Incivility in The Workplace (Essay Sample)

Incivility in The Workplace Name of The Student Instructors Name College/University Affiliation Course Name Course Code Date Introduction The prevalence of incivility is increasing not just within the nursing profession but in several other occupational settings. Incivility is engaging in needless and uncivil conduct towards another individual, including verbal, non-verbal, or physical actions. In a professional setting, engaging in uncivil conduct encompasses a variety of activities (Dellasega & Volpe, 2013, p. 75). Adverse conduct includes actions such as making impolite remarks and engaging in the dissemination of gossip or rumors. Incivility may also be identified as workplace bullying and frequently characterized as engendering feelings of intimidation or discrimination against others, fostering a harmful work environment. According to Dellasega and Volpe (2013), “a range of persons, including nurses, doctors, patients and their families, can contribute to incivility (p. 75)”. As healthcare professionals and those in positions of authority, we must acknowledge and address instances of incivility within the workplace. This discussion will focus on the emotional ramifications experienced by both recipients and the broader environment impacted by acts of incivility. This essay will discuss the numerous initiatives companies have taken to reduce workplace incivility and investigate its implications on clinical judgment and communication. Impacts on Clinical Judgment Bullying from a coworker, patient, or family member may cloud a nurse's ability to make sound clinical decisions. The nurse's stress levels may rise, making it more difficult to care for her patients and fulfil her professional obligations. She may be exposed to a poisonous work environment due to unpleasant comments or remarks. If a newly graduated nurse is assigned to receive training from an experienced nurse, the former's trust may be compromised if the latter exhibits incivility. The seasoned nurse's imposition of dread and worry may hinder her capacity for critical thinking. The nurse may need more confidence in her ability to fulfill the necessary work responsibilities, perhaps resulting in her decision to resign. The escalation of incivility has reached such a level of severity that it has prompted some nurses to resign from their positions and abandon the nursing profession entirely. In the scenario when a Licensed Practicing Nurse (LPN) is receiving training from a Registered Nurse (RN) who demonstrates a lack of teamwork and engages in judgemental comments, the LPN may experience feelings of intimidation and perceive her clinical judgment abilities to be inferior to those of the RN. The performance of the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) on the healthcare facility's floor may be compromised due to inadequate self-assurance. The nurse's physical presence in the workplace does not guarantee her emotional availability to patients or her ability to do tasks accurately since she may experience burnout due to incivility. She may make errors in her assessment or interpretation while providing information to a medical professional. She may fail to recognize indications of deterioration when delivering healthcare to patients. Nurses who cultivate a positive self-image and maintain unwavering confidence are less prone to experiencing challenges in clinical judgment. Issues Occurring in The Workplace The presence of incivility has a significant impact on the overall ambiance inside a professional setting. The circumstances above give rise to heightened worry, tension, and sometimes depression, affecting the nurse and the nurse's immediate family. The family may experience the consequences of a nurse who is under stress. The nurse may have heightened emotional sensitivity, maybe resulting in the expression of anger or frustration towards their spouse or children. The nurse's potential to carry professional responsibilities outside the workplace may contribute to an elevated divorce or domestic violence incidence. The psychological impact resulting from the experience of harassment has the potential to contribute to a higher frequency of employee absences in the workplace. The individual may monitor the schedule to ascertain the presence of the individual identified as the "bully" and afterward report their findings via telephone. The individual may be reluctant to seek assistance or report instances of bullying due to feelings of embarrassment. The nurse may choose maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as self-medication via alcohol or illicit substance abuse, to address the challenges posed by harassment. The individual in question may report to work while under the influence of intoxicating substances to expedite the completion of their job tasks. This behavior poses a significant danger to their well-being and the safety and welfare of their colleagues and the patients they serve. The individual in question may have heightened emotions and thus exhibit aggressive behavior towards colleagues and patients. The heightened potential for patient injury or mortality is associated with a nurse who experiences excessive stress. The individual in question may exhibit a negative disposition toward her professional work ethic, as well as toward patients and their families, as a result of seeing herself under assault. The nurse has the potential to disregard her own well-being and professional responsibilities. According to Dellasega and Volpe (2013), prioritizing self-care is crucial for nurses since it benefits both themselves and their patients and loved ones (p. 105). The nurse may have a diminished sense of self-worth, be unable to cope with the stress associated with interpersonal dynamics among colleagues, and regrettably contemplate or engage in suicidal ideation. Current initiatives. Several factors contribute to unkindness in the workplace. Problems with communication, conflicting personalities, personal stresses, jealousy, job pressure, and increasing exhaustion play a role. There is no place for rudeness to be tolerated in the above circumstances. If one person feels threatened, disturbed, or overwhelmed due to the additional stress from the other, their ability to communicate may be diminished. Consider the stress of passing the baton to a trusted coworker, and then compare that to speaking with someone known to backstab, ridicule, or demonstrate hostile conduct. There is a risk that vital information may be overlooked or miscommunicated. Nurses must be able to operate under pressure and figure out how to get important information to their coworkers. However, this may be challenging if the "road is one way" or if the coworkers have a reputation for "eating their young." Patient injury or death may result from ineffective communication. For instance, if a nurse is stressed out due to rude coworkers, a patient may feel uneasy approaching them for help, or a patient experiencing pain may be reluctant to request pain medication out of fear of upsetting their nurse. The patient's result may suffer if the nurse is too stressed to report to the arriving nurse and complete all necessary treatments before her shift ends. "Incivility" harms communication among individuals within the nursing setting, leading to misunderstanding and inadequate or incomplete communication. The presentation of undesirable actions by an individual tends to initiate a trickle-down effect of incivility. The repercussions extend beyond the recipient to include the team and the patients. Maintaining a secure work environment for employees and patients requires a comprehensive understanding of professionalism, effective communication, and problem resolution. Nurses often refrain from reporting incidents of violence due to a deficient comprehension or a perception that there is an inability to effect any meaningful change (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2018, p. 580). The reporting of incivility is necessary to facilitate the implementation of appropriate measures. Organizations to decrease incivility. Numerous firms have ...