Just wondering how other nurses would interpret this email.
"I am looking for motivated staff that are interested in rising to the challenge of providing care to patients with heart failure and be part of developing a unit of excellence. There is no need to apply if you; lack interest in staying updated with current trends, have a profound interest in gossip, or lack team work capabilities. If you are interested please try to attend the staff meeting on July 6th at 0600
(name withheld) our nurse practioner has set up Heart Failure Education Modules which are mandatory to all. The modules will include
1.Heart Failure Pathophysiology and symptoms
2.Heart Failure Treatment: HF guidelines and Therapies
3.Continued Treatment
4.Patient Education and Self-Care
Dates and times as below (rooms to be announced):
9/28 0800-1200
9/28 1430-1830
9/29 0700-1100
9/29 1400-1800
10/9 0700-1100
10/09 1400-1800
10/10 1100-1500
10/26 1300-1700
Please let me know ASAP what session would be best for you and we will schedule workshop time so that it is part of your hours.
If you can not make any of these sessions I will assume your interest lies outside of moving forward with rest of the heart failure team."
Maybe it was clear, but it wasn't respectful. I hate it when everyone gets painted with the same broad brush. If there are stragglers who can't get their behinds to mandatory inservices, then the manager needs to deal with them individually and not demean her entire staff.
I agree. I think this NM failed "Tact and Professionalism 101".
I find it very common among NM that they would rather direct their frustrations to everyone rather than actually confront and deal with the few who are actually causing the problems at hand. I find that to be very passive-aggressive, very unprofessional, and very disappointing.
I don't care what the message is, I loathe when people pull stuff like this. Say what you mean, no need to belittle folks to get your message across. Perhaps it's speeches like this that have morale in the toilet while people gossip or whatever.
IMO, morale won't improve until the nurse manager realizes that her employees are adults who would likely respond much better to something that was positive, not denigrating.
Perhaps it was written like this BECAUSE the manager is dealing with a very passive-aggressive staff.
From what I see, sometimes managers are dealing with employees that are NOT ADULTS (chronological age, not withstanding). People tend to get juvenile when dealing with juvenile individuals.
If there is a serious problem with gossiping, chitchat at meetings, sporificely attended "mandatories", the manager may be at the end of her tether
Perhaps it was written like this BECAUSE the manager is dealing with a very passive-aggressive staff.
From what I see, sometimes managers are dealing with employees that are NOT ADULTS (chronological age, not withstanding). People tend to get juvenile when dealing with juvenile individuals.
If there is a serious problem with gossiping, chitchat at meetings, sporificely attended "mandatories", the manager may be at the end of her tether
I'm sure you are right, and you certainly make a valid point, but don't you think it would be far more effective to deal with the individuals that he/she is dissatisfied with?
I think the reason it bothers me so much is that I've had to spend countless hours in meeting where the entire group is being chastised for the bad behavior of a few. I'm extremely dedicated and goal oriented and a real "play by the rules" kind of girl so to be spoken to in this manner, even if I *know* I'm not a guilty party, is frustrating, demeaning and time consuming.
Moreover, the persons that this was directed at were not likely to be much impacted - for them, it was just fodder to further increase their petty, whining behavior and give them more to wag tongues about. That's why I think this sort of thing is counterproductive - some people can ignore it, some people like me are offended by it, and the people it was really meant to impact do both - they let it roll off their backs in one sense (ie - does nothing to change the negative behaviors) and completely personalize it in another (ie - whine even more and lose more time).
I have no idea how so many of them in up in management.
I know, I know! They're passive, therefore not a threat, and will go along with the requests and demands of their higher-ups (i.e. they kiss butt), but they are aggressive enough to be in charge of those below them. The management doesn't like them, the employees don't like them, but they just slip through the cracks and they keep getting promoted!
Thanks for all of the responses. I just wanted to know how other nurses would feel about an e-mail like this. It has caused quite a stir on my unit. I'd say about 60% of the nurses were annoyed , 20% took it very personally and let everyone know they weren't going to attend the meeting and the last 20% didn't care and attended the meeting because it was during their shift or just an hour before their shift.
I went to the meeting (it was during a shift I was working). I have no problem with meetings or mandatory education. I actually like the education part of my job. (I used to be a teacher!) I don't particularly like the way she wrote the email. Thanks again for you opinions...I love how there are so many of them;)
i bet when you were a teacher your principal didn't write letters like that.
she could have said it was
"mandatory. if you do not attend a session, disciplinary actions may result which can include suspension without pay. however, i don't anticipate our unit will have any such issues.'
Perhaps it was written like this BECAUSE the manager is dealing with a very passive-aggressive staff.
From what I see, sometimes managers are dealing with employees that are NOT ADULTS (chronological age, not withstanding). People tend to get juvenile when dealing with juvenile individuals.
If there is a serious problem with gossiping, chitchat at meetings, sporificely attended "mandatories", the manager may be at the end of her tether
then if her staff are a bunch of immature people she should set an example by acting just like them?? the common denominator should never be the standard.
if your kids acted like a bunch of 5 year olds fighting, do you act like them to solve the problem? no matter what they do, YOU'RE the parent and YOU set the expecations. period.
the same with being a manager imo. however nurses don't get enough, or any, management training once they become the boss. the boss sets the rules up and that is reality. being respectful and firm is OK.... you're supposed to lead the unit in the right direction. you are expected to, and should, set the standard. in the end, you will earn more respect.
