Staff acting like mean girls what do you do

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Help- I am new to a clinic where many of the staff are tight and not accepting of new staff. They often act like teenage girls. A new hire even walked out after hearing people talk about her often. How do I resolve this??

i think time is the only thing that will "heal" this.

when i started my new job not long ago, i was like a third wheel when my preceptor was having a conversation with someone. they would literally not even look at me even though i'd be standing there listening to the whole conversation. i'd try to include myself by asking a question or responding to something they would say. i usually got a short, quick response snapped back at me at which time i'd walk away and do my own thing even if my own thing was looking at my phone or staring at the ceiling - OR walking away to go WORK.

i just tried to be friendly and if i didn't get a response - oh well. don't try too hard and don't let them think you're desperate. things seemed to just suddenly turn around for me (like i said - TIME) and my preceptor would start talking to me about things i'd stood around and listened to her talk about with others before. after that, it was like others saw HER talking to me so they opened up as well. it's likely just as akward for them as it is for you. they have no idea who you are, what you're like, if you'll like them, what your sense of humor is.

give it time.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Thanks Pedicurn and all others for your kind words. I will miss much in the nursing profession, there has been more good than bad, and I will leave with fond memories. It would take pages upon pages for me to tell you of all the wonderful nurses I have worked with that were awesome! They were great supervisors that made us support workers really feel like part of the team, valued our input and recognized the heavy load we carried in trying to get our duties done. Total respect. And we respected them. I once had the pleasure of having a 30+ yrs. supervisor who said,' Never ever say you are JUST a personal support worker! You are a vital part of the nursing team'.

'People will forget a lot of things about you over the years, but they will never forget how you made them feel.' Treat everyone with kindess, it will come back to you ten-fold.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

:nurse:

Thanks Pedicurn and all others for your kind words. I will miss much in the nursing profession, there has been more good than bad, and I will leave with fond memories. It would take pages upon pages for me to tell you of all the wonderful nurses I have worked with that were awesome! They were great supervisors that made us support workers really feel like part of the team, valued our input and recognized the heavy load we carried in trying to get our duties done. Total respect. And we respected them. I once had the pleasure of having a 30+ yrs. supervisor who said,' Never ever say you are JUST a personal support worker! You are a vital part of the nursing team'.

'People will forget a lot of things about you over the years, but they will never forget how you made them feel.' Treat everyone with kindess, it will come back to you ten-fold.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, med/surg, LTC surveyor.

I have not seen much of this until recently. I worked on a med/surg unit with a nurse who was awful. There were several of us in orientation. She was a new charge nurse who freaked out over everything, big or small. I went to my boss who basically told me that this nurse did what she needed her to do and to deal with it. Five new nurses, including myself, left. I was unable to get an IV on a pt with no veins. I asked her for assistance. She asked me what I would do if I was the on my own implying that I needed to get the IV started even though I had already tried. Geezz.. I always thought this was team work. I don't know how many IV's I have started for other nurses. She talked horribly about other nurses. I was appallled.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

@Ginger45;

That is just awful to have to deal with that. And you're right! This is supposed to be a team. To have the best patient care we must always work as a team. The stronger the team usually the better outcome for our patients/residents. Not to mention the proven fact, no matter what your job is, good team players boost the morale of everyone on that team. Like gossip and being mean affects eveyone around it, so too can kindness and support. I have seen new staff plummet and leave after a short time because of bullying, and I have seen them soar with kindness and support. We make our choices in this short life, I choose to be the best I can, oh sure I have my off days when I feel grumpy/tired. But I REFUSE to lay that on anyone else. I really do believe the problem may start with the employee, but it steamrolls with complacent incompetent management.

People really do forget alot about you, but they will NEVER forget how you made them feel.:)

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Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.

Let it slide off your back. Just work and leave, you did your job, let them gossip because what goes around comes around. Are they doing their job? Are you in a situation where you can write them up? Do you have a policy against gossip?

Michelle

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Specializes in Geriatrics, med/surg, LTC surveyor.

I was not in a position to write her up. She was the Charge Nurse. I went to human resources as well as talked to our boss. She was good at being a staff nurse but horrible as a Charge Nurse. That has been some time ago and they still need nurses. In this economy too. I had an emergency and she ignored me when I told her to call for help. Then she chided me for getting excited. A pt's life was at stake. The poor woman went to ICU. I got excited because I couldn't get anyone to help me. I grabbed a respiratory therapist who passed by and she helped me.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I go to work mostly for my pay check. So since none of these folks are signing my paycheck let them do what they want. Go in and be the best that you can be everyday. You don't have to go the movies or dinner with these people they are simply people at work:twocents:

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Specializes in Trauma/Critical Care.
My advice...is not YOUR problem, is the department problem, to assign you to a good one. I had in my experinece people who was send for orientation to wrong mentors. I was a lucky one because from couple of bad ones I had a couple of AWESOME ones, never I could say much more thanks to them! But if you have bad ones instead to receive a GOOD NURSING orientation, you will receive, bad advices and bad negative attitude to fallow from the beginning, you will be fulfill with them unhapiness and negative fellings and you will belive..."OH my God i am in heal" loooooool

Entering in a new field, you need to grow up straight, good optimistic, to fallow the rules, to develope your potential and to have trust in your decisions. Instead of that new grads, new nurses growup twisted with falses hopes and false goals, false trusting, teached from beginning how to cut corners and to be rebels in the name of "how good and independent nurse I am".

Go to education department, tell them what you want to have!

Don't stay along with people like them, even if you don't want.... step by step them behavior will change you and finally you will be like them.

Be logical, listen asking in a good way, take advices, you will be a great nurse, ask for help, for sure is around a good one!

Have a good luck, stay positive!

:eek:

I completely disagree with the above post...and with most of the posters urging the OP to"ignore"the problem. How often do people complain about management ignoring such situations, and here we have the Holy grail of management (someone who actually care about her work environment!!) and the best advice we can give her is to "ignore the problem?? Am I missing something here??

OP, I salute you for stepping up to the plate and acting like a real leader (one who identified a problem and is trying to do something about it). I worked in an unit that had some toxic people, and let me tell you, it only takes a couple of bad apples to ruin the whole basket. Identify your bad apples and take it from there. If you do not want to single out specific individuals (for whatever reason), address the whole office (staff meeting??) and let everyone know that THIS is a problems that will NOT be tolerated. I am pretty sure that other employees are already being affected by the toxic environment, enlist the help of those who come to you to improve the working environment.

Good luck and stay strong.

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