NURS 6053 Week 7 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment Sample Essay

Leadership Week 7 Initial Post

Results of the Clark Health Workplace Inventory concluded that the organization I am employed with is a moderately healthy workplace (Clark, 2015). I am surprised that the results fell in the category they did, I expected a lower score. The reasoning behind the score I expected was because of the current pandemic. Employees are leaving for higher paying jobs and many have been unhappy with the stress caused by the pandemic. However, the employees of the organization share the same vision to improve the lives of the community and we have leaders that are open to listening to our concerns, maintaining a civil work environment. I was also surprised by the emphasis by the assessment regarding employee self-care and teamwork as required by. Even during the pandemic, our organization as encouraged self-care giving quiet rooms with massage chairs and our manager has been available even on weekends and late at night to ensure the unit’s needs are being met. During the stress and chaos of the pandemic, I moved to the intensive care unit. I was met by a unit that was constantly full of high acuity patients than normal even for the ICU. However, I found that the team worked well together and communicated effectively presenting a work environment that was civil and healthy and I am proud to be apart of.

The main idea that I had regarding the results was that the organization runs smoothly because of the shared mission, values and goals of the organization. Christus Good Shepherd’s mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ with core values of dignity, integrity, excellence, compassion, and stewardship. The vision of Christus Health is to be a leader and advocate in the creation of innovative health and wellness solutions to improve the lives of the individuals of the community so that all may experience the healing love of Jesus Christ (Christus Health, 2021:NURS 6053 Week 7 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment Sample Essay ). However, as shown by the results of the assessment not falling in the top category, the current pandemic has put a strain on certain aspects including competitive pay and tension in everyday work.

One instance where I have felt that I had an uncivil encounter was when I was in the ICU and one of the physicians started yelling orders at me during a stressful situation and griping in front of the patient that it was late in the day to be inserting lines and such.

Clark (2015) states that the most effective way to stop incivility is to address it when it occurs. However, this takes practice and requires effective communication and competent dialogue. At the time, I was unable to address the physician outside of the patient’s room, however I have a wonderful team that did address it with the doctor as part of NURS 6053 Week 7 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment Sample Essay. The team member gently spoke with the physician in the appropriate environment and reminded him that we are all exhausted, but that appropriate communication is essential to decrease work stress between staff and provide safe and effective patient care. Working under conditions of civil communication, promotes role performance of team members (Liu, et. al., 2020). Even under stressful working conditions, it is important for each team member to promote a civil working environment to support optimum work performance of each team member.

Christus Health (2021). Christus Health: Our vision, mission, and values.

mission-values-and-vision

Clark, C.M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18-23.

Liu, Y., Vashdi, D. R., Cross, T., Bamberger, P., & Erez, A. (2020). Exploring the puzzle of civility: Whether and when team civil

communication influences team members’ role performance. Human Relations, 73(2), 215–241.

Response 1 to H

Hi, H

I enjoyed reading your response. Our organizations share a few similarities. We have experienced a mass exodus of well-trained nurses leaving to working as COVID travel nurses. One of my co-workers got frustrated with floating to the COVID unit weekly and decided that she was better off working as a travel nurse. She loves the pay and flexibility. I am happy that our organization has offered bonuses and critical pay to entice nurses to stay so we have not been hit hard with the nursing shortage like other places. Having financial incentive makes the stress somewhat bearable. My organization has been focusing on the wellness of its employees during this time. We had licensed massage therapists come and give shoulder massages during the Christmas break. That was a welcomed and much needed treat.

Effective communication is the key to achieving organizational goals (Luu & Phan, 2020, p. 31). I am glad your new unit utilizes effective communication. Effective communication has been shown to enhance the quality of patient care and reduce errors (Broome & Marshall, 2020, p. 157). According to Broome and Marshall (2020), active listening is the most effective tool for successful communication. Yelling is verbal abuse. According to Clark (2015), bullying and harassment should not be tolerated. Kudos for your team member speaking up against the yelling doctor because such behavior can negatively impact one’s ability to perform their job. “Engaging in clear and courteous communication fosters a civil work environment” and enhances the delivery of care (Clark, 2015, p. 19). Clark (2019) developed an evidence-based technique where nurses can practice addressing workplace issues in a safe environment with a trainer overseer. I think your organization would benefit from having such a class in place, especially for new staff members to teach them how to address stressful situations effectively.

NURS 6053 Week 7 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment Sample Essay References

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2020). Transformational Leadership in Nursing: From Expert Clinician to Influential Leader (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Clark, C. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 20.

Clark, C. M. (2019). Combining Cognitive Rehearsal, Simulation, and Evidence-Based Scripting to Address Incivility. Nurse Educator, 44(2), 64–68. https://doi.org/10.1097/nne.0000000000000563

Luu, D. T., & Phan, H. V. (2020). The Effects of Transformational Leadership and Job Satisfaction on Commitment to Organisational Change: A Three-Component Model Extension Approach. The South East Asian Journal of Management, 14(1), 31–33. https://doi.org/10.21002/seam.v14i1.11585

RE: Discussion- Main Post – Week 7

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Main Post

The results from the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory for my organization came back with a score of 68, which falls into the category of barley healthy (Clark, 2015). I was a little surprised by this, I thought the organization would have done better but after seeing the questions, I realize there is a lot that needs to be changed. A few of the lowest scores came from the following questions: at all levels of the organization are transparent, direct and respectful. There are sufficient opportunities for promotion and career advancement and lastly, the organization attracts the biggest and brightest. Seeing that these three questions scored as a 2, was an eye-opener to me. The questions that received 5’s were; individual achievements are celebrated and publicized and employees are treated in a fair and respectful manner. All other questions either received a 3 or 4 for their score.

