Violence can manifest from any direction

What leaders can do

Studies show violence is more likely to fester in unhealthy, negative work environments, so it’s up to leaders to make environments as healthy and positive as possible. They need to know what initiatives to put in place; what their obligations and rights are in doing so; and the legal ramifications of taking action in response to violence. Administrators and human resources professionals need to understand that as staff comes to work each day, there’s a chance they’ll be victims of some type of violence. The thought of working in a caring, giving profession, of ministering to others, yet facing violence on the job is difficult to comprehend. When it occurs, we find it upsetting at the very least and horrific at worst. We’ve heard the stories, read the statistics and know altercations and violent events must be dealt with swiftly and appropriately. Facilities from coast to coast are working on initiatives to create more positive work environments to ameliorate violent or potentially violent situations. It must be clear that patients and visitors will abide by certain rules. There must be codes of conduct for employees that include zero tolerance for disruptive behaviors such as harassment, verbal abuse, intimidation, bullying or incivility. Staff must be educated and never be afraid of reporting patient, visitor or family violence, or any type of lateral incivility, bullying or harassment.

Professional organizations are there for us

The ANA is a strong advocate in protecting nurses from workplace violence through advocacy and policies, and they want RNs and employers to join with them in building healthy, safe, positive workplaces. Other professional and regulatory organizations also are calling on employers to recognize that policies and standards on safer workplaces are needed to ensure that bullying or incivility and certainly any overtly violent acts can’t be tolerated.