On July 22, 2015, the American Nurses Association (ANA) came out with a position paper with regard to individual and shared roles and responsibilities of registered nurses (RNs) and employers to create and sustain a culture of respect, which is free of incivility, bullying, and workplace violence. Interestingly, this is six years after the Joint Commission came out with it’s Leadership standard (LD.03.01.01) that requires: 1) hospitals and health care organizations have a code of conduct that defines acceptable and disruptive and inappropriate behaviors, and, 2) leaders to create and implement a process for managing disruptive and inappropriate behaviors.
The ANA’s position paper calls for all RNs and employers in all settings, including practice, academia, and research, to collaborate to create a culture of respect that is free of incivility, bullying, and workplace violence. The following recommendations for Registered Nurses are made:
- Make a commitment to – and accept responsibility for – establishing and promoting healthy relationships
- Be cognizant of their own interactions and insist on and perpetuate effective communication
- Engage in training and education on diversity, leadership, conflict management and more
- Co-create a civil workplace environment
- Be familiar with their employer’s bullying prevention policies
- Establish a code-word to use when in need of support during interactions that leave them feeling threatened
- Learn to deflect incivility and bullying
- Advocate for bullying prevention education to be taught in nursing schools
- Exemplify civility at all times
The following recommendations for employers are made:
- Ensure the vision, mission and values are aligned with civility
- Orient new employees to organizational policies, values, and civility codes
- Establish a zero-tolerance policy regarding incivility and bullying
- Provide a mechanism to seek support when feeling threatened
- Make education available
The paper is full of many more ideas for creating a culture of civility, or a culture that stamps out bullying.
