The differing approaches of nursing leaders and managers to workplace Bullying
Bullying at the work place is a common occurrence, and hospitals have reported cases
where bullying has been enabled or encouraged. Nurses and doctors are known to report cases of
bullying from time to time, citing the effects they have on productivity. Work place bullying is
an emotional and physical harm that is caused by another individual or group of people that
results to negative effects. In hospitals and clinics, bullying affects the quality of care and patient
safety directly and indirectly. Nurses and doctors who feel bullied do not do their jobs
effectively, and this is seen in the responses of their patients and people under their care.
Additionally, bullying affects a healthcare facility indirectly when patients feel that they are not
safe in the hospital due to cases of bullying by nurses and doctors. In places where bullying is
discouraged, productivity, communication and overall heathy relationships are established and
created between hospitals practitioners and their patients. Since bullying is common in all
workplaces, it should be discouraged and eliminated through various leadership strategies
enabled to nurse practitioners to ensure positive patient outcomes.
Professional standards of practice to rectify Bullying
There are various professional standards of practice that can be applied to identify and
help rectify bullying at the work place. For nurses, the work place is busy and messy, and there
may be no time to address issues like bullying. However, bullying is a real problem in hospitals
and clinics today and it needs strategic plans that can help leaders at work eliminate it (Al-
Ghabeesh and Qattom, 2019). Just as explained, one professional way of dealing with and
rectifying bullying as a nurse leader is to teach nurses the importance of reporting the cases. As
professionals, nurses can report cases directly to the relevant authorities so that it can be
addressed immediately. For instance, nurses are trained on how to deal with stubborn patients, so
that they do not lose their temper in case of an argument. When nurses are tired, chances of them
getting in trouble are high. However, trained professional will know when to avoid situations that
may lead to bullying. Such reports are significant in helping the human resource and
management team understand where the problem is and how to eliminate it. Additionally, nurse
leaders need to teach new nurses and the old ones the significance of zero tolerance policies of
bullying. Such rules and regulations of zero-tolerance are structures to let nurses and patients
know the importance of staying professional at work. By having such zero-tolerance for
bullying, nurse leaders encourage new and old workers to adhere to the rules for the purpose of
maintaining professional conduct. Overall, nurse leaders should lead by example and maintain a
level of self-awareness and professionalism that is commendable.
Roles of Nurse leaders and managers in addressing bullying
Nurse managers and nurse leaders have different roles in addressing bullying at the work
place. They both have different approaches to addressing bullying since their job titles give them
differing responsibilities. Through the involvement in small happenings that take place on a daily
basis pertaining to patient care planning, nurse managers can address cases of bullying that have
been reported. According to Al Omar, Salam, and Al-Surimi (2019), nurse managers are day to
day leaders who are expected to provide guidelines on general patient care. Just as explained, the
nurse manager is positioned to address daily reports of bullying that reported, and this would
ensure patient safety and quality care for them. On the other hand, nurse leaders are required by
their job description to create a professional and positive environment at work for both nurses
and patients. Due to such responsibilities, nurse leaders are expected to come up with strategic
plans that will create a road map to a safer work environment. Thus, nurse leaders address
bullying through the provision of suggestions and implementations of rules and regulations that
protect each person at the workplace.
Additional aspects management and leadership for nurses.
There are additional aspects of management and leadership strategies that can be imposed
on healthcare facilities to encourage professionalism and ensure the provision of diverse
healthcare practices while addressing bullying. Whitney (2018) assert that nurse leaders and
managers are expected to come up with different strategies to ensure the work place is
professional and friendly for individuals to work and receive the best heath care. Just as
explained, nurse leaders and managers need to plan on goals and policies that would drive a
better workplace. Planning is crucial in setting goals and targets. The same leaders can
incorporate organization of the plans being made. When nurse managers and leaders are
organized and well equipped with working plans, they will employ and staff their clinics and
hospitals with professionals who will ensure better patient outcomes (Al-Ghabeesh and Qattom,
2019). Through the introduction of professional staffing., nurse manager and leaders will
encourage zero-tolerance for bullying since they will have created a conducive and friendly
environment for workers and patients. For instance, when a nurse practitioner staffs his clinic
with professional and self-aware nurses, they will not report unnecessary complaints from
patients that may include bullying. By reporting such cases effectively, action can be taken
properly to ensure quality care is provided.
Leadership style to address bullying
The leadership style that would best address bullying in hospitals and clinics is the
Laissez-Faire style. Through this style of leadership, nurses and other workers are allowed to
function at work with minimal guidance. According to Whitney (2018), the Laissez-Faire style
of leadership is crucial since it allows nurses to operate with minimal supervision and to set their
own achievable goals. Just as explained, the style of leadership would address bullying
effectively if nurse managers and leaders impose the style on workers. By doing this, nurse
managers and leaders will ensure that nurses and even patients learn to be self-reliant and to
come in contact with authority as little as possible. Most bullying cases are reported among
juniors and their supervisor, and the leadership style will allow each worker to do their duties
without authoritative supervision as much as possible. Thus, the Laissez-Faire style of leadership
would help eliminate cases of bullying and ensure positive patient outcome since it calls for the
improvement of practices as nurses learn to be self-reliant and sufficient.
References
Al-Ghabeesh, S. H., & Qattom, H. (2019). Retracted article: Workplace bullying and its
preventive measures and productivity among emergency department nurses. Israel
Journal of Health Policy Research, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-019-0314-8
Al Omar, M., Salam, M., & Al-Surimi, K. (2019). Workplace bullying and its impact on the
quality of healthcare and patient safety. Human Resources for Health, 17(1).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-019-0433-x
Whitney, S. (2018). Roles and Responsibilities in Leadership and Management. In Grand
Canyon University (Ed.), Nursing Leadership & Management: Leading and Serving.
Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451vn/nursing-leadership-and-management-
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