The impact of supervisor-subordinate relationships upon nurse engagement, wellbeing, organisational commitment and turnover intentions in Australia

Australia, similar to many other countries, suffers a shortage of skilled nurses. Calls have been made for contributions to effectively managing this turnover challenge. Using Social Exchange Theory, this paper therefore examines the impact upon turnover intentions of satisfaction with supervisor-nurse relationships and training, levels of engagement and organisational commitment, for nurses working in Australian hospitals. This paper reports findings from 520 nurses working at 12 Australian hospitals. Data was collected using a survey-based, self-report strategy. Our findings suggest that almost half of nurses’ organisational commitment and turnover intentions can be explained by the quality of their relationships with their supervisors, their satisfaction with training and development opportunities, and their levels of engagement. Discussion of these findings in included