NR 500 Week 7 Discussion: Healthful Environments
NR 500 Week 7 Discussion: Healthful Environments
Reflect on an experience in which you were directly involved or witnessed incivility in the workplace. Provide a brief synopsis of the situation. How did this make you feel? How did you respond? What were the consequences of this situation? Provide an example of how this negatively affected the work environment and outcomes. How could the situation have been prevented? Discuss strategies that would support a healthy work environment.
Incivility in the workplace is a prevalent concern in nursing and healthcare settings. The knowledge of incivility and lateral violence in nursing is not an uncommon issue. It has been around for decades and remains a strong presence in nursing today. This causes me
NR 500 Week 7 Discussion: Healthful Environments
great sadness for the profession I hold dear. Uncivil workplace behaviors can be characterized as rude and discourteous, with no regard for others (Phillips, Smith, MacKusick, & Whichello, 2018). This repeated act that is essentially bullying, whether verbally or silently, can lead to absenteeism, low job satisfaction and morale, burnout, poor productivity, mental, and physical health problems for the recipient of this poor treatment (Phillips, et al., 2018). The nursing profession must take a continual stand against incivility to assure the safety and well-being of our nurses and ultimately our patients whose care can be affected by work incivility.
As a nurse of many years, I have been witness to and also the target of workplace incivility. As a novice NICU nurse many years ago, I remember the leadership in my department setting an intimidating tone for new employees. There were cliques and gossiping that ultimately led to low morale and fear. This is truly a sad and dangerous place to be when caring for the precious lives of others. In an ICU setting, nurses need to be able to work as a team to deliver effective care. The ability to discuss care situations with colleagues and receive their input in a supportive, non-judgmental way is how nurses grow in their knowledge and expertise, ultimately fine tuning their trade. When intimidation and condescending attitudes are present, nurses will question their ability to provide good care and may eventually leave the department or the profession.
What does it mean to work in a healthy environment?
Healthy does not always imply that one need medical attention; it can also refer to ones outlook at work and in ones surroundings.
When it comes to developing a healthy workplace environment, there are four factors to consider:
Culture in the workplace
Every firm has its own corporate culture, which establishes its value and usually creates a standard that employees follow, as we said in one of our blogs, Creating a Happier Corporate Culture.
When you build a healthy office culture that is followed by both employees and yourself, the workplace atmosphere becomes healthier since no one is upset or dissatisfied.
A positive business culture can help your firm stay productive and even retain the best personnel, and happy employees are more inclined to stay.
Occupational health and safety, as well as the physical environment
The physical environment of the office or workshop, as well as the occupational health and safety of your employees, all contribute to a healthy workplace environment.
Examine the workplaces safety to alleviate your employees concerns.
One of the difficulties that your staff should not be concerned about is ensuring that all electric cables are covered or taped down with a cable tray to avoid them from tripping over them.
Nobody likes to sit in a room with a sagging ceiling!
As a result, provide a safe working environment for your staff.
Practices in health and lifestyle
Employees will care about the company they work for if they feel they will be taken care of.
Employees are an organizations most valuable asset, and investing in their well-being can promote improved teamwork, increased production, and reduced sick leave and workplace accidents.
