Table 2.

Categories and sub-categories extracted from the data

Main category	Sub-category	Semantic unit
Management of workforce recruitment	Volunteer workforces	calling volunteers from other wards, hospitals, cities, and other provinces, employing non-specialist volunteer workforces
	Non-volunteer workforces	moving nurses between wards, recruiting contract and temporary staff, extension of contractual forces, speeding up the recruitment process for those who passed the selection test
Management of workforce arrangement	Flexible work schedule	relocating pregnant or lactating forces, moving forces with underlying disease, moving forces treated with immunosuppressive drugs or family members, dynamic adjustment of shift work schedules
	Rearrangement of workforce	combine of new and experienced workforces, adjust the number and proportion of the workforce
Management of workforce retention	Preventive measures	provide training in various ways, provide PPE, evaluate and monitor the correct use of PPE, reduce unnecessary exposure, eliminate combined shifts, increase the off-time between shifts, eliminate mandatory overtimes, reduce monthly working hours, separate the spaces, identify COVID nurses in emergency departments, assign codes to patients with suspected respiratory symptoms, nutritional management, pavilion, and restroom management, allocation of a dedicated place for quarantine of affected personnel, officials as a role model in the correct use of PPE.
	Motivational measures	The strong presence of managers in the field, more cooperation with staff, leadership alongside management, close communication between officials and staff, financial incentives, public donations; charities; public and private institutions, presenting the appreciation of public and officials to employees, allocation of working hours coefficient, the promise of leave
	Psychological support	the possibility of relocation for anxious staff, non-compulsory work in the COVID department, providing psychological counseling, playing happy songs in the ward, live concert performance, creating an intimate atmosphere in the ward