Workplace Incivility
As I am approaching 10 years in the nursing field, having worked at several different facilities in different roles, and traveling all across the Southeast/East there is something I have come to accept as a guarantee. You will experience workplace incivility working as a nurse and it will more than likely come at the hands of another nurse. I can say workplace incivility was not a term I was introduced to when I started nursing. I knew of bullying and "nurses eat their young" when I first started. Then it became lateral violence. Now I know it as workplace incivility. Workplace incivility is defined as "low intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target, in violation of workplace norms for mutual respect." Workplace incivility can be described as rude, discourteous, belittling, and insulting behavior. One thing is for sure... workplace incivility is pervasive in the healthcare setting. I would almost say it is the norm.
I am starting this conversation because of personal experiences with workplace incivility as well as though I have witnessed. I cannot start this conversation without honest reflection that in those 10 years, I too more than likely participated, witnessed, or even led what is workplace incivility. I think so much of what the resiliency one had to have to survive a new career in nursing sets the individual up for recreating and continuing those toxic and unhealthy behaviors. My hope with these conversations are to highlight some small and big examples of workplace incivility, to identify commonalities of workplace incivility in nursing, discuss ways workplace incivility affects the unit and patients, and to lead the conversation to how to change the environment and culture. Most of management I have worked with continue the behavior that was set before them or are experiencing that behavior directed toward them. I believe most of management are ill-equipped on how to manage the problem properly. I hope through open, honest, respectful, and humble dialogue that a slow fire of change can begin. Will you join me?
https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2012/243210.pdf
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2012/243210/
https://www.nursingcenter.com/getattachment/Clinical-Resources/nursing-pocket-cards/Workplace-Incivility/Pocket-Card_Workplace-Incivility_January-2022.pdf.aspx
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