Hospital exit survey points to onerous rosters, lengthy commutes, and inflexible work arrangements among reasons for departures of healthcare workers

Cost of living, long commutes, excessive workload, and onerous rosters were all given as reasons for healthcare workers at one busy hospital resigning from their post.

An exit survey from Beaumont in Dublin details a wide variety of causes for staff departures as almost every major hospital faces enormous challenges in retaining employees and attracting new ones.

The study showed that 12% of staff had left Beaumont for an “improved commute” while 11% said they had to give up their job because of the “cost of living” in the Greater Dublin area.

The most significant factor cited in the exit survey was “work life balance” by 13% of departing employees while 12% were moving on because of promotion or a new career development opportunity.

Around one in six of the staff leaving were planning to move abroad, around half of them to take up another healthcare job overseas and the other half for travel reasons.

Problems at work were also cited with 10% blaming “excessive workload”, 9% unhappy with “onerous rosters [or] shifts” and 8% saying there was a “lack of senior support”.