Background and purpose: High quality of working life (QWL) is recognized as a fundamental factor in empowerment of human resources and health care system. Nursing is a profession in which having a good quality of working life plays a major role in delivering good quality care to patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the QWL and related factors in critical care unit (ICU) nurses.  

Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive-analytical study in 180 nurses working in intensive care unit in Sari teaching hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (2016) via quota sampling. The most important inclusion criterion was one year working experience in ICU. Data was obtained using demographic questionnaire and Walton’s quality of work life. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and t-test.

Results: The nurses were relatively satisfied with most components of their work life; low, medium, and high levels of QWL were reported by 27.2%, 66.1%, and 6.7% of the participants, respectively. QWL was found to be significantly associated with hours of overtime, frequency of night shifts per month, and income (P<0.001).

Conclusion: In this study nurses reported medium levels of QWL. But, they were dissatisfied with unfair salary and benefits payments and lack of a safe and healthy environment, low promotion and job security, constitutionalism in the work organization, and social dependency.