How do you deal with being called a "snitch" by your co-workers?

Nurses Relations

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I was honest with my RN supervisor letting her know that a couple of the techs had been abusing breaks. It was supposed to be an anonymous complaint, but it didn't turn out that way. If there's one thing I can't stand it's co-workers who abuse breaks because being left to pick up the slack when they're not around is not fair. So how do l deal with this?

I think your mistake was in not speaking to your coworkers directly as your first move. If a co-worker had an issue with me, I would prefer that they approach me prior to going to management. If I were your manager, one of my first questions would be to ask how the techs responded when you spoke to them about it. If you hadn't, then I would give you some coaching on how to do that, and ask you to come back to me afterward.

I think at this point, what you can do going forward is to make a promise to yourself to speak to your coworkers personally if you have an issue with their job performance, and in the meantime, be sure to thank them for their help on a regular basis. Show appreciation when they work hard, and make a point of catching them in the act of doing things right- but be sincere so as to avoid coming off as patronizing.

What's done is done. You can't go back and un-complain. But you can start doing things differently right now, and from here on out.

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Personally as a PCT myself, I am so glad you were honest with your RN supervisor about the lazy techs. However your RN supervisor should of been discreet in who told her, all she needed was the information so she could evaluate the situation herself. I witness the laziness at work constantly by techs and it just irritates me how some techs can just sit around being lazy and no one says anything.

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Specializes in Telemetry, correctional.
Personally as a PCT myself, I am so glad you were honest with your RN supervisor about the lazy techs. However your RN supervisor should of been discreet in who told her, all she needed was the information so she could evaluate the situation herself. I witness the laziness at work constantly by techs and it just irritates me how some techs can just sit around being lazy and no one says anything.

I was once a tech too, which is one reason why I felt the need to speak up.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, OB, ICU, Public Health Nursing.

If you were a tech once and were falling short, would you want to hear about it first from a manager?? This is my pet peeve. As a union steward, having two members of the same organization, going after each other. If there is a problem, take it to the person causing a problem. If there is no improvement, then you move on, after informing the person in the initial conversation, that will be your next step. Occasionaly, an employee is so difficult/aggressive, it is best left up to managers or have both RNs have the talk with the "problem." Or if a union shop, bring in the union to see if they can help find a solution before going to management.

In your scenario, it is very easy to begin a tit for tat situation, which is desirable for no one.

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Specializes in critical care.

Management of staffing issues should be dealt with by management. Charge nurse, unit manager, then whoever is next on the chain of command where you are, in that order, if need be. If these people were truly professionals, their action to deal with it would NOT have included your name.

This situation sounds like it was handled unprofessionally and if it were me, I would not have anymore trust in the person I reported to. I mean, think about it. You witness something that is a major safety issue to a patient. Maybe it's so dangerous, that this nurse/tech could be possibly fired. Are you going to trust your management to not throw you under the bus like that again?

Were the people who intervened in the situation only from your unit? If so, me, personally, I'd want off that unit. We deal with fragile situations every single day. If I couldn't trust management or charge with things that are somewhat small like, I wouldn't trust them with bigger, more important things.

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I guess the old saying is true..don't shi! where you eat. You have to go back to this place and work with these same people. I know it is hard and you wan't for people to face some penalties but you need to really look at the political side of nursing and unless you have to defend yourself, don't say too much. I work at a place similar to yours. I have even had the charge nurse defend the lazy techs. Something else that works is developing a relationship with the techs, a lot of times if you work together more will get done and that isn't to say that you do their work all the time, but sometimes if you do things with them, they will have more respect for you and will listen. If you have to report, go to them first and let them know that it may be a consequence if they don't listen to you first. I know it is horrible how the nursing field is, but you can't really trust the bosses like you think, and only reveal what you must and don't help the bosses do their job. They can walk around and see what is going on, sadly even when they do, they choose to ignore the obvious. Stop doing their dirty work.

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Specializes in Critical care.

No one likes a rat. I know that is an old quote, but if you are the RN, YOU are responsible for your Aides. Pull them aside, and tell them the longer breaks are unacceptable, and that if the behavior is not corrected you will be starting disciplinary action. Or do like me, and say "Hey slackass quit taking one hour breaks I am tired of doing your job!"

Cheers

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We don't have that option. We have to report complaints to our supervisors first.

Actually, abusing breaks is stealing money from the organization. That is a corporate compliance issue and those can be submitted completely anonymously.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Is shanking people in the prison yard still a thing?

You can have my toothbrush.

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Specializes in ICU.

I don't work with aides/techs, so I really don't know, but I have a question for some of the posters...

You all really think it's acceptable for the bedside RN to be the one talking to the techs about their long breaks? The way I see it, I don't hire them, I don't schedule them, I don't officially start the disciplinary action process with them, and I don't do their annual performance reviews, so why exactly should I be the one talking to them about their job performance?

If it's something like leaving someone on the bedside commode that shouldn't be left alone, I'd say something because that's my patient, too, but I don't think their breaks are my business beyond the fact that it would inconvenience me. Besides, if I talked to techs about their long breaks, nothing changed, and then I went to management, it would be pretty obvious who reported them even if management was professional about it and never mentioned my name.

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I don't work with aides/techs, so I really don't know, but I have a question for some of the posters...

You all really think it's acceptable for the bedside RN to be the one talking to the techs about their long breaks? The way I see it, I don't hire them, I don't schedule them, I don't officially start the disciplinary action process with them, and I don't do their annual performance reviews, so why exactly should I be the one talking to them about their job performance?

If it's something like leaving someone on the bedside commode that shouldn't be left alone, I'd say something because that's my patient, too, but I don't think their breaks are my business beyond the fact that it would inconvenience me. Besides, if I talked to techs about their long breaks, nothing changed, and then I went to management, it would be pretty obvious who reported them even if management was professional about it and never mentioned my name.

I agree with this!! The only thing I can control is delegating. And if the aides are not following through, then is the time to say "hey, it is important that you not leave rm 867 on the commode alone."

Sometimes, OP, aides do need to be delegated/directed and don't always just start doing tasks without being directed to do so. Can they be included in your report sheet? Can you be clear on what they need to do for your patients during the course of the shift?

Sometimes aides who want to be nurses have a lot of initiative, they instinctively know exactly what the expectations are, they are using their experience as a CNA to bring with them in their education and experience. Others can be there because it is a job. And they do not know the expectations.

I think the solution to this is to be direct. At the beginning of the shift. Even a task checkoff list is something that can be referred to. Sometimes if aides don't know what they are to do, they sort of disappear as to not look like they are hanging around doing nothing. Not to mention if they have been aides forever, their scope has more than likely changed a great deal.

So give them the benefit of the doubt and start specifically directing. If that doesn't work, take it from there...

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I work at times as a charge it rotates pre shift I also work as staff nurse. we tend to have an only one rn and one aide on break at a time I'd one or other takes too long the next person v

can't go on time so it noted they are delaying others break. we have also been told to manage events as they happen but any issues time keeping such as breaks. issues with staff approach to patient care. issues of flowing rn delegation of acceptable tasks to let management know. we have several long standing "run the ward " aides who are invaluable buy have there routines

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