Refer to chapter 5 and the discussion on equity theory. How does Lauretta’s perception of her inputs and outputs affect her feelings and behavior?

Lauretta is a night shift nursing supervisor and has tremendous problems covering the evening and night shifts. Her ability to pay nurses to work evenings is constrained by a union contract which clearly states that a person working the night shift is compensated an extra $1 per hour (a shift differential).

However, the hospital has not had enough nurses on staff to cover all its shifts for at least the past three years, and Lauretta has had to beg nurses, day after day, to work extra shifts and cover nights. At least once a week, a nurse calls in sick and Lauretta is left scrambling to find a replacement with just a few hours’

notice. Sometimes no one is available and the night shift is forced to work understaffed, which increases the stress and frustration for those working.

The hospital administration has received numerous complaints and organized a task force to examine the staffing problems. In the first meeting, the major issues were listed. Some participants felt that the only solution was to pay a higher differential for the night shifts. Management was against only higher pay, as the shift differential was raised from fifty cents to $1 only two years ago and the problem persists. Others in the meeting felt strongly that the satisfaction level and attitudes of the nurses needed to be determined first; they proposed administering a survey.

Lauretta is not convinced any positive movement will result from the task force. She has worked at the hospital for 20 years and does not want to leave. In the past she might have stayed to be with her friends, but in the past two years, many of her close friends at the hospital have either retired or taken positions elsewhere. She began looking at other jobs in the community and found that they would all involve taking a pay cut. She is still frustrated with her job and is uncertain what she should do.