We have a new manager at one of my jobs. Every interaction with her sounds like she's following a script learned at a leadership seminar. It feels very fake and insincere, and we all wish she'd go away.
She likes the phrase "I offer my sincere, professional apology" for instance. She sent an email with the minutes to the staff meeting, and offered the above phrase to preface her apology for sending it later than, I guess, she wanted to. She used it when she sent me an email with someone else's name. I heard her use the phrase in person as well. It's like dealing with an android or autobot.
She's full of lots of other canned catch phrases. There's lots of talk about team building, over the top praise, and followed by turds containing threats if we aren't compliant, then ending with some more sugary, team building cliches.
Have any of you experienced this? I'm not a fan of scripting. I'm sure there is value in learning leadership skills, but not if it turns you into an obvious phony.
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
Or "Is there anything else I can do for you?, I have the time." I usually don't mind asking if there's anything else I can do before leaving the room, but the "I have the time" phrase just kills me because NO I really don't have an eternity to be in your room. Reality, is I have more like 5 minutes
I'm thirding this...especially since I don't think we're all from the same area. Whoever thought this one up...*shakes fist*
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
We must be working from the same script!! And the funny thing is that, after hearing literally everyone who comes in the room use the same words, the patients and families KNOW it's a script and not genuine, and they think it's just as ridiculous as we do! How can management not figure that out?!?!
They're stupid. Really, there is no other explanation.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
I'm thirding this...especially since I don't think we're all from the same area. Whoever thought this one up...*shakes fist*
Nope, I got herded down to be indoctrinated with this crap. The first one was "MAY I pull your curtain to PROTECT your PRIVACY?" (You have to get the inflection just right.) The second one was "Is there anything else I can do for you? I have time." (Really? You're going to start staffing us to have time? Yay!)
This was in the Pacific Northwest. I think this nonsense was spread everywhere like a bad case of clap.
"Thanks for all you do!", usually right after they announce parking restrictions, cancelled raises, or an overtime freeze.
LOL! My former manager used to write, "As always, thank you for all that you do!!!" at the end of every email with a long list of horrible changes coming down the pike. I actually loved her and she really did appreciate her team, but this made me giggle because it's so true---it's only used to conclude bad news.
I'm thirding this...especially since I don't think we're all from the same area. Whoever thought this one up...*shakes fist*
I'm sure it was some upper level management with zero nursing experience and probably has never been a patient either, sitting behind a desk thinking of what new strategy will work to improve one statistic or another. Too bad it's not possible to have them magically morph into our role for just ONE DAY and do as they are demanding us to do....I'd love to say, "and how's that work in' for ya?" after they realize how illogical the new idea was to begin with.
Nope, I got herded down to be indoctrinated with this crap. The first one was "MAY I pull your curtain to PROTECT your PRIVACY?" (You have to get the inflection just right.) The second one was "Is there anything else I can do for you? I have time." (Really? You're going to start staffing us to have time? Yay!)
This was in the Pacific Northwest. I think this nonsense was spread everywhere like a bad case of clap.
This outbreak reached my coast over a decade ago and has only gotten worse with time. It's the superbug sucking the life out of all surviving staff.
"Thanks for all you do!", usually right after they announce parking restrictions, cancelled raises, or an overtime freeze.
I worked for a company years ago that was trying to improve employee morale by having the new CEO come to our location and have a PowerPoint presentation with random questions that we got to throw into a bag and he would answer them on the spot between presentation slides. One was why we were once again not receiving a merit raise. This was during the first phases of Obamacare talk and he of course stated that by not having raises they were able to decrease the raise in our healthcare coverage contributions. Irony would have it that the next slide was about how much we had exponentially grown as a company that year with a rather large profit increase. Tension was felt while he moved on with that one.
To be fair, they did decide to give us a very small increase a few weeks later and told us via email.
And then a few months later they closed down our location, moved out of state, and we were all laid off.
Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN
2,369 Posts
I'm thirding this...especially since I don't think we're all from the same area. Whoever thought this one up...*shakes fist*