What might be going on?

caliotter3 · May 17, 2019

"Dust off your resume".

beekee · May 18, 2019

Find another job ASAP. They are telling you that you have a month to do so, and if you don’t, you will be fire.

Happens all the time to older, more expensive nurses.

Davey Do · May 18, 2019

Getting fired from a job over quitting can be to your benefit, Bagatha. I have been terminated 3 times in my career and have won unemployment benefits from two of them.

The department of employment security ruled that I was terminated unjustly and I got benefits. Plus, it was good to have some formal and official documentation handy to use PRN.

If you quit your job, you will need to prove unfair working conditions in order to receive benefits. If you wait until they fire you, merely contest the reason for the termination and employment security will arrange an adjudicator to set up a teleconference. The employer has to prove your termination was valid and forthright.

Although I never did this, I have heard of others who took their termination to the next level, hired a lawyer, got their job and lost wages back, and some punitive damages to boot.

Good luck to you, Bagatha!

GuestAnon · May 19, 2019

Sorry to hear that. Perhaps look for another job. Best of luck to you!

Viviana, ASN, RN · May 19, 2019

Are you bullying people? That's what it sounds like to me, and "rolling your eyes" is an action associated with bullying. Think about it from this perspective and see if you could have been seen as bullying people.

I think that you have 30 days before they write you up formally. If they do, I would just look for another job.

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 20, 2019

On 5/17/2019 at 5:14 PM, Bagatha said:
You are an older charge nurse. You are working the evening shift, early on the day of your next shift, you received a call from your nursing manager telling you she wants you to meet her at HR as soon as possible, that day. You go, you received a three page list of complaints sent email to manager from nurses who work under you. One of the complaints goes back over a year and includes you being incivil by rolling your eyes. Another is that a nurse asked you for help and you had another nurse help her. You, also, received a three page list of improvements that you must do within the month to make things better. It also says that if you do not follow through, further steps will be taken. You ask what will happen and who determines whether you have completed the tasks satisfactorily. You are then told this is not official. You have worked at this hospital for 15 years and you have been a charge nurse for 8 years. You had a very satisfactory yearly evaluation 6 weeks ago. What do you think they might be trying to tell you?

They're trying to tell you that you're at the top of your pay scale and they're trying to trim the staffing budget. I hope you have a copy of that satisfactory yearly evaluation. If not, try to get one.

JKL33 · May 20, 2019

8 hours ago, Viviana said:
Are you bullying people? That's what it sounds like to me, and "rolling your eyes" is an action associated with bullying.

No it isn't.

Routine and/or dramatic eye-rolling is certainly not a way to make a good impression and wouldn't be professional, and there are better ways to interact with people or to react to a troubling situation. It doesn't exactly sound like there's a chronic eye-rolling problem as reported.

Just about anything can be associated with bullying it seems. Making accusations that every human reaction under the sun is somehow bullying, is also bullying at some point.

Secondly, this OP is being screwed with. That's why none of these alleged offenses that span nearly a year were an issue when the recent evaluation was given. So no, it doesn't sound like s/he is necessarily bullying anyone.

Career Columnist / Author · May 20, 2019

Even if there are some performance concerns, you deserve clear and measurable objectives. This is not coaching, it's crucifying.

You've seen the best of your manager's skills. They are not good, and not going to get any better. This is not a safe work place for you. Best wishes.

Viviana, ASN, RN · May 20, 2019

12 hours ago, JKL33 said:
No it isn't.
Routine and/or dramatic eye-rolling is certainly not a way to make a good impression and wouldn't be professional, and there are better ways to interact with people or to react to a troubling situation. It doesn't exactly sound like there's a chronic eye-rolling problem as reported.
Just about anything can be associated with bullying it seems. Making accusations that every human reaction under the sun is somehow bullying, is also bullying at some point.
Secondly, this OP is being screwed with. That's why none of these alleged offenses that span nearly a year were an issue when the recent evaluation was given. So no, it doesn't sound like s/he is necessarily bullying anyone.

YES, it is. Read this article from Nurse.com. Please let me know if you need more of an evidence base: https://www.nurse.com/blog/2017/08/23/how-to-recognize-and-prevent-bullying-in-nursing/

JKL33 · May 20, 2019

35 minutes ago, Viviana said:
YES, it is. Read this article from Nurse.com. Please let me know if you need more of an evidence base: https://www.nurse.com/blog/2017/08/23/how-to-recognize-and-prevent-bullying-in-nursing/

Well, I read the first three paragraphs. And "NO," it isn't.

Quote
Being the object of a co-worker’s venting is hardly uncommon, but is it categorized as workplace violence? Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, CMSRN, said bullying has three components: It’s targeted, it’s meant to cause harm and it happens over time. Some types of mistreatment or unkind acts on the job can actually be classified as incivility, but not necessarily bullying, she said. These include eye rolling, disrespect, gossip or general unfriendliness. “If I get testy with you in a crisis situation, it’s not bullying,” she explained. “It’s a stress response.”

The OP relays a single complaint in which s/he is accused of having rolled his/her eyes on a single occasion over a year ago.

That does not meet the definition of bullying according to your own evidence; in fact your own evidence makes the distinction between stressed behaviors and bullying very clearly. I already acknowledged that stressed behaviors are not ideal. Neither are stressful situations or stressed working conditions.

For all I know, the rest of the pages of accusations against this OP could be more substantial than what has been relayed here and his/her behavior could indeed be a problem. That is for the OP to reflect upon. But for all you know, the complaints leveled against the OP themselves represent bullying - - they are certainly targeted, they span a length of time that people apparently have been begrudging this person without saying a word, and no one can claim to not know this could be harmful.

There's also the possibility that petty complaints have been solicited for management purposes.

You have absolutely no cause to say that it sounds like this person is bullying others just because one instance of eye-rolling is a so-called "incivility" that is distinguished from bullying in the article you posted.

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 20, 2019

2 hours ago, Viviana said:
YES, it is. Read this article from Nurse.com. Please let me know if you need more of an evidence base: https://www.nurse.com/blog/2017/08/23/how-to-recognize-and-prevent-bullying-in-nursing/

I agree with JKL33 -- it isn't bullying. Unless, of course, there's a pattern of eye rolling but it doesn't seem as though that is the case.

I find it disquieting that so many are prepared to jump on the bullying band wagon with scant evidence (she rolled her eyes once a year ago) and even less understanding about the nature of true bullying. True bullying is targeted, over time and it's meant to cause harm. Eye rolling, while not particularly professional, could be just a reaction by someone who is under stress confronted with a trivial request or complaint. Incivility, perhaps, or even rudeness. But not bullying. When someone claims that every interaction they don't like is bullying, that waters down the true bullying that a few -- very few -- of us have actually been subjected to.

In fact, it seems as though the OP is being bullied . . . complaints solicited over time that have not been discussed with her until they are all leveled against her in one fell swoop along with threatening her job.