Zero tolerance for workplace violence a double standard??

[burnedoutRNinSC]

Hi, I am here to ask if any body could offer me any advise or share a personal experience with my situation here. I currently work as a clinical coordinator for a medical surgical floor. I had a unit secretary,who happened to be female,threaten to physically harm me. My preceptor told be to beware of this person when I was in orientation because of her record of bullying behavior. I filled a formal complaint with HR regarding this situation and an investigation was supposedly launched. A week after the incident, little to my knowledge, both of us were on the schedule to work together. I refused to work with this individual and had put in a formal request to transfer to another unit of the hospital. I faced a lot of static from my boss and the director of nursing for refusing to work with this person. Needless to say, my attempts to transfer have been unsuccessful. I have informed my boss that I will be resigning. I know for a fact if I had been the one to threaten her, I WOULD have been fired at the very least. Possibly even arrested. Its frustrating because the tools that a man is given to combat inappropriate behavior against a belligerent female is proving to be ineffective.

[Luminosity]

I am just looking into a nursing career and browsing through the message boards, so I have no clue what the protocall for something like this is in a hospital. But this does make me glad I work in the construction field. We're all to the point when it comes to disagreements so threats are usually short lived. last time I saw someone threatened on the job the person making the threat was holding an ice pack on his jaw shortly after. And the two of them were working side by side with no problems later that afternoon.

[remifentanil]

I am just looking into a nursing career and browsing through the message boards, so I have no clue what the protocall for something like this is in a hospital. But this does make me glad I work in the construction field. We're all to the point when it comes to disagreements so threats are usually short lived. last time I saw someone threatened on the job the person making the threat was holding an ice pack on his jaw shortly after. And the two of them were working side by side with no problems later that afternoon.

Ummm Luke.. you have to understand this is a female dominated career... so people act accordingly. I saw the same thing in the Army... but in nursing it's a bit different... up is down.. right is left.. and things are not what they appear. It's not like real life as most men know it.

[Luminosity]

remifentanil,

I understand what you mean. I worked in a more "professional" office setting prior to the company I'm at now. Much the same type of thing. Conflicts were resolved through meetings with HR and letters and such. I definately wasn't suggesting that the OP clock the lady in the jaw or anything. Was just sayin' sometimes I'm glad I work in an envoronment where there isn't so much buracracy just to handle someone that obviously was in the wrong to begin with. I do agree with some of the earlier posters that he handled the situation correctly and these types usually hang themselves out to dry eventually. It's just waiting on the "eventually" that's hard.

[Anna S, RN]

I think nursemike gave excellent advice.

[jpizzle11]

"Its frustrating because the tools that a man is given to combat inappropriate behavior against a belligerent female is proving to be ineffective."

Please...stop whining about belligerent females beating up on poor, defenseless men. Her threat isn't taken seriously because it is highly unlikely that she could do any real physical harm to you. Your threat would be taken seriously, on the other hand, because men beat and kill women every day. Double standard? Sure, but that's the reality of the difference between men and women. Think YOU lack the tools to thwart violence? Try being a battered woman or a victim of date rape, then we can talk.

Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that she is capable of hurting you, much less actually willing to. That is why her threat was not taken seriously.

However, her behavior is still unprofessional and tacky...if she worked for me,she wouldn't still have a job.

[budhead]

jpizzle11 i cannot begin to express how offended i am by your post. yours is a reprehensible argument.

abuse should not be tolerated by anyone. just because some members of group one may have been abused more than members of group two does not give all of group one the right to tell all of group two to sit down and shut up.

it is conceivable that this woman could be large and strong enough to overwhelm a particular man, especially if she chooses to use a weapon. and some men will not strike a woman no matter what the circumstances, so that may make his defending himself difficult.

you are making the argument that double standards exist and should be accepted when women have been fighting against double standards for ages - assuming you are female, you are working towards setting your gender back years upon years trying to support such an argument.

[systoly]

First thing that comes to mind, "Go ahead, make my day"

[systoly]

Second thing that comes to mind: rather than spending money on a lawyer, hire a big biker girl to come to work pretending to be your girlfriend. And no, I'm not making fun of the post, I actually would do this. (that's probably why nobody messes with me, they know I'm borderline)