Dealing with a childish coworker?

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Specializes in LTC.

Hello everyone.

I work in a nursing home and really like it. Basically as you all know, us nurses are usually on a med cart which is fine. I work with another Med Tech and it's hell sometimes. He's a nice person but he has ADHD and forgets to take his medicine.

He thinks it's funny throw cups, scream, and sling his keys around to make as much noise as possible. Admittedly, I could write him up, but I know some of it is not in control. Has anyone dealt with an unruly coworker? How do you handle it?

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I work with another Med Tech and it's hell sometimes. He's a nice person but he has ADHD and forgets to take his medicine.

He thinks it's funny throw cups, scream, and sling his keys around to make as much noise as possible. Admittedly, I could write him up, but I know some of it is not in control.

Okay... So how does a person who throws cups, screams, slings his keys around and generally makes as much noice as possible, and who's "not in control" of himself, behave around patients?

Admittedly, I could write him up, but I know some of it is not in control. Has anyone dealt with an unruly coworker? How do you handle it?

I've dealt with plenty of unruly individuals in my life. Most of them haven't been my coworkers.

I can't tell you what to do, but if this was my coworker, I'd tell him to do whatever it takes to start acting like a professional at work. If that means taking his meds, then I guess that's what he needs to do.

Why are you tolerating this behavior? It sounds disruptive.

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1) talk to him abut it if you feel he may be receptive to it. But I feel he may not, so the other option is

2) go to the DON and explain what you've observed. You don't even have to say names. Suggest that behavior expectations are reviewed with staff along with consequences of being out of line. This way, if you do have to write him up, the situation is less you vs him and more like him vs policy.

Hope that helps.

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Specializes in LTC.
Okay... So how does a person who throws cups, screams, slings his keys around and generally makes and who's "not in control" of himself, behave around patients?

I can't tell you what to do, but if this was my coworker, I'd tell him to do whatever it t

Why are you tolerating this behavior? It sounds disruptive.

He does his job and calm around residents. Gives them their pills fine. It's like having a child in the office. In 3 years, this man will be 40 and he thinks knocking over supplies is funny. And he feels the need to point out the time and how much he wants to go home. You constantly have to talk to him and entertain him unless he'll start knocking things over. He has no concept of an indoor voice. I'm in my 20's and I have never seen an adult act like this.

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Specializes in LTC.
1) talk to him abut it if you feel he may be receptive to it. But I feel he may not, so the other option is

2) go to the DON and explain what you've observed. You don't even have to say names. Suggest that behavior expectations are reviewed with staff along with consequences of being out of line. This way, if you do have to write him up, the situation is less you vs him and more like him vs policy.

Hope that helps.

All good tips! However my supervisor is aware of this and says he's just being "Phil". (Not his name). I guess they can't write him up because he technically does his job but he's a nuisance.

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All good tips! However my supervisor is aware of this and says he's just being "Phil". (Not his name). I guess they can't write him up because he technically does his job but he's a nuisance.

If management is aware and doesn't want to do anything, I wouldn't pursue this. All he'd have to do is complain about you and you're the troublemaker.

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He does his job and calm around residents. Gives them their pills fine. It's like having a child in the office. In 3 years, this man will be 40 and he thinks knocking over supplies is funny. And he feels the need to point out the time and how much he wants to go home. You constantly have to talk to him and entertain him unless he'll start knocking things over. He has no concept of an indoor voice. I'm in my 20's and I have never seen an adult act like this.

All good tips! However my supervisor is aware of this and says he's just being "Phil". (Not his name). I guess they can't write him up because he technically does his job but he's a nuisance.

If he always behaves in a calm manner around patients then he is completely in control of himself. That includes when he's screaming and throwing things when he is around you. He's not a helpless victim of poor impulse control. If he was a helpless victim, he would sometimes lose it around patients as well. The fact that he doesn't, indicates that he's simply doing something he gets a kick out of doing, and in my opinion he's doing it because his supervisor and perhaps others as well, enable him by allowing the behavior.

If technically doing your job was genuinely the only requirement one could make of a professional, then all sorts of odd behaviors would be acceptable. That would mean as long as he passes the right meds to the right patient at the right time, he could for example get away with running around in his birthday suit, loudly reciting Mediaographic poems to the patients I guess ;) However, I suspect even his supervisor would object to that scenario...

I have to wonder why your supervisor is okay with having one employee making other employees feel uncomfortable. Providing a work environment that's at a minimum free of fellow employees screaming and throwing things, seems like a very basic expectation to have of an employer.

The fact that your supervisor makes excuses for him and condones his obnoxious antics, in my opinion reflects poorly on your employer.

Personally, I wouldn't allow a coworker to behave this way around me. I realize that it's not easy for you since you don't seem to be getting any support from your supervisor, but if it were me, I could not not say anything to him when he started acting up. I completely lack both the will and ability to put up with such nonsense.

What a crummy situation, OP :(

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What're the chances he thinks this is (somehow) flirting?

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This all sounds like some nursing home version of the movie "Dumb and Dumber". I'm amused.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
All good tips! However my supervisor is aware of this and says he's just being "Phil". (Not his name). I guess they can't write him up because he technically does his job but he's a nuisance.

Part of doing your job is behaving in a professional manner, so the idea that your management has their hands tied and must endure the bizarre behavior seems very strange to me.

If he makes it known he is not taking his meds, and can turn off the antisocial behavior at will when necessary then what is the "some of it is beyond his control" part?

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Throwing cups, screaming and making noise is "not conducive to the functioning of the unit". Refer to policy and procedures.

Seems like administration is not comprehending the issue.

What does Phil say when you tell him to knock it the **** off?

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Specializes in LTC.
If management is aware and doesn't want to do anything, I wouldn't pursue this. All he'd have to do is complain about you and you're the troublemaker.

Yeah that's why I haven't written him up. I don't want a hostile workplace

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