EMBRACE KINDNESS AND MAKE YOUR WORKPLACE A BULLY-FREE ZONE www.bcnu.org

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24,2016 IS PINK SHIRT DAY On February 24, everyone is encouraged to practise kindness and wear pink to symbolize that you do not tolerate bullying.

and acceptance towards both yourself and others. Do you have a story about being bullied, how you stopped a bully or about how bullying has affected a loved one? Share your experiences with coworkers. Don’t forget to use the #PinkShirtDay hashtag in your Facebook and Instagram posts and in your tweets.

Pink Shirt Day has its roots in Nova Scotia, and is part of an annual anti-bullying campaign founded by two high school teens in 2007.

Join in the conversation and show your support towards kindness, and against bullying!

When a fellow classmate was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt to school, David Shepherd and Travis Price decided to take a stand. They bought dozens of pink tank tops at a thrift store and announced they would give them out to students the next day. With the word out, many students took it upon themselves to show up for school in pink rather than wait for one of the tops. Since then, Pink Shirt Day has become an annual event to speak out against bullying in schools, communities and workplaces. On February 24, you can make an effort to practise kindness

WHAT IS BULLYING? Bullying is repeated and persistent unreasonable behavior directed toward an employee (or a group of employees). It includes words and actions that make others feel incompetent, ashamed, worthless, excluded, unwelcome, or unsafe1. FACTS ABOUT BULLYING >> It’s estimated that up to 40 percent of Canadians have experienced workplace bullying2. >> Surveys show that women are targets of bullies more often than men; 80 percent of the time, the bully is also a woman3. >> Studies show that 21 to 46 percent of nurses have experienced or witnessed bullying4.

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>> Workplace bullying is associated with nurses leaving their job, or the nursing profession5,6. >> Exposure to workplace bullying can negatively affect the health of individuals, their co-workers, and their family, resulting in symptoms such as increased stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, fatigue, and depression7. >> Bullying can reduce team communication, job satisfaction, motivation, and morale8, and affect patient care9,10.

BULLYING CHECKLIST COULD IT BE YOU? Review the questions below and tick-off those situations that you have actively participated in. Remember that bullying is repeated and persistent unreasonable behavior and not a one-time occurrence only!

>> Have you started or failed to stop destructive gossip about a coworker? >> Have you exaggerated or embellished an event to cause trouble?

>> Have you humiliated, embarrassed or intimidated a co-worker?

>> Have you targeted someone new, or someone you don’t want to succeed or to continue on your team?

>> Have you assigned a task beyond the scope of a person’s job knowing or hoping he or she will fail?

>> Have you denied access to resources such as training or information because you want to see him or her fail?

>> Have you denied or discounted someone’s contributions at meetings or on a project?

>> Have you uttered threats or shown physical intimidation such as throwing objects?

>> Have you noticed how your attitude to other workers who don’t share your job title may be different than the attitude you have with individuals who do share it (e.g. RNs’ relationship with LPNs, care aides or other staff)?

>> Have you treated student nurses with disrespect and exercised condescending behaviors towards them?

>> Have you refused to pass on crucial information to someone or sabotaged work because you did not want them to succeed?

>> Have you targeted someone to be fired? >> Have you publicly discredited someone?

>> Have you ever shouted at, cursed at, or in some way threatened a co-worker?

>> Have you been defensive or portrayed yourself as always competent when someone has raised concerns about your professional practice or approach?

>> Have you played malicious pranks on a co-worker?

>> Have you witnessed bullying and not intervened?

>> Have you stolen someone’s ideas and taken credit for them yourself?

Source: Building Dignity, BCNU, 2009

MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT A BULLY-FREE ZONE! B uild Dignity U nderstand Others L ead with your Heart L earn about Empowerment Y ou are the Future F reedom R espect E steem E ducate Z ero Tolerance O wn the Outcome N urture Relationships E mbrace Differences Adapted from simpleeserene.com

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Is there something you want to say to me? Please speak to me directly. I need you to be more clear in your directions and feedback. Is there a way we can structure this to be more specific? I have questions and would like you to help me understand how this situation may have happened. It’s my understanding that more information might be available regarding the situation that might affect how I approach it (or learn about it). There is more to this situation than meets the eye. Could you and I meet in private to discuss it? Always avoid a contentious discussion in a non-private place.

Nonverbal Innuendo >> Raising of eyebrows; Making faces

Verbal Remarks >> Snide, rude comments >> Lack of openness, abrupt responses

Undermining Activities >> Turning away >> Being unavailable

Withholding Information

Sabotage >> Deliberately setting up a negative situation

Infighting >> Bickering with peers

I don’t feel right talking about him/her/the situation when I wasn’t there or don’t know the facts. Have you spoken to him/her? It bothers me to talk about that without his/her/their permission. I only overheard that. It shouldn’t be repeated. Wasn’t that said in confidence? That sounds like information that should remain confidential. He/she asked me to keep that confidential.

Backstabbing >> Complaining to others about an individual and not speaking directly to that individual

Failure to Respect Privacy

Broken Confidences

Source: Bartholomew, Kathleen, RN, MN. “Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young and Each Other” (HCPro, 2006)

I don’t think that’s the right connection.

Scapegoating >> Attributing all that goes wrong to one individual

This is not the time or the place. Please stop (physically walk away or move to a neutral spot).

EFFECTIVE RESPONSE

BEHAVIOUR

LEARN MORE References:

Additional Resources:

1. University of New Brunswick, “Toward a Respectful Workplace” – http://www.unbf.ca/ towardarespectfulworkplace/ index.html

Bartholomew, Kathleen, RN, MN. “Ending Nurse-toNurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young and Each Other” (HCPro, 2006).

2. CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/ news/canada/windsor/ story/2011/12/06/wdr-cbsabullying-johnston.html 3. 2010 Workplace Bullying Institute Survey – www.workplacebullying.org 4. Stokowski L. “A Matter of Respect and Dignity: Bullying in the Nursing Profession.” Medscape Nurses, September 2010. 5. Johnson S, Rea R. “Workplace Bullying: Concerns for Nurse Leaders.” Journal of Nursing Administration. 2009;39(2): 84-90. 6. Griffen M. Teaching cognitive rehersal as a shield for lateral violence: an intervention for newly licensed nurses. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 2004;35(6):257-63. 7. Bullying in the Workplace: A handbook for the Workplace, by the Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare (2009) http://www.osach.ca/products/ resrcdoc/rvioe528.pdf 8. Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety – http://www.ccohs. ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/ bullying.html 9. MSNBC Hospital bullies take a toll on patient safety http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ id/25594124 10. US Joint Commission – Hospital Accreditation http:// www.jointcommission.org/

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Bartholomew, Kathleen, RN, MN. http://www.kathleenbartholomew.com/articles Bully OnLine – www.bullyonline.org Canadian Women’s Health Network – www.cwhn.ca Field, Tim. “Bully In Sight.” (Wessex Press, 1996) Namie, Gary and Ruth. “The Bully at Work” (Sourcebooks, 2003) Pink Shirt Day – www.pinkshirtday.ca

TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR WORKPLACE Contact a steward and/or your workplace JOHS committee representative Know your employer’s respectful workplace policy and procedures Call Employee and Family Assistance Access resources at crisis lines Share your story on social media using the #PinkShirtDay hashtag