Systemic Bullying Present at Broken Hill Hospital claims by Nurses

by Oct 2, 2015

In this blog post, nurses who were once silent now bravely step into the light, revealing a distressing pattern of harassment and mistreatment within the hospital’s management.

The Alarming Situation

Claims of systemic bullying were raised by healthcare workers against members of the management team of Broken Hill Base Hospital in Australia. The nurses alleged that they were harassed and bullied at work which resulted in as many as 50 workers leaving the hospital in a span of two years. The main reason was the toxic work culture and bullying at play in the hospital.

Some of the former hospital nurses have reportedly raised this concern to the NSW Ministry of Health and the Far West Local Health District, which oversees healthcare in Broken Hill.  A few of the veteran nurses claimed that they experienced workplace bullying and were pushed out of the hospital in an alleged campaign to weed out older staff.  A former nurse also confessed to being humiliated at work given instances of being yelled at in front of patients and other co-workers.

Unfortunately, not a lot of the affected nurses were willing to speak out when an investigation was launched. They feared that it may cost them their job if they recounted the instances that they became bullying victims. This is quite disheartening to know that these hard working nurses are working in a negative and toxic environment.

To learn more about the case, click here to read the full article on The Sydney Morning Herald.

Do you know how much money chronically bad behavior costs your company? Spoiler alert – it’s a LOT higher than you want it to be. Download our data and worksheet to see how it’s costing your organization and what you can do to fix it.

 

Catherine

About Catherine Mattice

Catherine Mattice, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder/CEO of Civility Partners, an organizational development firm focused on helping organizations create respectful workplace cultures and specializing in turning around toxic cultures. Civility Partners’ clients range from Fortune 500’s to small businesses across many industries. Catherine is a TEDx speaker and an HR thought-leader who has appeared in such venues as USA Today, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, and many other national news outlets as an expert. She’s an award-winning speaker, author and blogger, and has 50+ courses reaching global audiences on LinkedIn Learning. Catherine’s award-winning book, BACK OFF! Your Kick-Ass Guide to Ending Bullying at Work, was hailed by international leadership-guru, Ken Blanchard, as, “the most comprehensive and valuable handbook on the topic.” Her latest book is Navigating Toxic Work Environments For Dummies (Wiley).

Even Small Teams Can’t Afford to Ignore Culture

Whenever we talk about culture, we often hear, “We’re too small to need culture work,” or “We’re a small company; we’ve got it covered.” But here’s the reality: you’re too small not to focus on culture. When you only have 20 or 50 people, for example, every...

Mansplaining, Womansplaining: Why People Tend to Over-Explain

We’ve all been there — sitting in a meeting where someone takes five minutes to explain what could’ve taken thirty seconds. Or maybe you’ve caught yourself doing it, adding just one more clarification, one more justification, one more “Does that make sense?”...

4 Types of Visionary/Integrator Partnerships

[Caution: Random string of thought ahead. It leads to some good stuff though. Promise!] As a parent, I think a lot about the different roles I play in my kids’ lives. Sometimes I’m their biggest cheerleader, shouting “Yes!” from the rooftops. Other times I offer firm...

What the Heck is a Super-Facilitator? And Why Your Team Needs One

Harvard Business Review recently published an article called Every Team Needs a Super-Facilitator. It's a good read for anyone interested in building strong, inclusive, high-performing teams. I’d never heard this phrase before… have you? Nonetheless, the article...

FREE Webinar: Creating Inclusive Workplaces

What was once applauded as both smart business and the right thing to do has suddenly become controversial. Yep, I’m talking about DEI. It’s disheartening to see that what was once celebrated is now being treated as expendable. But when inclusion takes a back seat, so...

Navigating the Era of “Quiet DEI”

Companies across industries are changing how they talk about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Not too long ago, DEI was splashed across annual reports, websites, and conference stages. Now? The phrase itself has become a political lightning rod, and many...

3 Cultural Faux Pas You Might Not Realize You’re Making

Cultural missteps happen to everyone, even the most seasoned leaders and global brands.  Recently, American Eagle launched a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.” The pun on “jeans” was meant to be playful, but it...

HR, Are You Part of the Incivility Problem?

You already know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of workplace “drama.” Complaints about rudeness, tension between team members, and employees quietly disengaging are all part of the daily grind. You know it’s expensive. You know it’s draining for you to...

4 Strategies to Infiltrate Civility Into Your Global Organization

At its core, civility is the foundation of a thriving culture. It shapes how people communicate, lead, resolve tension, and show up, especially when challenges arise. Civility doesn’t look the same everywhere, however. What feels respectful in one culture might come...

Is It Okay To Bully AI?

According to a Pew Research Center study, 79% of Americans interact with artificial intelligence (AI) almost constantly or several times a day. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80% of enterprises will be using generative AI in some form. That means we’re not just...