Do you have a Weasel at work?

Nurses General Nursing

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We have a unit secretary that I have a secret name for and it is the "Weasel". This name reflects the fact that she spends a great deal of time weaseling in with people in managment positions. Knows them all by name, jumps up to glad hand them every chance she gets. She also does a lot of personal favors for managment people especially the nurse manager. Everyone knows to be careful what is said in front of her because managment will hear it from her and again carrying tales is a way of weaseling in with managment. I would be very impressed with a manager that was not fooled by this stuff but I have yet to meet one that wasn't. It does a lot of damage because inevitably the weasel will dodge real work every chance she gets. Everyday when she leaves charts with orders stacked a mile high sit waiting for the next shift. She loves the phone but not to do unit business. She is yacking to family and friends constantly and her children seem to think they can call anytime about the stupidest things. Even when she takes her two hour lunches they continue to call and the staff had to take the calls. These behaviors pay off because she is in as tight as you can get with the bosses. They like being kissed up to so much they are not about to do anything about her. :stone

A loosened spring in the center might cure the spy chair use....

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A loosened spring in the center might cure the spy chair use....

Yea....I had one in a very small office.....but I did not really blame her! It was the MD( that was the next person on the totem pole) that I had NO respect for and that's when I started looking..........when my values are compromised, it's time to go.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

If there is a weasle, I'm not sure who he/she is. So I just mind my own business and never say anything out loud that I wouldn't want everyone else to hear.

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One of the brown nosers we had at my job, became good friends with our DON.

But they were both so two-faced it was pathetic. You could just see that each one was using the other to their advantage.

The brown noser would tattle on other people, to get brownie points with the DON, and make herself look good in the DON's eyes. {So she thought}

And the DON was using the brown noser for her own agenda......to get information on the rest of the nurses. They acted like they were such good friends, but they would talk about each other behind their backs.

It was just sickening.

The brown noser is no longer there.....in fact no longer on this earth. She became sick with CA and died.

I don't know how I have survived in this job with such underhanded dealings going on, but I've alot of years invested in this job towards a retirement and I just couldn't walk away. If it hadn't been for that I would have left years ago to get out of it. Things are better now that the brown noser is no longer there, and I didn't mean her any ill will, knowing that she has died, but it's just a fact. Things are better now for the department.

But that dosn't mean the DON didn't try to replace her tattler...she did. She came right out and asked several to give her information if they heard anything. But so far NO ONE would oblige her!!

How bold can she get?

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God, I hate people like that- seems to be one on every unit!

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

I use the weasel to get messages to the boss (who otherwise avoids staff lol) - anything you want him to hear, you just say around her ;).

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[ That seems like management is going too far when they try to control someone's life outside of the hospital. You can never have too many friends. Good friends are with you not only in happy times but also give you support when you need it. :)

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac Medicine, Retail Health.

Well, I like brown nosing. Its gotten me very far in life. Being the jewel of the bosses eye, and stepping on others to make me look good is what life is all about. The bottom line is the bottom line and if I can make more money, than I will step on my mother to get that promotion. I ratted out several employees and got a big promotion, so it does pay to be a brown noser. Am I really doing anything wrong? I look at it as being the eyes and ears of management, and I have been handsomely rewarded for my efforts. Besides, if people would just do their jobs, than I would be put out of business. I am getting ahead in life, I now manage my own unit, and am looking to move up and will do it by any means necessary. Choose your friends wisely, and keep your enemies close to you.............

JUST KIDDING! Brown nosers can be a real moral problem in the workplace. As several posters have mentioned they are everywhere, and pretty easy to spot ( although some wear camouflage).

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I use the weasel to get messages to the boss (who otherwise avoids staff lol) - anything you want him to hear, you just say around her ;).

ditto....been there done that !!! lol ...if they are gonna repeat anything you say, let it be something you WANT them to hear ;)

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Specializes in Level 2 and 3 NICU, outpt peds.

Weasels and heffalumps, those that sit back and watch the weasel in action and don't stand up for their colleagues. I've decided you can't do anything about weasels, they come in all shapes and sizes but I'll NEVER sit and shut up if a colleague is berated by a boss in public, nor will I stand by quietly when a boss says something about another staff member when she/he is not there. :angryfire

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Weasels and heffalumps, those that sit back and watch the weasel in action and don't stand up for their colleagues. I've decided you can't do anything about weasels, they come in all shapes and sizes but I'll NEVER sit and shut up if a colleague is berated by a boss in public, nor will I stand by quietly when a boss says something about another staff member when she/he is not there. :angryfire

Good for you! If more nurses wouldn't tolerate the back stabbing weasel then maybe we can put the weasels out of business :p

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Yes it seems every job I have had has one or more weasels. I just keep my mouth shut at work these days. It's just not safe to speak your mind at work anymore. At my fairly new job, the DON comes to different staff members and says "I received a complaint about you." She hasn't received a complaint about me yet but I'm sure I will accidently open my mouth one of these days and speak my mind. :o

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