The perceptions of nurse managers working in the mining industry on workplace relationships

BACKGROUND: Positive workplace relationships improve the quality of healthcare provided by promoting teamwork and ensuring that challenges are addressed amicably. Nurse managers, unit managers, nurses, doctors and union leaders are obligated to establish positive working relationships to deliver quality primary healthcare service to mine workers at the clinics of the mine. However, there are negative workplace relationships at the clinics of a specific mining company that affect the quality of service delivered. AIM: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the perceptions of primary healthcare nurse managers working in the mining industry on workplace relationships. SETTING: This study was conducted in mining primary healthcare clinics located in Gauteng province, in the West Rand. METHODS: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was adopted in this study. Individual interviews were conducted to collect data from the primary healthcare nurse managers, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness measures and ethical principles were upheld in this study. RESULTS: Three themes surfaced in this study: (1) negative perceptions of primary healthcare nurse managers on workplace relationships, (2) positive perceptions of primary healthcare nurse managers on workplace relationships and (3) building workplace relationships between primary healthcare nurse managers and union leaders. CONCLUSION: Nurse managers had positive and negative perceptions on working relationships in this study. Negative workplace relationships should be prevented at all costs by resolving conflicts amicably. CONTRIBUTION: Resolving of conflicts amicably to build positive workplace relationships.