Communication

Communication in the workplace is key. It is what makes employees feel comfortable, valuable and successful, which allows them to work to their fullest potential. Effective communication not only builds trust between employers and employees, but has a direct effect on the health and safety of nurses and their patients (Bergman, Dellve, & Skagert, 2016). The Clark Health Workplace Inventory is a tool that is used to determine if a work environment is perceived as healthy. After completing the survey, the results showed that my workplace is an unhealthy environment. Oddly enough, my coworkers and I have had many conversations about some of the very topics discussed in this assessment. That is why this result doesn’t surprise me at all. One of the question on this assessment asked specifically about staffing, which is something that my unit struggles with consistently. The absence of adequate staffing makes the workload difficult to manage. It leads to unnecessary stress. Also, there were several questions pertaining to clear communication through all the levels of the organization, which is something that I think my organization could get better at too. There are a lot of decisions made about the staff without actually getting the staff’s input on those decisions beforehand. It can make employees feel as though their thoughts or input doesn’t matter. No one can expect for every workplace to be perfect. In fact, any work environment has its issues and aspects that make people unhappy. However, overall employees should find some happiness in their jobs. Whether it be the impact of their work, location, coworkers, incentives, or opportunities for career advancement.

Incivility in the Workplace

Incivility in the workplace can cause employees to have little to no happiness in their jobs. Marshall & Broome define incivility as “ behavior of low intensity that can include such behavior as being rude, discourteous, impolite, or violating workplace norms or behavior” (pg, 76). I worked at a subacute rehabilitation center where the Director of Nursing behaved in this manner. She was very demeaning and aggressive when she would speak to the staff. It made for a very stressful environment. The nursing staff constantly felt like we were walking on eggshells, never knowing when we would have an encounter with her. There was a constant turnover of staff, not only among the staff nurses but mostly with the unit managers who worked directly under her. Even though she was a great nurse, I felt that she was not a good nurse leader for this reason. Although several nurses made her aware of their thoughts on how she treated and spoke to people, I can’t remember anything being done on a larger scale to combat the incivility. Looking back, I worked at this facility as a brand new nurse and really did not know that things could be done differently as far as leadership goes. I also wasn’t aware at the time of how working with this person impacted my views on the workplace as a whole.

References

Bergman, C., Dellve, L., & Skagert, K. (2016). Exploring communication processes in workplace meetings: A mixed-methods study in a Swedish healthcare organization. Work, 53(3), 533-541. DOI: 10.3233/WOR-162366

Clark, C.M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18-23. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf

Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer