ANSWER DISCUSSION…AT LEAST 2 REFERENTS AND NOT 5 YEARS PASS ..THANK YOU
Incivility is simply Rude or disruptive behaviors that often result in psychological or physiological distress for the people involved and, if left unaddressed, may progress into a threatening situation. In addition, incivility is a growing issue across all public and private sectors and is gaining attention due to the harm it causes individuals and workgroups without being legally punishable (Collins & Rogers, 2017).
The result of my Work Environment Assessment calls for concern, and it goes a long way to change the perception of a typical healthcare facility environment. Society views the healthcare environment as a place beyond comparison to a healthy workplace. Even in countries at war, the hospital and other health institutions are deemed peaceful and a place of refuge.
However, after carefully completing the assessment and getting a score of 60, I began to see why the organization continuously engages employees in active shooter and other self-defense drills. The result indicates that my workplace leans towards incivility than a healthy environment.
While there is no reason for an individual to be hostile and bully others, some workplaces have weak policies and lenient corrective actions that favor incivility. Sometimes an individual’s leadership style brings about incivility. Of note is a situation where the leader gives preferential treatment to followers. For instance, in my organization, a particular nursing assistant is always at the manager’s office, backbiting and gossiping against other staff members. The manager and the nursing assistant became big-time friends, even outside work.
Hence, the manager shows favoritism to the nursing assistant at all times. Because she is the managers’ friend, the nursing assistant will not take directives from the RNs anymore. She bullies the RNs, and CNAs and tells patients to complain to the manager about people she does not like. This behavior of the manager and the nursing assistant was made known to the union leaders. The union leaders intervened by having a dialogue with the manager and resolved it. In this case scenario, the incivility of the nursing assistant was impacting patients’ safety and care. There was no effective and quality care delivery because the nursing assistant tends to be disruptive and give the RNs directives.
Notwithstanding, some strategies could reduce the incidence of incivility. Employee wellness programs have historically been implemented as separate initiatives from employee assistance programs, with wellness programs classified as preventive. Secondary interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction programs and others have been suggested in the nursing and medical literature to improve personal resilience (Clark C. M., 2015; Clark, Olender, Cardoni, & Kenski, 2011; Collins & Rogers, 2017).
References
Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18-23.
Clark, C. M., Olender, L., Cardoni, C., & Kenski, D. (2011). Fostering Civility in Nursing Education and Practice: Nurse Leader Perspectives. THE JOURNAL OF NURSING ADMINISTRATION, 41(7/8), 324-330.
Collins, N. R., & Rogers, B. ( 2017, November ). Growing Concerns With Workplace Incivility. Workplace Health & Safety.
