Ughhhhhh I'm being bullied at work.

Nurses General Nursing

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There is a another nurse on our unit who is 'queen bee' and is on my heels constantly. She is nasty, and this week I found out that she was telling boldface lies, saying I dont do my work, instead logging on to the internet for two hours a day! I immediately called tech support to get logs of computer activity, but my boss told me not to. I was surprised because those logs would PROVE she is a liar, and she should be disciplined for that kind of behaviour. The boss said I was over reacting...but I am tired of the bullying. I have heard her threaten to choke one of the assistants, and even the patients have mentioned her nasty ways. The nursing students won't go near her. However, the head of the dept said it was up to me to clear things up. I didn't feel like I had support in this. I DREAD going to work now, where once I loved it. I have the option of moving to another unit, which I am going to do. But I just cannot believe how the management allows this to continue, without the slightest repercussion! Any advice?

Specializes in Med/Surg; Critical Care/ ED.

Follow your chain of command. If you don't get satisfaction from your boss, go to the next person up. It's a shame for you to have to leave a place you love. And I don't really think it's up to you to clear it up. If she's spreading malicious lies about your work performance, I believe that's interfering with your ability to earn a living. But I am not a legal expert. Also, you need to start DOCUMENTING your experiences with this person, and have others document their experiences as well. Patient complaints should be referred to the patient advocate if you have one, or directly to your supervisor. With the patient as customer environment these days, your supervisor will not be able to ignore them. Good luck, I hope things improve for you.

PH

First, I would ask her for proof of these allegations she's making. Then if she's threatening to physcially assault someone, I'd document it and have her victim document it.

If the DON will not back you up, go over her head.

Check with HR about their policy on creating a hostile work enviroment. This person obviously is doing that and most facilities have policies against it. Get others who feel like you do to band together.

I worked in an environment like this one and left. It was a tech who was poisoning the water. A few months after I left, I found out that there was only one full-time nurse left there. There rest were part-timers. They even had a hard time getting agency in because the reputation of that unit was so poor. You'd think they would learn.

Specializes in IMCU/Telemetry.

:yeahthat: :yeahthat:

Follow your chain of command. If you don't get satisfaction from your boss, go to the next person up. It's a shame for you to have to leave a place you love. And I don't really think it's up to you to clear it up. If she's spreading malicious lies about your work performance, I believe that's interfering with your ability to earn a living. But I am not a legal expert. Also, you need to start DOCUMENTING your experiences with this person, and have others document their experiences as well. Patient complaints should be referred to the patient advocate if you have one, or directly to your supervisor. With the patient as customer environment these days, your supervisor will not be able to ignore them. Good luck, I hope things improve for you.

PH

:yeahthat: Document everything and pass it up the line. Management are then legally responsable for it. If they ignore it, they are leaving themselves open for a lawsuit. This other nurse is defaiming you. Get that paperwork from tech support. Even if you don't need it now, it would be nice to have for the future. You never know where this will go.

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Have her served with a restraining order that orders her to keep her distance and her mouth from you. If she continues to defame your character falsely, let the restraining order state a lawsuit will be filed against her. THAT will shut her up. :)

Sometimes desperate situations call for desperate measures. Handle your business, nurse. :nurse: :cheers:

The hospital where I used to work had a great dept called "employee relations". They still were looking out for the hospital's best interest, but they knew when something was happening that they could end up being liable for. You are working in a hostile work environment. That is illegal. You do not have to file suit, but the documentation advice you have been given is right on the mark. Most places, if they hear someone utter "hostile work environment", will get right on the issue.

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
......................................Most places, if they hear someone utter "hostile work environment", will get right on the issue.

Yea, they got "right on it" alright. And you are right about "employee relations" being there FOR THE HOSPITAL...they are useless for employees in my opinion. Been there...done that...left the job because of it. :rolleyes:

Specializes in Inpatient Acute Rehab.

Talk to the bullying nurse in a conference with your boss. If that does not solve things, then take it a step higher to your boss' boss.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
I just cannot believe how the management allows this to continue, without the slightest repercussion! Any advice?

