Favoritism At Work? Say It Isn't So!

[All4NursingRN]

which both my managers practice. yep. (btw, this is more of a vent thread)

so i've been working in a level one trauma/hectic ed for the past year

and a half and frankly i'm tired of the favoritism the managers show towards

some nurses over others. don't get me wrong, my managers aren't nasty people (for the most part)

but i'm tired of working so hard, being such a team player, and doing my very

best every shift only to get thrown the harder assignments more frequently than

others and it isn't only me, i see some other staff getting the short end

of the stick too.

still, i'm kinda wanting out. i know favoritism isn't new in the workplace, i've

seen it before, and i'm by no way a brand new nurse. but with the incredible

physical demand of working in this particular ed i just can't stay here when so and so is

getting the lighter assignments more frequently.

some people are frequently assigned to lighter areas like triage, fast track,

pediatrics, or doing breaks all night, while others (like me) get the heaviest

assignments more frequently, all because they're chummy chummy with the manager,

sorry i'm a very pleasant person to work with, but i'm not kissing your ___

mr/mrs manager.... not me. i also find it unfair and disrespectful to your

fellow nurse to try to get in good with the manager so that you can have it

easy... what about me? why should i suffer for you comfort?

i even feel like they're trying to limit my experience in other more skilled

areas like our resuscitation area while some people are in there all the time

(at their wishes) i've already expressed that i wanted to be in there more, how

many times do i have to bring it up?

this is why one of the older nurses is leaving, she just can't take it

anymore with all the newer (and also not so new) nurses being favored. even one

of the newer nurses left. turnover rate is high here, our evening shift is 95%

new hires within the last 6 months-2 years.

my managers can never say they have an issue with my attitude at work or

anything else that would cause them to treat me this way. i don't want to be

favored because i believe favoritism is actually toxic and divisive to the work

environment, i'm sure it makes out for less productivity and team work. i'm just

saying i want it to be fair.

and you can forget bringing this up to the head manager.

no doubt i'm getting good experience here working in the ed, the staff is

friendly and very helpful for the most part and the anm don't give me a hard

time, and are helpful, but coupled with the extreme work load (among other

workload issues) and then this favoritism? i won't reward those kind of

practices by giving in too much tenure here.

so i'm getting my experience and leaving here in the next year-year and a

half. i wish they knew they're losing a good nurse, and an awesome team player.

[Rodoon, BSN, MSN, RN]

I hear you. Yes, it's frustrating. You'd think the NM would prefer to keep staff rather than dealing with those turnover numbers. My advice is to remember it so when you become NM you don't repeat history. Thanks for sharing.

[All4NursingRN]

Yes if I was a manager (which I hope to be eventually) I won't do this to staff, it's petty and it shows your own insecurities and biases. I know management isn't the nice guy job but flat out favoritism is so detrimental to a unit.

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

What about coming up with a rotating schedule? Perhaps you could get a few of the other frustrated nurses on board and come up with a system that allows everyone to rotate through the various assignments. I understand it would be difficult based on staffing, but you could try having everyone assigned to a group each month. Group A works triage/pediatrics. Group B works recussitation/general adult. Group C works fast track/breaks. Add/switch groups as needed for your ER. Just make sure that all the areas in a certain cateogry are of similar difficulty. Or you could have a system similar to float schedules. Keep a running list of who has worked what areas and whoever has gone the longest without working there automatically gets assigned.

Obviously you know your ER better than me, so you know which kind of rotating schedule would work. I don't think you just have to deal with the favoritism and quit because of it. Nothing is going to change if everyone just sits back and sufferd through. There are ways to improve your work enviroment, it just needs someone motivated enough to do it.

[All4NursingRN]

Good advice PICU RN. I want to bring this up at my next evaluation, I'm just tired of having to do things the managers should be doing. This is their job, why don't they take it more seriously? What's the point of being a manager when people are going to get their way and do whatever they want through favoritism? Doesn't it undermine their own jobs?

