Impact of transformational leadership on job satisfaction of nursing staff during COVID-19

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship of transformational leadership with the job satisfaction of the nursing staff working in different public hospitals in Thessaloniki, Greece, during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD The questionnaire was divided into three parts; the first was related to the collection of demographic data, the second included the Transformational Leadership Scale (TLS) and the third the Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale (KUHJSS). The survey was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire with closed -ended questions. The research sample consisted of 268/420 (response rate: 63.8%) nurses and was held from February till May 2021, in six public hospitals of Thessaloniki in Greece. The analysis of the collected data was performed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21.0. RESULTS The total average value of transformational leadership in nursing staff was 3.6 +/- 0.7, which indicated very good transformational nursing leadership, while in terms of job satisfaction, the average value of total satisfaction was 3.7 +/- 0.7, a fact which also indicated very good satisfaction. At the same time, the increase in the quality of care provided was associated with an increase in overall satisfaction, while the transformational leadership, in all its individual scales, was positively related to job satisfaction. More specifically, better transformational leadership in terms of individuality and performance was associated with increased satisfaction with leadership while better transformational leadership in terms of individuality, performance, and direction was associated with increased satisfaction overall. CONCLUSIONS The empowerment of nursing staff, the emphasis on the well-being of nurses and the increase of their job satisfaction through the application of transformational leadership should be a priority but also a challenge for every administration.