Workplace Bullying DNP Project
Workplace Violence and bullying
Workplace violence is any act of physical violence, threat of physical violence, intimidation, harassment, or other threatening behavior that takes place on the organization.
Violence in the workplace can happen in the healthcare industry amongst coworkers, patients, visitors, or even outside parties.
The prevalence of workplace violence in healthcare settings is concerning and results in substantial financial and human costs (Fricke et al., 2023).
?There are significant hazards to healthcare providers’
security and safety.
?Bullying at work is when someone or a group of people is
subjected to persistent abuse, harassment, or
intimidation.
?Verbal abuse, exclusion, work sabotage, rumors, and
damaging someone’s work or reputation are just a few
ways it might appear.
Why is the problem essential and relevant?
? Essential for employee
well-being and safety.
? Ensures legal compliance
with workplace safety
regulations.
? Maintains productivity
and performance levels.
? Safeguards organizational
reputation and public
image.
? Promotes employee
retention and loyalty
? Reduces absenteeism and
turnover rates
Effects of bullying in health care.
?Bullying has a negative impact on nurses’ mental health
and job satisfaction by raising stress, anxiety, sadness,
and feelings of isolation.
?Bullying-related chronic stress can exacerbate physical
health conditions such headaches, gastrointestinal
disorders, and weakened immune systems, which can
lower productivity and cause absenteeism.
?Nurses who are bullied may see a decline in their
involvement and performance at work, which could
jeopardize patient safety and care quality (Lim et al.,
2022).
?Elevated levels of bullying exacerbate staffing shortages
and have an adverse effect on patient continuity of
treatment by causing nurse burnout and departure.
?Bullying undermines employee participation, morale, and
trust in the workplace, perpetuating a hostile work
environment.
Effects of Workplace Violence
?When healthcare professionals are the targets of
violence, either verbal or physical, they
frequently sustain serious bodily harm as well as
psychological anguish.
?Healthcare workers’ sense of safety and security
is compromised by workplace violence, which
lowers morale and job satisfaction.
?When faced with workplace violence, healthcare
professionals may decide to take time off in order
to heal from psychological or physical wounds or
look for other jobs in safer settings.
?Healthcare professionals’ capacity to offer
patients with high-quality care may be hampered
by workplace violence.
What would happen if it were not addressed?
?If healthcare practitioners’ workplace violence is
not handled, a number of negative outcomes
could happen:
?Healthcare professionals continue to be
vulnerable to psychological and physical injury
due to workplace violence.
?Healthcare workers’ morale and trust are
damaged by ongoing workplace violence.
?Staffing shortages are made worse when
competent healthcare workers are driven to look
for work elsewhere by unaddressed workplace
violence.
?Neglecting to tackle workplace violence could
lead to legal ramifications, penalties, and harm
to the company’s standing.
Stakeholder roles in in work place bullying
oWithin healthcare organizations, nurse managers and
supervisors are the ones who advocate for antibullying policies and practices.
oThey take the lead in fostering a supportive
workplace culture where bullying is not accepted.
oBy acting quickly to resolve bullying situations, nurse
managers and supervisors show their dedication to
the welfare of their team.
oThey assist employees who are victims of bullying by
offering tools, direction, and channels for reporting
and dealing with such conduct.
Health care provider needs
?In order to offer patients with high-quality treatment and
ensure their wellbeing, healthcare practitioners must meet a
variety of demands. These include:
?Providing a safe and secure work environment that is free
from harassment, workplace violence, and other dangers is
critical to the physical and mental health of healthcare
workers (Zhang et al., 2021).
?Having access to a nurturing work environment, capable
leadership, and chances for career advancement are
essential for job satisfaction and retention.
?Sufficient resources, such as medical equipment, technology,
and supplies, allow healthcare professionals to give the best
possible care in an efficient and effective manner.
?In order to minimize burnout and promote general health
and wellness, it is imperative that work-life balance efforts
be supported that flexible schedules and suitable workloads
be implemented.
Why should organizations prevent this issue?
?Failure to address workplace violence and
bullying can result in high employee turnover
rates and make it harder for businesses to find
fresh talent.
?Bullying and violence at work can impede
productivity and effectiveness by interfering
with teamwork, communication, and
workflow.
?Organization that allow harassment and
violence in the workplace run the danger of
harming their reputation and brand.
?Establishing a culture of respect, dignity, and
justice in the workplace is an ethical and moral
duty for organizations.
Workplace violence prevention strategies
?Leadership dedication: Organization leaders exhibit a
resolute dedication to averting workplace aggression and
harassment(Ferron et al.,2022).
?Policy creation: Create and put into effect strong policies and
procedures that specify inappropriate conduct, channels for
reporting, and associated penalties.
?Education and training: Give all healthcare professionals
thorough training on identifying, handling, and preventing
workplace violence and bullying (Geoffrion et al.,2020).
?Risk assessment: To find possible risks and weak points in
the workplace, do frequent risk assessments.
?Specialized training: Offer specialized training for managers
and supervisors on effectively addressing and managing
incidents of workplace violence and bullying.
?Violent history: Flagging patients with a history of violent
behavior is one intervention that hospitals use to keep
workers safe(Ferron et al.,2022)
Cont..
?Support services: Give healthcare professionals who have
been the victims of bullying or violence at work access to
counseling services, employee assistance programs, and
legal advice.
• Mitigation measures: Implement appropriate measures to
mitigate identified risks, such as increasing security
measures and improving staff communication systems.