[tralalaRN]

My first degree was in marketing, and I remember well the personnel management class and the discussion about being impossible to be an effective manager as well as a friend. I have worked in 2 hospital departments where this has shown to be true. The first, manager and a couple of nurses were very chummy - went out together socially, and certainly were favored. These couple of nurses got away with murder practically - very unprofessional behaviors that went unchecked. Second time this happened, it was a dept where the manager had several of the dept nurses as close friends - so close they were bridesmaids in her wedding. These gals didn't have to work night shifts, frequently clocked over time, where the rest of the staff where chastised if shift went over, etc etc. What gets scary is when dangerous things happen, and you feel you could get thrown under the bus by one of these people, and you know management would back them and not you. Anyway, just some random thoughts. I hope you are able to find peace and can stay if you like, otherwise, get your experience, and move on.

[Poi Dog]

Favoritism is alive and well in workplaces...

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

I have to add, as an ER nurse, that I think this endless bullying is an epidemic in the ER.

I have worked in two ERs. In the first, I was a new grad and I never got any critical assignments like trauma or critical care/CPR room. I also sat in halls and I am a quick triage so they sent me out there which was also stressful because they monitor the times so carefully and evaluate accuracy of triage.

My second job is a larger regional trauma center and the problems are basically the same. I have been here five months and can't wait to leave for ICU. The trauma and critical care rooms are staffed by nurses with ICU backgrounds, or years and years of experience that my little to no experience can't compete with.

The older, more experienced RNs are accustomed to asking for assignments and getting them. Well, screw that, folks!! Every nurse in the unit should rotate through every single area! (the only exception is the really newbies who should spend no more than 3 months on regular ESI 2-3 patients until they feel comfortable)

I am so tired of watching managers/charges put lazy nurses in urgent care or CDU or with the detention patients. I am so tired of watching MR. ICU get the cushy CPR/critical bays where he might two or three patients when it gets crazy and plenty of help but none for 5-6 hours of the shift.

And...I am still good with the triage so I still get to go there a ton. and work!

We all need a break. We all need to rotate every area on a rotating grid and as a newbie, both to the unit and an er nurse with limited experience (nearly two years), I am sick of "fighting" to "prove my worth."

Got all excited last night because I just got approved for the TNCC and will soon be qualified for trauma room. Sad. Shouldn't be fighting for it when I work my tail feathers off and am not a dummy either.

My husband's ICU rotates the grid so that everyone gets the non-intubated, med/surgy patients and then some time with super critical patients and some time with regularly critical patients. Why can't ERs get it together and say, "fair is fair folks." and the lazy ones? just freakin FIRE these people. they can work on the floor where they can't so readily HARM patients.

[BacktoBasics]

I’m just trying to play devils advocate but could there be other reasons why people are getting assigned to those areas. Are they more experienced? Are you great at what you do? Are they giving you the “harder” assignments because you can handle it but other nurses wouldn’t be able to? Is there a minimal number of years a nurse has to work ER prior to being in triage? I know in the Level 1 trauma center I used to work out, as an ER triage nurse you had to have like 5 years ER experience before they would assign you to that area.

I’m bringing this perspective because being a charge nurse within the ICU, I’m more likely to give the most critical patient on the unit to the more experienced nurses. I know that’s not helpful to other nurses who need to learn additional skills but if it comes down to patient safety, that’s what I would do. Why would you assign a nurse who couldn’t handle it and needs to be looked after closely? It would just add more strain on the already stressed out unit.

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

I'm bringing this perspective because being a charge nurse within the ICU, I'm more likely to give the most critical patient on the unit to the more experienced nurses. I know that's not helpful to other nurses who need to learn additional skills but if it comes down to patient safety, that's what I would do. Why would you assign a nurse who couldn't handle it and needs to be looked after closely? It would just add more strain on the already stressed out unit.

You would assign that patient to a nurse who doesn't have that experience because if she or he never gets that experience, they will leave the unit in search of that experience and create unsafe patient care situations for ALL of the patients on the unit.

Also, you would do it because it looks like favoritism and bullying. Being the owner of a broken system that excludes people because they are new and inexperienced without given them a chance to learn the skills or asking them to leave because they aren't qualified isn't a cool job.