Sexual harrassment?

[Flamingonurse]

I had a male nurse co-worker who was actively engaging in "sexting" during the shift and showed me a very provocative partially nude female on his cell phone. As the charge nurse on duty I was required to right him up causing him to be placed on 2 week suspension. Fellow collegues, do you think this employee should be able to keep his job?

[RNewbie]

I think he should be able to keep his job. Maybe he needs some sensitivity counseling. It doesn't seem like the harassment was directed toward you but it was something sexual that made you feel uncomfortable I guess. I don't understand why he showed you tho. I think there is a double standard when it comes to things like this. I've worked with groups of women who sit around the lunch table and share sext messages and nude pics of guys they are dating, or share stories of sexual encounters. If a male charge nurse were to be shown something like that, he probably wouldn't report it.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I agree there is a double standard. However, the reason the double standard exists is because men have always been in a position of power over women in the workplace.

I agree with the suspension, and I think he should be able to keep his job. He was punished, and hopefully he will learn from the experience. If it happens again, he should be fired.

[jennyrn2012]

I don't think he should have been written up and I don't think he should be suspended. As the charge nurse, you could have simply spoken to him and gave him a verbal warning. I agree with other posters, females sit around and share stories about the men in their lives, how is this any different? Are you his friend? Is that why he showed you? That part is really strange to me!

[cclear2020]

I think the write up came from a place where you thought as the charge nurse you needed to take stronger action. when something makes you feel uncomfortable, tell the person. if it happens again, report it. that seems more like the standard.

[pinkfish333]

he sounds totally unprofessional

[Susieq58]

I agree that he should have been talked to first. Steps need to be followed. Sometimes people aren't aware of other people's feelings.

[BigMoses]

While showing you the picture may have been a tad unprofessional, termination is too harsh a punishment for such a minor infraction. 2 weeks suspension is also incredibly harsh. No one was hurt, harassed, or harmed in any way from you seeing a picture for a couple seconds. At most the punishment should have been a verbal warning. This is ridiculous.

[sharpeimom]

I think a verbal warning plus some sensitivity training might have been a better first step, then step two

would be a written warning with the suspension. Step three would result in termination.

[adnrnstudent, ASN, RN]

Did you ask him to stop doing it? I'm a male and acted hyper-professional at work because I'm so scared to death of this stuff and the ladies asked me to lighten up. (Literally, as a group, a bunch of them got me in the break room and being the wonderful gals they are told me it was okay to loosen up)

I did and work was so much more fun.

If I ever did anything to offend a girl and she asked me to stop, I certainly would. I never mean to offend anyone. I love my girls. (Was that sexist, my girls? )

If you ask someone nicely to stop and then they don't, well that's a different story.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

well...was he actually taking nude pictures of himself and texting them? or did you assume he was sexting simply because he had a less than completely clad female's picture on his phone? The first option, yeah suspension; the second option, just tell him you are not interested and to keep it to himself. No harrassment occured.

[kmcguirern]

I don't think it qualifies for sexual harrassment. If anything, he should be disciplined for sexting while at work. I would hope he would get another chance, as long as this is the time.