Nurse Mobbing/bullying

cannoli · Jul 7, 2004

I like red.

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 7, 2004

red hurts my eyes in lettering here.....

leslie :-D · Jul 7, 2004

luci,

what's happening in your workplace? just keep in mind that if you're doing something that is truthful and with honorable intentions, and documenting all interventions and even conversations w/your pt., reflecting their concerns, then in the long run, justice should prevail. however, if you are an employee at will, employers can do many "mean" things but aren't necessarily illegal.

leslie

JMP · Jul 7, 2004

The way I see it...does not matter what happened.

The nursing field is ripe with horizontal violence. Nurses treating each other very badly....it has a long tradtion in nursing. Many nurses do not even know about it...which is not to blame the victim...just stating the point that it is not well known.

There are websites devoted to wiping out horizontal violence. Horizontal violence stems from oppressed groups....... of which nursing is certainly one.

Many nurses are "brought up" in the culture of horizontal violence and see it as a normal way of "being a nurse".... however it is one of the most damaging things in nursing and needs to be resolved. As a gorup- what can help? Refusing to gossip, not blaming someone for not knowing how to do something......that means helping and mentoring others. Professionalism is a good start.......

leslie :-D · Jul 7, 2004

i didn't get the impression op was talking about her peers, but rather abuse from mgmt. and she is asking questions so perhaps she could get the feeback she requested if she were more specific. i think her specific concerns do matter.

mscsrjhm · Jul 7, 2004

Bullying refers to all situations where one or more persons feels subjected to negative behaviour from others over a period of time in a situation where the victim for different reasons are unable to defend him/herself. Typically, a victim is constantly teased, badgered and insulted and perceives that he or she has little recourse to retaliate in kind.

Found this definition at worktrauma.org.

I went through "mobbing" at a past facility. After the administrator hired a friend, she then promoted that friend 5 times in 6 months. They took lunches together, giggled constantly in the office. Other Supervisors waited for hours to talk to the administrator while they chatted.

They developed a following, people who "kissed up". Until she hired her friend, the administrator was very professional. A highly educated person working toward her Doctorate.

It was the oddest thing to watch, and be involved in.

The friend was very blatantly harrassing me and others. The administrator would actually hide behind doors to "avoid" talking to me and others. This was witnessed several times.

Job descriptions and job qualifications were changed to allow their followers promotions.

Unbelievable. For quite a few months, many of us thought that there was just miscommunication.

After finally figuring it out, and a massive jump in the turnover rate, we started documenting.

Found out that the key to documenting was to get the witness to write a statment ASAP, date and sign it. Many witnesses later said that they didn't want to get involved, and some were threatened.

But, those who actually documented couldn't wiggle out of it. This documentation saved us later from retaliatory accusations.

It was wild, and showed me how evil, greedy, coniving, manipulating, and mean people can be.

AND...l birds of a feather flock together.

LuciGirl · Jul 8, 2004

Bullying refers to all situations where one or more persons feels subjected to negative behaviour from others over a period of time in a situation where the victim for different reasons are unable to defend him/herself. Typically, a victim is constantly teased, badgered and insulted and perceives that he or she has little recourse to retaliate in kind.
Found this definition at worktrauma.org.
I went through "mobbing" at a past facility. After the administrator hired a friend, she then promoted that friend 5 times in 6 months. They took lunches together, giggled constantly in the office. Other Supervisors waited for hours to talk to the administrator while they chatted.
They developed a following, people who "kissed up". Until she hired her friend, the administrator was very professional. A highly educated person working toward her Doctorate.
It was the oddest thing to watch, and be involved in.
The friend was very blatantly harrassing me and others. The administrator would actually hide behind doors to "avoid" talking to me and others. This was witnessed several times.
Job descriptions and job qualifications were changed to allow their followers promotions.
Unbelievable. For quite a few months, many of us thought that there was just miscommunication.
After finally figuring it out, and a massive jump in the turnover rate, we started documenting.
Found out that the key to documenting was to get the witness to write a statment ASAP, date and sign it. Many witnesses later said that they didn't want to get involved, and some were threatened.
But, those who actually documented couldn't wiggle out of it. This documentation saved us later from retaliatory accusations.
It was wild, and showed me how evil, greedy, coniving, manipulating, and mean people can be.
AND...l birds of a feather flock together.

:balloons: It is interesting, we tend to think that we are so civilized, yet the more I read about workplace mobbing - I realize we have so much more to learn. It seems not to matter how many credentials a person has, but their INTERNAL ethics. Sadly, ethics are greatly missing. How do we teach people this? What CAUSES people to desire good will to others instead of something entirely opposite? Why do we find ourselves working with people that often head to church on Sundays and Wednesday eves, TALK about their church activities and then BEHAVE so evil? This is NOT to bash all who go to church. I am a christian - but I do not understand the pervasiveness of such oppression in a presumably "advanced" country.

mattsmom81 · Jul 8, 2004

Disgusting to see how 'civilized' and 'educated' people can behave...I've learned the hard way to watch what people do over what they say (sometimes in spite of what they say)

I agree that so many religious people have a huge problem with 'seeing the speck in another's eye while ignoring the log in their own'. I no longer am active in the church because of some of the same things you describe...as I tired of the hypocrisy.

mscsrjhm · Jul 8, 2004

:balloons: It is interesting, we tend to think that we are so civilized, yet the more I read about workplace mobbing - I realize we have so much more to learn. It seems not to matter how many credentials a person has, but their INTERNAL ethics. Sadly, ethics are greatly missing. How do we teach people this? What CAUSES people to desire good will to others instead of something entirely opposite? Why do we find ourselves working with people that often head to church on Sundays and Wednesday eves, TALK about their church activities and then BEHAVE so evil? This is NOT to bash all who go to church. I am a christian - but I do not understand the pervasiveness of such oppression in a presumably "advanced" country.

Agreed, Sundays are the worst. Lots of people in "Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes", but they forget to bring Jesus with them.

The mobbing incident was really wild. Watching a well-oiled group, well-run facility go into a whirlwind type debacle. Seems to have started with the hiring of one person, and a very close relationship between that person and the administrator. Almost like a romantic thing. We are still not sure that the problem wasn't romance. Both were women, both married, but they just went "ga-ga".

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 9, 2004

Allnurses threads on horizontal violence:

https://allnurses.com/forums/search.php?searchid=286885

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 9, 2004

Google Links on horizontal violence:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=horizontal+violence+%2B+nursing

Angela Mac · Jul 9, 2004

It seems there is much verbal abuse amongst medical professionals. I feel we are in the most stressful profession there is. And with working 16 hr shifts as needed, working on our days off, weekends & holidays, we leave little time to ourselves. What usually gets me through is--- being empathetic. Some of us are PMS ing, some pre-menopausal, some menopausal, some burnt-out, some overworked, but nonetheless- all are working a stressful job. Consider the stressors- patients, their families (they can be the hardest to deal with), colleagues, Physicians, Therapists.....the list goes on. Try to find a good stress releaser........pursue hobbies...... get some fresh air.....and above all else- leave the workplace politics at work- your free time, is your time....hope I have offered words of encouragement, if not, I am rambling.