WORKPLACE BULLYING Workplace bullies and their targets may be nurses, physicians, patients, family members or vendors of an organization.
DEFINITION: Bullying is the use of force, threat or coercion to abuse, intimidate or aggressively dominate others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual.
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them. Dalai Lama
WORKPLACE BULLYING Occurs most often ( 23%) on med/surg floors Critical care units 18% Emergency Departments 12% Perioperative areas 9% Obstetric departments 7%
NURSES MOST OFTEN FELT TO BE BULLIES ARE: Nurse managers Charge nurses Senior nurses What distinguishes a manager from a bully? ANYONE CAN BE A BULLY.
Looked upon as workplace violence. You may not be hit and physically abused, but psychic wounds hurt. Often is equated with PTSD or PTED. Will see nurses (new and seasoned) leave their chosen profession because of the bullying behaviors. The behaviors can be initiated by anyone in the workplace.
COULD BULLYING JUST BE A LACK OF RESPECT?. 1. Nurses to nurses. 2. Doctors to nurses, nurses to doctors. 3. Patients to nurses or doctors. 4. Families to nurses, doctors or patients. RELATIONAL AGGRESSION EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION
Often a bully is kept in their job because their skills are valuable. What is the value of the bully if staff turnover is high due to their behavior? If the behavior continues the nurse manager needs to take charge and stop the cycle.
The Joint Commission issued a standard in 2008., that each institution have a code of conduct that defines acceptable, disruptive and inappropriate behaviors. They required each institution to create and implement a process for managing disruptive and inappropriate behaviors.
How do bullies determine who their victims are? The most vulnerable: nurses new to jobs,tranfers into the unit, units with understaffing. They just decide they don t like you.
Bullies have a sense of power that gains momentum, because they can get away with it. So how do you stop it? Inform them that the behavior is unacceptable, have an audience to the behavior, walk away, keep notes regarding the behaviors and get management involved. It is easy to become a bully, if you are constantly defending yourself.
Behaviors are not frequently reported. Sometimes they are not recognized until you have been through it so many times you finally identify the behavior. It is difficult to confront a bully. Being bullied can create a toxic work environment with decreased job satisfaction and frequent turnover.
Can cause a patient safety issue. Can lead to verbal outbursts. Condescending attitudes. Refusal to take part in assigned duties. Physical threats. Breakdown in teamwork. Suicide.
SOCIAL May exclude you from the workgroup. Put down the work you do. Back stab, two faced. PHYSICAL Use of physical force hitting, grabbing, or striking you. VERBAL Talking down to you, yelling, putting you down in front of others. EMOTIONAL Hot blooded, expressing great depth of feeling, agitation sadness, depression, incivility.
HARASSMENT Different from bullying because it is usually an isolated incident. There are federal laws that define harassment regarding sex, age, race, disability.
SUMMARY Bullying is persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting behavior directed at an individual. This behavior may make you defensive, feel threatened, feel abused, vulnerable. You may decide to become a bully in defense. May leave your job, can threaten patient care. Usually will leads to job dissatisfaction. It can be verbal, social, physical or emotional. It is your response to the bully that can make a difference. The problem is serious enough that Joint commission has a directive against these inappropriate behaviors.
REFERENCES Marlene s Law Documentary. Beverly Peterson. Nojobisworththis.com 2009 Jodies Law. Beverly Peterson. Nojobisworththis.com. Our Bully Pulpit. IECWB@IECWBworkbully. (http://nojobisworththis.comorkplace Bullying Definition (http://nojobisworththis.com) Violence Risk and Threat Assessment. Meloy, J. Reid Ph.D. 2000. Career Coach: How to detect subtle forms of bullying at work., Russell, Joyce E..A. The Washinton Post, March 2, 2014 Career Coach: Dealing with bullies in the workplace., Russell, Joyce E.A. The Washington Post, May 27 2012.