Negativity????!!!!!!!

Luvbuble · Jun 29, 2006

Is anyone else experiencing this? We are having a problem with negativity in our office. :smiley_ab :argue: It seems that if one nurse says something negative, then they all jump on the bandwagon. It seems that it is all just one big gripe session. I think that there are very few of us that avoid it altogether. I believe that negativity breeds negativity and that attitudes are catching (good or bad). Does anyone have any idea what would be helpful in pulling our group together? Or is it a lost cause of negative b**chy nurses? Is it working with a 99% female staff? To be honest I am SICK OF LISTENING TO PEOPLE WHINE!!!! :angryfire

To tell you the truth, negative is everywhere in the medical field. Anywhere that you have a lot of women working, especially with 3, 4 women PMSing around the same time, you will hear them gossiping, whining and b-tching about how hard the job is. It is really hard to not listen to them.

In my last job, the morale was always low b/c people hate their work and they were negative 99% of the time. I ended up quiting and found another job. I am a much happier person now. Sorry that I don't have a solution for you.

weirdRN, RN · Jun 29, 2006

Is anyone else experiencing this? We are having a problem with negativity in our office. :smiley_ab :argue: It seems that if one nurse says something negative, then they all jump on the bandwagon. It seems that it is all just one big gripe session. I think that there are very few of us that avoid it altogether. I believe that negativity breeds negativity and that attitudes are catching (good or bad). Does anyone have any idea what would be helpful in pulling our group together? Or is it a lost cause of negative b**chy nurses? Is it working with a 99% female staff? To be honest I am SICK OF LISTENING TO PEOPLE WHINE!!!! :angryfire

1. Don't participate.

2. Look for the good in every situation. No matter how nasty it looks.

3. take a vacation every chance you get.

nightingale, RN · Jun 29, 2006

To be honest I am SICK OF LISTENING TO PEOPLE WHINE!!!! :angryfire

So, don't listen.. start humming or look away. My kids (teens), when I say something they do not want to hear put their hands up to their ears and say "I can't hear you"; now, we as mature adults (ha-ha) can not be that obvious but I bet you can think of something that gets your point across.

Jo Dirt · Jun 29, 2006

Where I work now seems to have a healthy balance of optimism and just enough negativity to keep us feisty, but I've worked with people (women) I dreaded seeing come in the door because nothing came out of their mouths that wasn't complaining and griping.

I can't take it. One nurse was so b!t(hy and hateful and trouble making I got to where I could no longer hide my disdain for her, and that takes a lot because I want nothing more than to get along with people. But there was no getting along with her.

sharann, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2006

I keep my mouth shut and go find a task to do when this happens. We are usually too busy to have too long of a bit[h fest though.

valifay · Jun 29, 2006

Thats all my last job was...gripe, gripe, gripe. I finally got tired of it and asked if anyone ever gets tired of griping about the same stuff day in and day out. At one of my current jobs, we have a very negative nurse. And it sometimes rubs off on me and we sit and gripe about everything. I think alot of it has to do with having so many assisted residents that really need to move on to skilled care, but our director is letting them stay telling the family we will provide more care/ When in reality we don't have the staff or time to do it. So, sometimes its contagious. But when its the same old crap (like my last job), I try to ignore it. I have found as long as I keep myself busy then I'm less involved in the negative drama.

weetziebat · Jun 29, 2006

Hospice4me, can I work with you please? All it takes is one whiney, bi*chy person with a negative attitude and, you're right, it seems to be catching. I hate to be around them cause I find myself getting negative when I didn't feel that way before.

In my experience, it seems to happen much more when you work with a group of all women. I know guys gripe too, but the ones I've worked around seem to mind their own business, do their work, and try to get along with others.

Don't know what to suggest to you. In some circumstances you can just walk away and do something else. In another case perhaps you could say something about all the negativity driving you crazy. Actually I find this works well. People may ignore you but that's only because they want to gossip and gripe and realize they'll get nowhere with you.

In my last job, it was just the two of us in the office and she was sooooo negative and aggressive it drove me nuts.

Good luck, and if you find something that works, would you pass it on, please?!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2006

It's rampant everywhere in our society.

Just stand in a long grocery store or Walmart line and take a listen to the whining about the long lines.

Negativity is everywhere, not just in nursing. It can be a moral buster. I've worked in some units that were toxic they were so negative. I guess the trick is to be the role model and try to tune it out, because no matter where you work it's going to be there. But some places are better than others.

Right now moral is low where I work because staffing has been cut to save money. People have some legitimate concerns beneathe their negativity, but it's getting a bit toxic and I hope it settles down soon.

Good luck.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2006

Anywhere that you have a lot of women working, especially with 3, 4 women PMSing around the same time, you will hear them gossiping, whining and b-tching about how hard the job is. It is really hard to not listen to them.

"PMSing around" ? :confused:

And before people get started - I KNOW what PMS stands for....

weirdRN, RN · Jun 29, 2006

I was in the Army. I worked with a lot of men. I learned my direct, open, plain spoken communicating style from them.

Now, I work with all women and I am told every fifteen minutes that I can't be so direct, so brusque, so matter of fact. That I hurt people's feelings.

Who can win?

banditrn · Jun 29, 2006

I was in the Army. I worked with a lot of men. I learned my direct, open, plain spoken communicating style from them.
Now, I work with all women and I am told every fifteen minutes that I can't be so direct, so brusque, so matter of fact. That I hurt people's feelings.
Who can win?

Whimsie - I'm the same way, up to a point. That's the way I was taught to be while working in the ICU - and to this day, I'd rather work with men, or night nurses! They're just a different breed.