Table 1 Identified crises and their main characteristics

Staff shortages

• Limitation of certain skills within the HR market

• Applicants do not meet requirements for advertised positions

• Vacant positions cannot be filled

• Lack of staff restricts operations

• Service plans cannot be ensured, and patients must be sent away

Acute loss of personnel following a pandemic

• A pandemic refers to a quickly spreading infection spanning a large area

• Hospitals are particularly affected by pandemics because:

➢ Larger workload due to increasing number of patients

➢ Employees are exposed to and affected by the pandemic reducing the number of effective staff

• Spontaneous pandemic can result in a lack of personnel

Damage to reputation, internal information is made public

• Distribution of internal information regarding the hospital

• Rumours are inflated and misrepresented

• Results in unrest among employees

• Rumours impart a negative light on hospital operations and future recruiting of skilled employees

Insufficient communication during restructuring

• Within restructuring measures, it is understood that organizational and financial measures will be required to reinstate the performance capacities of insolvent companies

• Measures are often not sufficiently communicated to those both directly and indirectly affected

• Those affected are not included in communications regarding restructuring

• Resentment among employees can lead to decreased motivation

Bullying

• Bullying causes conflict-ridden communication within a team where a victim is systematically directly/indirectly attacked from antagonists over a period of time

• A senior staff member is accused to be a suspect

• Accusations result in a burden for other hospital staff

• Can lead to a rise in staff sick leave

Misuse of drugs by a superior

• There is misuse of medication in the hospital setting

• These may also be misuse or use of alcohol or other drugs

• An employee in leadership position or senior physician is affected

• The first signs of an addiction are noticed

• This leads to mistrust and decreased respect for the victim