So tired of managers who play favorites.......vent

minnymi · Jun 8, 2012

some people are expert manipulators. i've come across people who could sell beach-front property to a rocket scientist in montana. i've never had that gift....i tell things how they are. but this breed of people talk all this CRAP aka "theory" that sounds wonderful to someone sitting in an office without a clue of what's happening on the floor. i could never figure out how the laziest employees who literally sat on their butts at a computer all day and didn't seem to hear anyone who asked for help ended up being promoted, but that's just the way it is i guess.

Asystole RN · Jun 8, 2012

Maybe the good nurses should not be so quiet...

minnymi · Jun 8, 2012

often times the "good nurses" are too busy worrying about their patients to even care about all the nonsense and gossip going on around them. they are the ones getting dragged in for a "meeting" about a problem they weren't even aware of that never has anything to do with patient care. haha.

Asystole RN · Jun 8, 2012

often times the "good nurses" are too busy worrying about their patients to even care about all the nonsense and gossip going on around them. they are the ones getting dragged in for a "meeting" about a problem they weren't even aware of that never has anything to do with patient care. haha.

Being a "good nurse" involves more than just providing direct care. A nurse who only provides patient care is a poor nurse.

Altra, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2012

A thousand kudos for the post above.

Want to be a smart, effective professional? Then you've got to look past the end of your own nose and look at the unit and the organization as a whole.

minnymi · Jun 8, 2012

the OP mentioned "tattle tale" busybodies...

the only people who have time to be busybodies and "tattle tales" are the people spending TOO much time looking around the unit for crap to gossip about. there's no need for that kind of nonsense. we go to work to take care of patients...not gossip and worry about what other people are doing.

Asystole RN · Jun 8, 2012

the OP mentioned "tattle tale" busybodies...
the only people who have time to be busybodies and "tattle tales" are the people spending TOO much time looking around the unit for crap to gossip about. there's no need for that kind of nonsense. we go to work to take care of patients...not gossip and worry about what other people are doing.

Bringing issues to the manager is not "gossip." Gossip is typically identified as unconfirmed casual conversation about someone.

Note that the OP did not identify the antagonist as a poor performer, just as "tattle tales and busybodies."

I would remind you that it is ethical and professional duty of the nurse to identify and report issues of perceived poor performance, safety concerns, or areas that the healthcare environment can be improved. I take issue with the use of "tattle tale" being used in a pejorative manner. It is better to have a nurse who is a "tattle tale" rather than a nurse that either ignores her environment or is oblivious.

I do not know what "busy body" implies so I will leave that alone.

minnymi · Jun 8, 2012

Reporting an abuse situation or a serious safety concern is a given. Bringing EVERY little issue to the manager even if it's been resolved is stupid.

Where i work i don't have the "tattle tale" problem, but i have worked somewhere before where it was RIDICULOUS...and it was never about anything involving patient care. By the way, "patient care" is a very broad term because almost everything that you do impacts the care whether it be washing your hands or stealing company supplies.

Anyhow....the only "tattle tales" i ever encountered who stayed stuck up the manager's butt were always complaining about conflicts with other nurses that had NOTHING to do with "patient care." You could argue that patient care is comprimised when people don't work as a team, but that's getting too far from the point.

I actually had my former manager call me in because a nurse went to her office and told her that i "wasn't nice" to her. I couldn't believe that a grown up actually took time out of their day to go and report that. I didn't even care enough about the girl to be mean to her....I just don't run around work when I'm busy and have 1,000 things to do smiling everytime a co-worker walks by and worrying about their feelings. I had a stack of satisfaction surveys from patients who took the time to say how nice i was to them, so who gives a crap about something so miniscule as that? That's just one example. It could be that someone was lazy, or someone was spotted not using gel before they went into a room, or not wiping down a machine, etc, etc, etc. Yes, those are all things that should be addressed RIGHT THEN to the person who is guilty.....not ran to the manager and made a big issue of. People who do THAT are "tattle tales" and need to grow up. That's just my opinion. I don't have time to babysit other nurses or even pay attention to if they are wearing PPE when they should or whatever the case may be. If I do happen to see something that concerns me, I say something to the person (usually in a joking manner that gets the point across without making things awkward) and move on. Of course, I have no hidden agenda like making the manager think I'm a great potential for a supervisor because I'm "aware of my surroundings" and trying to get in face time. People who run into the manager's office over things mentioned above are obviously insecure and in need of attention/praise...hence, the OP's statement of "making others look bad to make themselves look good."

Asystole RN · Jun 8, 2012

minnymi,

A "tattle tale" should not be a concern for the floor nurse but rather for the manager for the victim is not the nurse being reported but rather the manager who's time is being wasted. The nurse being reported, assuming the accusation is not false, has committed an actual or perceived offense no matter how trivial.

For your scenario, would it be less trouble for you to "not care" about your cohorts and have to deal with perceived social infractions (horizontal violence) or would it be less trouble to minimally care and not have to deal with accusations? That is a personal choice. I would agree that frequent trivial accusations can deteriorate the team moral and team work effectiveness but those who do not care about their cohorts are as guilty committing an offense against the team as those who actively complain about trivial matters. Neither groups help team cohesion.

I personally do not think that ignoring simple hand hygiene is a trivial matter and it simply frightens me that some seem to think so. If a person is so disgusting and unprofessional that they cannot take the 2 seconds to gel to protect their patient, their cohorts, and their self then I doubt a quiet word from a team member will do much. Plus, why would you confront someone who you knew did not care about what you thought as you pointed out?

minnymi · Jun 8, 2012

i said i didn't care enough about her to be mean to her. in order to "not be nice" to someone you would actually need a reason not to like them and make an effort to affirm that. ever heard the phrase, "you have to love it to hate it"? not caring enough to be "mean" to someone is not the same as "not caring about your cohort" in general. it doesn't take effort to be nice...it takes effort to be mean.

either way, if i thought a co-worker "wasn't nice" because they didn't crack a fake smile every time i made eye contact, i would stay away from that person OR confront them and ask them directly if there was a problem. i sure as heck wouldn't bother a manager with it.

i never said that hand hygeine was trivial. i said it is something that should be addressed RIGHT THEN instead of being made an issue of to a manager. i've had managers themselves (when trying to make a point during a meeting) admit to walking into a room and forgetting to gel. that doesn't mean they are disgusting and unprofessional. it means that the person who sees it happen should simply say, "gel in" and move on....not run and tell someone. besides, how does that protect the patient if you see it, keep quiet, and go tell someone later? when that happens, the observer is just as guilty.

redbarcheda · Jun 8, 2012

I agree with minnymi, the "tattle tales" I have encountered had no interest in care of the patients, they had only their personal agenda in mind.