Three Ways to Use Rounding to Address Employee Engagement and Retention

The July 2022 issue of the American Nurse Journal featured an article by Jodi Waddoups on professional nursing engagement, encouraging nurses to trust their instincts and use their voices. The article outlined strategies to support engagement at all levels of nursing. Interestingly, intentional employee rounding was not among the tactics discussed—despite its well-documented value in creating the kind of “safe spaces” the article emphasized. When leaders use rounding processes focused more on listening than directing, and when staff see their input acknowledged through tracked actions and visual tools like stoplight reports, trust and engagement naturally follow.

Nursing shortages and staff retention remain top challenges for healthcare organizations. An August 2021 survey of 1,781 nurse leaders by the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) revealed that 38% cited staffing shortages as their most pressing concern—a 137% increase from February 2020. The same survey noted a 48% increase in calls for broader recognition of nurses’ contributions. NRC Health’s employee rounding tools support this need by enabling real-time recognition and praise during leadership rounds, reinforcing positive behaviors and boosting morale.

Additional insights from recent executive roundtables underscore the importance of belonging as a key driver of both engagement and retention. When nursing leaders take time to connect through structured 1:1 rounds—capturing employee concerns, sharing feedback, and following through on next steps—they help cultivate a culture of value and inclusion. According to AONL’s findings, 75% of respondents identified staff emotional health and well-being as a critical issue—further highlighting the urgency of these efforts.

NRC Health continues to support organizations with structured, evidence-based rounding practices that not only enhance engagement, but also improve safety and the overall care experience. As the healthcare industry faces unprecedented staffing challenges, innovative and people-centered approaches like these are essential.

How to Leverage Employee Rounds to Impact Nurse Retention

Here are three strategies that have proven successful for our clients to enhance the results of staff rounding and impact nurse engagement.

#1 – Rounding for Emotional Needs and Well-Being

Nursing leaders are often reminded by the staff in Human Resources to exercise caution when delving into the personal lives of employees. No one wants to invade someone’s privacy or make them feel uncomfortable. But it is important to determine the things in the nurse practice environment that are causing stress or anxiety for the employee. Using the 1:1 employee round to collect this input is far better than raising the question during a staff meeting. Stress and anxiety are personal experiences, and everyone will perceive situations differently.

There are ways to ask open-ended questions that provide staff with an opportunity to share those elements in a safe manner. Attention to non-verbal cues during the round is also helpful.

#2 – Employee Turnover Prediction

There are lots of strategies related to trying to predict turnover rates, some costly and complicated. One easy to implement solution is by getting a pulse on nurse leader intuition. The nurse leader would reflect on the employee’s likelihood to leave the organization at the end of the employee round and score the employee from low to high risk. By recording these predictions and comparing them to the results of the annual employee satisfaction questionnaire and/or nurse retention data, nursing leaders can enhance their ability to connect in a meaningful way with staff to prevent further turnover.

During rounds leaders can assess the likelihood for this employee to turnover in the next 6 months.

#3 – Stay Interviews

Katie Haifley, CPXP, Product Director, NRC Health is a firm believer in the use of ‘leading data’ as opposed to ‘lagging data’ whenever possible. I find it interesting that many facilities take pride in their exit interview process and the value of that data collected. That’s a ‘lagging data’ point if I have ever seen one. Finding out why a person is leaving after they have committed to go, is a little too late!  Even if that data can be used to improve processes in the future, the organization has already lost a skilled professional. According to the 2022 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report survey, the average cost of turnover for a bedside RN is $46,100 resulting in the average hospital losing between $5.2m – $9.0m annually. Each percent change in RN turnover will cost/save the average hospital an additional $262,300/year.³

Consider adding Stay Interview questions to your rounding form or creating a different process entirely dedicated to talking with the employee about retention.

Leaders should check in with their team to see how they are being valued in their role by simply asking them for examples.

Gathering feedback from your team about could be done to improve retention fosters open communication and spurs new ideas for leadership and HR departments.

Employee Rounds Matter

All NRC Health partners benefit when our partners challenge us to help them solve problems like these. All these options, and many other best practices are resources that we share with our clients. Regardless of the challenges in the organization, finding time for employee engagement isn’t just a priority, it is a necessity!