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In order to maintain a safe workplace, it is necessary to eliminate “violence, incivility, and bullying,” according to OSHA (Broome & Marshall, 2021, p. 255). These occurrences can be overt, in which case they are directly targeted at an employee, or covert, in which case they are indirect threats (Broome & Marshall, 2021). In either situation, there is physical and/or psychological harm as a result of this (Broome & Marshall, 2021). As part of their Position Statement, the American Nurses’ Association (ANA) stated that it is a nursing requirement to “create an ethical environment and culture of civility and kindness,” which includes treating colleagues, coworkers’ coworkers, employees, students, and other individuals with dignity and respect (American Nurses’ Association [ANA], 2015). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also protects employees from discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex (which includes pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 years or older), disability, or genetic information,” as defined by the federal government (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC], n.d.). Unfortunately, the scope of this problem is quite broad. It affects many people. Between a quarter and two-thirds of nurses have reported experiencing such a traumatic occurrence (Broome & Marshall, 2021; Clark, 2015).
The issue of workplace incivility is one that affects many people. Recently, I, along with other of my coworkers, filed a formal complaint against a member of administration. Among the things we complained about were gossiping, reprimanding employees in a public setting, failing to respond to safety concerns, and making veiled threats such as “If you like working here, you’ll [fill in the blank].” Following a complaint from my direct supervisor about one of my coworkers, I recognized how toxic my workplace atmosphere had become. It was my response to him that made me feel uncomfortable about expressing my peers’ performance concerns in such a public forum. When I raised my concerns, my manager moved the subject without openly replying to them. Often, uncivil remarks can be dealt with in a straightforward manner at the moment they are made (Clark, 2015). However, that interaction indicated to me that my supervisor was not sensitive to feedback, and as a result, I escalated my complaint up the corporate hierarchy.
The “Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory” was developed to address these challenges in the workplace (Clark, 2015). The ratings range from 20 to 100, with a score of less than 50 being considered unhealthy (Clark, 2015). My final score was a 31. In my nearly 10 years of employment with the same employer, I’ve never found myself in a scenario like this. My employees are amazing people to be around. Everything about my employment is enjoyable, with the exception of my supervisor. If anyone has any suggestions for how to deal with this scenario, please share them with me. If these difficulties are not addressed in a timely manner, I intend to leave my current company. Thank you very much!
References
ANA is the American Nurses Association (2015, July 22). Incivility, bullying, and violence in the workplace are all unacceptable. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/official-position-statements/id/incivility-bullying-and-workplace-violence/
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. https://www.myamericannurse.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Employees & Applicants. Retrieved July 12, 2021, from Employees & Applicants | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

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