Valuing Flexibility in Nursing Teams: How Small Adjustments Foster Big Impacts
- naomi620
- Mar 30
- 5 min read
When I recently said goodbye to my nursing team, I asked current and former members to share what they valued most about working together. The usual answers came up: morning tea with great coffee, lively conversations among nurses and midwives, and the food that brought us together. There was also appreciation for the freedom to try new approaches and ideas. But one response caught me off guard—my willingness to support flexible work.
I had forgotten how much this mattered. Many team members faced real challenges just to make what seemed like simple requests for flexibility. I was lucky to lead a team where flexible work was easier to manage than in some other settings. No one had to cover night shifts. Still, supporting flexibility meant I sometimes had to step in to cover teaching duties or rearrange rostering creatively. The team also had to take shared responsibility for delivering the program smoothly.
This flexibility wasn’t a one-time fix. It was a regular negotiation that allowed us to handle peak training periods because people stepped in when they could. I had forgotten how distressed some individuals were at the time, but now I see how crucial this support was. Without it, some would likely have left nursing altogether. Instead, with a little flexibility and creative planning, these nurses contributed exceptional work and helped bring many bold ideas to life.
Recently, I spoke with a nurse interstate who is struggling to get support for her family challenges. She asked to reduce her hours to two days a week, planning to increase them as her family situation allows. Unfortunately, this request was denied. She now feels undervalued, unsupported, and out of options. Her team will lose her clinical expertise because they couldn’t see that having her for two days a week is far better than not at all.
We need to do better for all nursing teams.
Why Flexible Work Matters in Nursing
Nursing is demanding, both physically and emotionally. The nursing workforce faces high turnover rates, often driven by burnout, family commitments, and rigid schedules. Flexible work arrangements can reduce turnover by allowing nurses to balance their professional and personal lives better.
In my experience, flexible work means more than just changing hours. It involves:
Creative rostering to cover essential duties without overburdening others
Open communication to understand individual needs
Shared responsibility within the team to maintain quality care
When nurses feel supported, they stay longer. Retention improves, and the team’s overall morale rises.
Flexibility in Action
When I managed a nursing pool I could offer more flexibility than wards could. The delight experienced nurses had when I offered them shifts to fit around grandchildren, partners and sickness was heartwarming. In some weeks I calculated the hours I rostered in that team to be 120hrs of nurses working that otherwise would not have been in our service because they needed some flexibility. Many of these nurses had asked to work in other settings where managers said it was too hard. When working in my team they mostly went to work with those same managers to support their team. Some only stayed for a short time, but I still bump into many who stayed or have returned for the 5th year in a row.
These examples show that flexible work is not about lowering standards. It’s about adapting to real-life challenges while keeping patient care front and center.
The Cost of Ignoring Flexibility
The nurse I spoke with recently is a perfect example of what happens when flexibility is denied. She wants to reduce her hours temporarily but remain part of the team. Instead, she feels pushed out. This situation risks losing valuable clinical expertise and increases turnover.
Ignoring flexible work needs can lead to:
Increased stress and burnout
Loss of skilled nurses
Lower team morale
Reduced quality of patient care
Supporting flexible work is an investment in the nursing workforce. It keeps experienced nurses engaged and reduces the costly cycle of turnover.
Practical Tips for Nursing Leaders
Supporting flexible work requires effort but pays off. Here are some practical steps:
Listen actively to individual needs and challenges
Plan rostering creatively to cover shifts without overloading staff
Encourage team responsibility so everyone supports each other
Communicate regularly about changing needs and availability
Be open to trial periods for new flexible arrangements
These steps help build trust and show nurses that their well-being matters.
Flexibility does not mean being walked all over. As a manager you need to know what work needs to be undertaken and when, there may need to be caveats (you can work these set days if we can find someone to work the missing shifts regularly, we will review this every 3 months, you will need to work some days shifts every 3 months). It may be that you can only offer one set day a week and they pick up the additional days if there is a shortage.
Flexibility only works when managers understand what the service and the individual need. What the individual needs is not often what is asked for in the first instance, take time to understand what is being requested.
The other real challenge for managers is flexibility often means managing more people for the same Full Time Equivalent (FTE). In my experience across many teams this additional work is worth it.
The goals Continuity of Care in Midwifery and Flexible work patterns seem to be at odds, but projects like the Midwifery Futures Project suggests that part time arrangements in Midwifery Continuity of Care is the key to sustainability of the model, suggesting the part time nature holds a protective factor for clinicians against burnout.
Inflexible rostering is identified as a key concern for 1 in 3 nurses. Ahpra's Workforce Retention and Attrition Project
Managers need to consider the impact of roster patterns on fatigue and disruption. Prioritise forward rotation Morning - Afternoon- Night) Booker, L. A., Mills, J., Bish, M., Spong, J., Deacon-Crouch, M., & Skinner, T. C. (2024). Nurse rostering: understanding the current shift work scheduling processes, benefits, limitations, and potential fatigue risks. BMC nursing, 23(1), 295. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01949-2
What could your unit do to support 2 team members to start at 0830 each day? Does your current shift profile match the work?
Could your team support 10hour shifts?
"How might we structure your handover or clinical tasks to ensure the team is supported even if you arrive later/leave earlier?"
"For our senior staff: What 'Working with Wisdom' model would allow you to stay with us longer while sharing your expertise with the grads"
"How can we ensure that working part-time doesn't make you feel disconnected from the 'heart' of the unit?"
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