It wasn't worded the most professional way, but it sure was clear what she meant! On one hand, I sympathise with the manager who felt she had to word a memo to everyone like this instead of speaking directly to the trouble makers. As a previous poster pointed out, it is deameaning to be an employee who had done nothing wrong, yet have to sit through group meetings directed at troublemakers, or as in this case, a memo directed strongly at some questionable employees.
Unfortunately, I have been in a manger's position where I felt it was the only option to address the entire group, and quickly learned that dealing with difficult employees directly was a better approach for everyone. It is tough to have to sit someone down and tell them in no uncertain terms that their behavior stinks and it must change. But it is also tough to have a good employee come to you and quit because they are tired of being lumped in with the troublemakers.
I hope themanager can find some sort of workable medium to meet the needs of the productive employees, while getting through to the questionable ones. Unfortunately, the employees whom the letter was worded so strongly for will just get indignant and refuse to believe it means them. The employees who are causing strife really need to be spoken to individually and given their options.
Curious to know how the meeting goes, please keep us informed. :)
Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.
This manager is not showing respect for her employees. If I was the type of employee who always goes to in-services and strives for excellence in my practice, I would be offended by this e-mail.
A manager should be setting the tone for the unit, and she should also be an example of professional behavior. If she has a problem with a few specific employees, she needs to deal with them individually and not disrespect the whole group.
Perhaps the manager could hold an inservice about the ANA Standards of Practice and Professional Performance and make it clear to her employees (in a tactful way) that she expects her employees to abide by these standards.
Are these meetings going to accommodate all shifts? Are people going to be expected to come in on a day off/stay late/come in early to attend?
If it's mandatory, then it's the manager's job to make sure there are enough nurses working so staff can attend the meetings during a scheduled shift.
It used to drive me crazy to be expected to come in on a day off/stay after a night shift for one of those mandatory meetings. No consideration whatsoever for those of us who didn't work days.
I'm sure you are right, and you certainly make a valid point, but don't you think it would be far more effective to deal with the individuals that he/she is dissatisfied with?
I think the reason it bothers me so much is that I've had to spend countless hours in meeting where the entire group is being chastised for the bad behavior of a few. I'm extremely dedicated and goal oriented and a real "play by the rules" kind of girl so to be spoken to in this manner, even if I *know* I'm not a guilty party, is frustrating, demeaning and time consuming.
Moreover, the persons that this was directed at were not likely to be much impacted - for them, it was just fodder to further increase their petty, whining behavior and give them more to wag tongues about. That's why I think this sort of thing is counterproductive - some people can ignore it, some people like me are offended by it, and the people it was really meant to impact do both - they let it roll off their backs in one sense (ie - does nothing to change the negative behaviors) and completely personalize it in another (ie - whine even more and lose more time).
There are a couple of assumptions being made.
First, is that I approve of the email. No I don't approve of it but I do understand where it comes from.
The OP received this email, not necessarily the whole unit. Thus the email may indeed have been sent to the individual/s that the manager is dissatisfied with, or feels is involved with the problems. We do not know.
And the email basically states that if you are not interested in being part of this, do not bother coming. That means that s/he will not have to waste the "good, toe the line" nurses' time chastising the problem nurses. It also lets the gossipers and whiners know, that this will not be tolerated there.
So it indicates bad, wasteful behavior will not be tolerating, encouraging the good employees to go since will not have to deal with behavior.
It is also not indicated by the OP whether this is a one-off or a regular issue. That there is no indication of any other issues with the manager in question, I feel that it must be a one-off. And therefore feel that it is probably someone who is at the end of her/his tether after a long haul of problems.
I have worked on good units and I have worked on bad units. And I have learned that gossip does not occur in a vacuum. A person gossips, another listens, and then passes it on. If the first listener or two, states "I don't like that/I don't want to hear that/I don't think that it is right to say that", the one that gossips gets no satisfaction and the gossip does not get spread. Either the gossiper ceases or moves elsewhere.
The manager can rarely pinpoint where gossip initiates as everyone plays a s/he did it first game.
Apathy spreads like a virus. First, the slackers give the manager and excuse, "I can't go because....the dog ate my homework", then when they get away with it, those who came at inconvenience to themselves start to become apathetic and make excuses. Or the "I don't want to change how I do this, because this is how we have always done it" - one person slides by and then the rest slack.
As such, as a good employee, I cut my manager a little slack if s/he gets aggravated and it shows ocassionally. And some of the problems with the "bad apples" involve at least some facilitation from the "good apples".
rn chickey: this sounds like it could have been sent by one of my former managers! If so, she is passive aggressive! The environment on that particular unit was/is toxic and as Amanda stated, she didn't realize how bad it was on her unit til she left, ...ditto!
My current managers are direct, to the point, and treat their nurses with respect. They don't play games. If a nurse fails to attend mandatory educational inservices, there must be a policy for dealing with that problem...no merit raise? verbal warning? written warning? days off without pay? Threats carry no weight if there are no consequences, kinda like parenting! lol
RN4NICU, LPN, LVN
1,711 Posts
I agree. I think this NM failed "Tact and Professionalism 101".
I find it very common among NM that they would rather direct their frustrations to everyone rather than actually confront and deal with the few who are actually causing the problems at hand. I find that to be very passive-aggressive, very unprofessional, and very disappointing.