I know you are not going to want to hear this, but you are as guity of allowing this to continue as well as management. You are an RN. That means you have some duty and obligation to practice some supervision and leadership over other caregivers. Part of the problem here is that you do not know what to do. The answer here is that you need to learn what to do. Transferring to another unit is only shoving the problem under the carpet. It will rear it's head again in the future with another employee in another place. You still won't know how to deal with it. Let me give you some advice since you did ask.

You have to confront this nurse. Prepare ahead of time first. I'd address this business of her telling lies about you. If you know what she has been saying then you want to address her about what she is saying. I worked with an LPN who used to talk about me behind my back all the time. I just took her aside during a quite moment and told her that I had been hearing that she was saying (1) this, (2) this, and (3) this about me. "Is it true? Why are you saying those things?" I asked her. You see, this forces the person to talk these issues over with you. It gave me a chance to explain my side of what she was interpreting as my goofing off. I ended the conversation by clearly telling her that if she had a complaint about something she felt I was doing wrong that I wanted her to come and talk to me and not tell everyone else on the unit. It is important to keep your voice level and as friendly as possible even though these are very emotionally charged discussions--especially the first time you do it. This leaves the door open for you to step in immediately if you hear her saying something new about you. Again, you take her aside and tell her that now you are hearing her saying (1) this. What gives? It took 3 of these encounters with my nemesis LPN before I finally got her to stop. Or, at least she only talked to those who she could trust not to blabb what she said. Some of these kinds of people are tenacious and you have to be just as persistant with them. I also told other people on my unit, individually, that I was aware she was talking about me and I asked them (this is where you educate your staff) to please stop her when she did this and tell her she really needs to come and see me about her complaint. You see, if this kind of person doesn't have a sympathetic ear who is listening to her, then she has no one to talk to.

The first time you confront someone who is disagreeable, it is difficult. But, like any other nursing skill, I promise, it gets easier as you do it more and more. Always keep in mind that we must treat others respectfully, even when they don't extend us the same courtesy. Believe me, they'll remember someone who was nasty back to them and we don't need that! Once you've opened the communication door with this person, it is quite easy to pull her aside and tell her "there's a rumor going around that you threatened to choke one of the assistants, is that true?" Extend her the courtesy of listening to her side of this. As a supervisor you owe her that fairness.

With regard to her threatening to harm another this should be nipped in the bud immediately. "I heard you tell XXX that you were going to choke her." Give her a chance to explain. Maybe she was kidding? If not, "You can't say that to another employee. I'm going to have to report this." Something like that usually should result in automatic disciplinary action if not termination. One of the realities of supervision is that you have to do the paperwork and document incidences like this. No one gets fired without the proper written documentation in their personnel file. Remember a long time ago when life was fine and you just passed the buck? Guess what, the buck now makes a stop with you now. Time to learn to stand up to problems and deal with them because there is no one else to pass them on to. This is the leadership part of nursing that a lot of people would just rather ignore. But, you can't or chaos will reign.

When talking doesn't help, then you have to start doing written documentation in order to put the official disciplinary process into action. It sounds like you have the backing of the head of your department. That is good. Feel free to ask them for advice on how to handle disciplinary problems. However, keep after this person. Never assume that they know the "rules". Re-read about the disciplinary process in your nursing leadership textbook. When you confront someone you always include a statement to them about what behavior of theirs that needs to be changed (no more gossiping about me, or come to me with any concern you have about me). This is how you set limits with them. She'll either waver and pull back on her mouthiness or with any luck, go somewhere else to work.

:yeahthat: :yeahthat:

:yeahthat: Document everything and pass it up the line. Management are then legally responsable for it. If they ignore it, they are leaving themselves open for a lawsuit. This other nurse is defaiming you. Get that paperwork from tech support. Even if you don't need it now, it would be nice to have for the future. You never know where this will go.

Can I still get the computer documentation even if my boss told me not to??

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

This thread was posted twice. I left a long post with advice for you on the other thread you started.

Have her served with a restraining order that orders her to keep her distance and her mouth from you. If she continues to defame your character falsely, let the restraining order state a lawsuit will be filed against her. THAT will shut her up. :)

Sometimes desperate situations call for desperate measures. Handle your business, nurse. :nurse: :cheers:

Isn't it a shame that, nowadays, things go that far?

What happened to people just doing their own thing? It's getting to the point I'm afraid to make new friends, you know?

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