Disciplining employee in front of other employees?!

[Seas]

Hello all,

I am a Nicu nurse. I wont go into detail about what type of an issue and all, as that doesnt really matter. Long story short, I got a verbal disciplinary action by my manager in front of several other coworkers today. I mean, she stopped me there and just lectured what I just did, how I shouldnt do it, do that, dont do that, etc. She talked for several minutes which is actually a long time in that circumstance. Seceral nurses were around; and they all listened to it. Some of them looked at us and turned their back. But I am very sure that that event was very witnessed and talked about once I left. Needless to say, I was and am still very embarrassed.

I cant defend myself about the subject as I deserved the talk and whatever disciplinary action I may face for it. However, I don't think that is the way to discipline your employee either. In front of everbody! I got my MSN in nursing administration, and I am sure that that is not they way of doing it. Not professional, not nice in any way.

The verbal action was all that happened. While still at work, I expected all day to be called into manager's office to sign papers for it and making the disciplinary action official. But it didnt happen. I actually wanted to be called for it, because I wanted to voice my frustration about the way it was handled too. As my manager, she has every right to discipline her employee if she sees something, but an employee also has a right not to be embarrassed in front of others during it too. Anyway, I am going back to work tomorrow. I may be called into the office, or not, I dont know. All I know is, I am frustrated, demotivated, and embarrassed.

My question is, should I get in contact with my manager if I dont hear from her and discuss my concern about the way she handled it? If so, how? Face to face? E mail?

Or should I let it go? What do you all think?

[JenFad]

Let it go for now but document it in your own personal notebook of incidents for future referencing in the event something like this happens again. Perhaps it's just that your mgr was off her game that day or she maybe brash and it's her style of managing.

In any event, do use caution because if the mgr is well connected and is respected, you could be just making things bad for yourself by speaking up if there's no union for RNS in this hospital.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you really can't trust other nightengales to vouch that they were witnesses either. At the end of the day, nightengales look out for patients and not one another.

Hope your self esteem has recovered. (hugs)

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I am so sorry that this happened to you. As pp have noted, VERY unprofessional.

The only thing I can say is that you may be VERY surprised at the support you get from other co-workers. It was embarrassing for you, and I am sure incredibly uncomfortable for them.

If this becomes a pattern, then I would go up the ladder on just how non-productive these kinds of exchanges are. For everyone. And scare tactics rarely create a learning moment or lasting change.

In the meanwhile, make sure you write down in your own personal notebook (without identifiers) generally what occurred. From the incident itself to your corrections to your manager's actions. Ask for your union's assistance if you are union. If it was a significant error, make sure your malpractice insurance is in the loop as well.

[Eschell2971, BSN]

Since you seem to have taken responsibility for your actions, I don't think it would be wrong or insubordinate to ask to meet with your manager and suggest to her that you would prefer to be disciplined in private.

Explain to her that you have taken responsibility for what happened (or didn't happen) and that she was well within her right and responsibility to discipline you. However, doing it in public was not the best way to handle the situation.

Also, let her know that you are taking any professional, constructive feedback to heart and that you appreciate her giving you the opportunity and time to improve, but, that in the future, you focus better when these matters can be discussed in private.

I think you are well within your rights, your responsibility, to speak with her.

[Seas]

Fırst, I want to thank all of you for all the ideas and empathy!

So, I went to my manager's office past Friday and requested to meet to discuss this. We did sit down and talked in her office. Trying to stay as professional as I could, I mentioned how embarrassed I felt throughout the disciplining and until this moment still. She apologized for making me feel this way and agreed that private disciplining would be the best way of handling it, however, she didnt think it was all that inappropriate either. She believes in doing it if she needs to. So looks like this is her way? She mentioned "error prevention" and how she had to prevent the wrongdoing on the spot to be effective. I told her I agreed with it. But, I said she could prevent it there and then pull me to a private area for the rest of the talk! She asked me how I would handle it. I said I would take an action on the spot like stopping it, but I would give the lecture in a private area afterwards. For anybody, we all are responsible for error prevention in my hospital, which I support it and take a full responsibility for my action. However, prevent the error on the spot and discipline your employee in private about it!

Anyway, as the conversation got longer, she asked me if I wanted to involve her boss and HR; I didn't accept. I said I didnt want this to become a bigger problem than it already was, and I just wanted to voice my concern about the way it was handled. She told me the best way to prevent this from happening again is for me not to do it again.

Bottomline, she thinks it is okay to do it the way she did it. She was nice with me and all, but this is her way of managing, I guess. I know every manager is different, and they all have strengths and weaknesses. I take this as that this is the way my manager is even though I don't agree with her way.

[canigraduate]

Just because she thinks it's OK, doesn't make it OK. You should have jumped on the chance when she mentioned bringing in HR and her boss, because she doesn't think she did anything wrong.

She did. She shamed you in front of your peers, which is not a suitable form of discipline for an adult.

You are not her child to be treated this way.

[Seas]

Just because she thinks it's OK, doesn't make it OK. You should have jumped on the chance when she mentioned bringing in HR and her boss, because she doesn't think she did anything wrong.

She did. She shamed you in front of your peers, which is not a suitable form of discipline for an adult.

You are not her child to be treated this way.

Haha, mentioning "her child", I also told her something like "I felt like I was a little child being fussed at by her mom". So, I agree with you on that; it definitely felt like that.

As far as including HR and her boss, I really didnt want this to be a longer and a bigger issue where in the end, I may become her target and lose my job. I didnt want drama. I really love my job and the hospital aside from all that.

Bottomline, she now knows that I didnt appreciate that; I will not accept everything she does only because she is my manager, and I will voice my concern if I feel like I am mistreated; and that I dont agree with her managing style as a nurse who has masters degree in nursing administration. She doesnt have her MSN. I hope this incident leads her to do a self reflection and improvement.

[ybanurse]

Harassment lawsuit! If it keeps happening. I won because my supervisor would so call chastise me during conference calls . I spoke with her about it but to no avail. then she called me out in front of my coworkers about not picking up extra shifts on my days off and about getting another job instead of picking up the shifts at the nursing home

[ybanurse]

Harassment lawsuit! If it keeps happening. I won because my supervisor would so call chastise me during conference calls . I spoke with her about it but to no avail. then she called me out in front of my coworkers about not picking up extra shifts on my days off and about getting another job instead of picking up the shifts at the nursing home .Oh and yes I had to get another job

[JenFad]

Obviously that manager is void of sense because HR isn't for matters like this. This Manger needs some soft skills courses.

[tanashreid]

Being disciplined in front of other employees is a form of bullying. You may have needed some correcting or constructive criticism but at no time should your environment be made unsafe - yes I said unsafe. If you are berated, your head will not be in the game and those precious little babies need all of you there to keep them same - your mind cannot be on an embarrassing moment that could have been handled more professionally.

Document, but also report it. Some training is needed.

[O9eleven]

This happened to me previously. I was in the nurses station and at about four words in I held my hand up and told my manager to STOP. I told her that we needed to go somewhere private and we did. After she disciplined me I told her how very unprofessional she was trying to call me out in front of my coworkers. She didn't care much about me after that but she never did again. I'd have a talk with the boss about it.

[JenFad]

As far as including HR and her boss, I really didnt want this to be a longer and a bigger issue where in the end, I may become her target and lose my job. .

Smart move on your part!