses' work well‐being (Hypothesis 1), and personal perceived health might mediate this association (Hypothesis 2). Moreover, job crafting could moderate the association between personal perceived health and work well‐being for ICU nurses (Hypothesis 3). This study's work well-being and job crafting level among ICU nurses is slightly higher than other studies [
44‐
46]. The majority of the study participants were female, which is in line with the current nursing workforce in China. It has been identified that gender can influence thinking style [
47]; therefore, conducting gender-specific studies could help prevent gender bias and lead to the development of tailored-made interventions to enhance work well-being. This finding suggests that the nurses in this study can redesign their work to better align with their skills and needs, enabling them to adapt and respond to changes and challenges in their work environment more effectively [
48].
Encourage job crafting by recognizing personal successes and patient progress
The study’s findings have demonstrated that the psychosocial work environment significantly impacts the health and well-being of ICU nurses. The higher scores of increasing structural job resources and reduced job demands mean that ICU nurses can actively strive for work autonomy and have high expectations and requirements for reducing unnecessary duplication of work and excessive non-nursing work. This highlights the importance of nursing managers optimizing workflow to improve work efficiency and provide nurses with adequate resources [
49]. Besides, the lowest score for increased job demands is consistent with findings from multiple studies [
45,
50,
51], which may be related to a heavy ICU workload, critically ill patients, nurses tending to be stable and safe, and a lack of willingness to take the initiative to face challenges. ICU nurses may feel tired and stressed after encountering high job demands, requiring more interest and motivation for more challenging tasks.
The previous study showed that a structured psychosocial work environment with well-designed work organization and job content (WOJC) can improve psychological health and well-being, productivity, and retention [
52]. The study showed that a WOJC that aligns with the workers' capabilities and skills can benefit both individuals and the organization [
52]. According to the current study, the "work organizations and job contents" significantly positively impact work well-being (Fig.
1). Furthermore, most nurses believe that their professional identity comes from recognizing patients and their disease outcomes, which drives the redesigned behaviors of ICU nurses' work. Nursing managers should encourage their staff to achieve individual success and provide training on improving work efficiency by managing their time effectively and optimizing workflow. It is important for nurses to constantly learn new skills, knowledge, and techniques to cope with potential stress and challenges that may arise in their work. The findings of this study also suggest that "interpersonal relations and leadership" in the work environment positively affect ICU nurses' work well-being. Although work well-being is self-perceived by ICU nurses, its occurrence and mechanism of action are mainly influenced by the leadership style of nursing managers [
46]. If the leadership style is more inclusive, open, and practical, it can improve job performance by increasing personal work engagement and work well-being.
Job crafting can decrease the adverse impact of the work environment on personal health
The results of this study suggest that ICU nurses’ personal perceived health can have a mediating effect on their psychological work environment and work well-being. That means nurses' work well-being can be indirectly improved by improving the work environment through enhancing personal resources. ICU nurses face numerous challenges, such as fast-paced nursing work, high pressure, frequent night shifts, prolonged standing, and managing critically ill patients with variable medical conditions. These challenges result in both physical and psychological stress [
53]. Given the adverse impact of the work environment on nurses' health, we suggest setting up a proactive system that can promptly identify, report, and monitor health-related outcomes. To achieve this, a thorough and rigorous evaluation, efficient referral mechanisms, and conservative treatment options must be established to facilitate a safe return to work. Besides, it is imperative to have sufficient staffing and well-equipped facilities to ensure the health and safety of nurses in the workplace. Finally, according to a WHO global report, clear communication and leadership are also among the social determinants of health [
54].
The results also show that job crafting moderates the relationship between personal perceived health and work well-being. Job crafting can moderate the mediated pathway between psychosocial work environment, personal perceived health, and work well-being. It can be understood that job crafting allows ICU nurses to make adaptive adjustments when facing different work environments. If the psychosocial work environment influences an individual's perceived health, job crafting can be considered an adaptive strategy to help individuals better acclimate to such environments. Due to positive individual factors, ICU nurses who engage in job crafting behaviors experience better-perceived health and increased ability to cope with stress and burnout. In the JD-R model, nurses can use their resources to acquire more work resources by actively participating in training and communicating with external parties [
55]. Research showed that nurses with high levels of self-efficacy are confident, proactive, and utilize their strengths to conduct job crafting and seek resources at work [
56‐
58]. Previous studies [
59,
60] have shown that intervention programs such as job-crafting diaries can effectively enhance ICU nurses' self-efficacy and improve their job-crafting behaviors. In addition, it is important to encourage ICU nurses to participate in the decision-making process. Enhancing their voice and sense of participation is essential for improving their work engagement.
Effective supervisor support create a conducive workplace
Research confirmed that transformational and servant leadership styles have a significant positive correlation with job crafting, while authoritarian leadership has a significant negative correlation [
61,
62]. Research also showed young nurses tend to score higher in job crafting, which suggests that they are more dedicated to their work [
63,
64]. This is particularly true for new nurses, who are often more curious and enthusiastic about their work environment and its content. They are likelier to maintain a positive attitude, actively seek new learning opportunities, and explore the workplace. It is recommended that nursing managers pay attention to individual nurse characteristics, encourage job crafting among young nurses, and provide personalized training and support to improve the alignment between individuals and the job roles. Senior ICU nurses have extensive clinical experience and are highly adaptable. Managers should provide more career development opportunities to stimulate their work enthusiasm and motivation. Nursing managers should adopt an effective leadership style and provide nurses with the necessary resources and conditions that create a conducive work environment. They should also demonstrate tolerance, support, and guidance toward nurses' job-crafting behaviors. By doing so, they can maximize the potential effectiveness of individual job crafting and achieve a win–win situation for both individuals and organizations. Ultimately, this will help to improve the quality of ICU nursing care and medical services.
Implications for practice
Based on our research findings, ICU nurses can adopt positive job crafting behaviors, such as flexibly adjusting work styles, organizing work tasks, and actively adapting to changes in the work environment to better maintain individual health perception and improve work well-being. In addition, we recommend that nursing managers prioritize and enhance the psychosocial work environment, transforming leadership styles to be more transformative and service-oriented. And we advocate for the encouragement and support of nurses in job crafting to make changes in their job, elevating their autonomy and adaptability through training and communication initiatives and make their jobs more meaningful. We propose establishing a health monitoring and support system coupled with timely health intervention measures to enhance individual perceived health. These suggestions are poised to assist in optimizing nurses' work experiences and improving their overall well-being in practice.
Limitations
Although this study provides valuable insights into the work well-being of ICU nurses, it’s important to note that the results are based on a single data collection time point, which may limit their internal validity and generalizability. Secondly, selection bias is a common limitation in cross-sectional studies that could affect the causality of observed relationships. Therefore, future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the findings. Thirdly, there may be bias introduced by excluding nurses who are pregnant or have a history of mental illness. To enhance the robustness of the findings, it is recommended that future studies be conducted with multiple sites and longitudinal research.
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