• Provision of Education programs; This influence the
reduction in violence against emergency department
nurses, allowing them to participate in full practice and
deliver positive patient outcomes (Sharifi et al 2020).
• Culture promotion: Encourage an environment of open
communication and respect between coworkers in order to
cultivate a culture of accountability and respect.
• Training and education programs: This programs have
positive significant effect on de-escalation and aggression
management, minimizing violence within the
workplace(Wirth et al.,2021)
Cont..
?Incident reporting: By establishing clear reporting
procedures, promote and assist the reporting of
occurrences involving bullying and workplace violence.
?Enhance leadership: Effective leadership that fosters
education and training, multidisciplinary rapid response
teams, and post-incident debriefing are successful in
minimizing workplace violence among healthcare workers
(Fricke et al.,2023).
?Intervention techniques: Put intervention techniques into
practice to deal with underlying problems and stop
bullying and violence at work from happening again.
?Continuous evaluation: Assess preventive tactics’ efficacy
on a regular basis and make adjustments in response to
input, incident reports, and industry best practices (Sharifi
et al., 2020).
?Improvement initiatives: Constantly work to make
prevention measures better by putting new plans into
action, offering more training, and attending to new
dangers and difficulties.
What are the government regulation in workplace violence
? To find possible risks connected to workplace
violence, conduct risk assessments.
? Outlining expectations, reporting methods, and
response guidelines, draft written policies and
procedures.
? Train staff members on how to spot, handle, and
avoid workplace violence.
? Provide channels for employees to report
instances of violence in the workplace.
? Put precautions in place to reduce the dangers,
such stepping up security or enhancing employee
communication.
? Ensure impacted people have access to programs
and counseling as well as other forms of support
services.
Conclusion
?Healthcare professionals are at serious danger from workplace violence and
bullying, which can also have detrimental effects on their physical, mental, and
organizational well-being.
?Robust policies and processes, extensive education and training programs, and
a strong commitment from the leadership are all necessary for effective
prevention initiatives.
?Reducing risks and maintaining a safer workplace require mitigation measures
like heightened security and better communication methods.
?It is imperative that healthcare practitioners who have been victims of
workplace violence or bullying have access to resources and support services.
?Preventing workplace violence and bullying requires business leaders to
cultivate a culture of respect and accountability.
?To swiftly handle incidents and prevent their recurrence, comprehensive
investigations, intervention plans, and incident reporting are necessary.
Reference
• Fricke, J., Siddique, S. M., Douma, C., Ladak, A., Burchill, C. N., Greysen, R., & Mull,N. K. (2023). Workplace
violence in healthcare settings: a scoping review of guidelines and systematic reviews. Trauma, Violence, &
Abuse, 24(5), 3363-3383.https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221126476
• Ferron, E. M., Kosny, A., &Tonima, S. (2022). Workplace violence prevention: flagging practices and challenges in
hospitals. Workplace Health & Safety, 70(3), 126-135.https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799211016903
• Geoffrion, S., Hills, D. J., Ross, H. M., Pich, J., Hill, A. T., Dalsbø, T. K., … & Guay, S.(2020). Education and
training for preventing and minimizing workplace aggression directed toward healthcare workers. Cochrane
database of systematic reviews, (9). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011860.pub2
• Sharifi, S., Shahoei, R., Nouri, B., Almvik, R., & Valiee, S. (2020). Effect of an education program, risk
assessment checklist and prevention protocol on violence against emergency department nurses: A single center
before and after study. International emergency nursing, 50, 100813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2019.100813
• Wirth, T., Peters, C., Nienhaus, A., & Schablon, A. (2021). Interventions for workplace violence prevention in
emergency departments: a systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public
health, 18(16), 8459. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168459
• Lim, M. C., Jeffree, M. S., Saupin, S. S., Giloi, N., & Lukman, K. A. (2022). Workplace violence in healthcare
settings: the risk factors, implications and collaborative preventive measures. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 78,
103727.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103727
• Zhang, J., Zheng, J., Cai, Y., Zheng, K., & Liu, X. (2021). Nurses’ experiences and support needs following
workplace violence: A qualitative systematic review. Journal of clinical nursing, 30(1-2), 28-43.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15492
Objectives for Staff Education on Workplace Bullying:
1. Recognition and Awareness: Educate staff on workplace bullying, its various forms
(verbal, nonverbal, physical), and how to recognize early signs of bullying behavior.
2. Impact Awareness: Raise awareness about the negative impact of workplace bullying on
individuals’ physical and mental health, job satisfaction, and overall work performance.
3. Reporting Procedures: Train staff on how to report incidents of workplace bullying,
including the appropriate channels within the organization and how to document
incidents.
4. Conflict Resolution Skills: Provide staff with training on effective communication,
conflict resolution, and assertiveness skills to help prevent and manage potential bullying
situations.
5. Creating a Positive Work Environment: Teach staff about fostering a positive,
inclusive work culture where respect, empathy, and teamwork are valued.
6. Legal Rights and Responsibilities: Educate employees on their legal rights and
responsibilities regarding workplace bullying, including any relevant policies, laws, and
procedures.
7. Support and Resources: Inform staff about the support services and resources available
within the organization for those who have experienced or witnessed workplace bullying.
8. Promoting a Zero-Tolerance Policy: Reinforce the organization’s commitment to a
zero-tolerance policy towards workplace bullying and the consequences of engaging in
such behavior.
By setting clear objectives for staff education on workplace bullying, organizations can empower
their employees to recognize, address, and prevent bullying in the workplace, creating a safer
and more positive work environment for everyone.