Clark, 2015 wrote that “safe patient care hinges on our ability to cope with stress effectively, manage our emotions, and communicate respectively”. All these are such important factors not only for patient safety but also to provide a civil workplace. The small hospital (organization) that I work for is notorious for leadership not communicating with those they lead and often times has been found to not be very transparent. This causes issues with new policies being implemented and makes the employees not feel respected. Another issue that makes this organization considered “not healthy” is the fact that there are not ample opportunities for people to get promoted or have career advancement. The organization is small and those that have been there longer and know the leadership are often the ones that see the promotions or advancement in career, regardless of job performance or education. Lastly, the organization is unhealthy due to not attracting “the best and the brightest”, again due to its small size, they often hire people they hire people they know, instead of hiring the best candidate for the job. Incivility can negatively impact team performance and the delivery of patient care (Griffin & Clark, 2014). I see this quite often in my organization. Often there is no team due to the personal feelings of those who have been passed over for a promotion to someone who is not as qualified or due to the new employee only being hired due to whom they know, not what they know.

An example of incivility in my organization is bullying. Workplace bullying has costs organizations an estimated $250 million a year related to absenteeism and lost productivity (Orr & Sester, 2020). Acts of workplace bullying can be categorized into three areas: work related acts, personal/emotional acts, and physical or threatening acts. The first two areas cover what happened in my organization. In my department we have a worker that had been with the organization for a very long time and is well liked by leadership, therefore her behavior towards other co-workers was always looked over. This worker would constantly bully new workers in our department when she orientated them. She would criticize their work, in front of others, even though they had been doing this same type of work longer than she had, and tell them they would not be able to do the job unless they did it her way. She was also in charge of the schedule for everyone in the department and would often “punish” those that she had had a disagreement with by not giving them the schedule they had asked for or by giving them a not so great one. My organization finally dealt with this when a new department manager came in and lost two new employees due to this person. The new department manager started writing the worker up when there were incidents of bullying, since just about everyone in the department felt her bullying. Then, there was a mandatory class for all in the department regarding bullying and respect in the workplace. Next, the worker was told that if her behavior did not change, she would be terminated. This particular worker could not change her ways and was finally terminated. The difference in the atmosphere in the department completely changed. among us became better and more respectful, we were more productive, and we didn’t lose another new employee since she left. It took 5 years for all this to happen because before the new department manager, the leadership allowed incivility even though they knew about it. According to the World Health Organization, a healthy workplace is where workers and managers collaborate to continually improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of all workers (n.d.).

NURS 6053 Week 7 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment Sample Essay References

Belton, L. W., & Dyrenforth, S. R. (2007). Civility in the workplace. Measuring the positive
outcomes of a respectful work environment. Healthcare Executive, 22(5), 40.

Clark, C.M. (2015) Conversations to inspire an promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse

Today, 10(11), 18-23.

Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against

incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. The Journal of Continuing

Education in Nursing, 45(12), 535-542.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.3928/00220124-20141122-02

Orr, D., & Seter, M. (2020). OD Strategies and Workplace Bullying: Approaches for Prevention,

Existing Issues, and Post-Event Understanding. Organization Development Review,

52(3), 36–45.

What is a healthy workplace. (n.d.). Government of South Australia.

Peer Response #1 Discussion – Week 7

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Thank you for sharing your Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory results Laura. I found them interesting and not too different from the results of my own. Your organization scored 68 overall and mine achieved a score of 74. What really struck me about your post was the quote you included from our course resources about the need for individuals to manage their emotions and engage in respectful communication when under stress (Clark, 2015). In the example I shared, this was precisely the root of the uncivil incident I experienced with a provider. It was clear that his response was emotionally driven, anger filled, and therefore uncivil. It felt like bullying. But what was most surprising to me about it was that this incivility was delivered in writing, via email. I thought this showed an especially egregious lack of emotional control, especially from the top physician provider in my organization.

Broome and Marshall assert that healthcare environments need to be as healthy for the individuals providing the care as it is for the patients receiving the care (p. 239). When the leaders of an organization engage in emotion fueled communication, this is not conducive to a healthy environment. You state that a lack of communication and transparency in your organization leaves the staff feeling that they are not respected, and this causes problems with implementing new policies. I agree completely. In my organization the volatile personality of the head physician leaves our other leadership and front line staff also feeling this way. It is a major obstacle to improving our systems to deliver better and safer patient care. This is a clear demonstration of the importance of civility in healthcare environments.

Thanks so much for your post. I wish you great success in the program and your future nursing career.

References

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18-23. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf

Name: NURS_6053_Module04_Week07_Discussion_Rubric

	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Main Posting	45 (45%) – 50 (50%) Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. Supported by at least three current, credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.	40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.	35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to some of the discussion question(s). One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Post is cited with two credible sources. Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors.	0 (0%) – 34 (34%) Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately. Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible sources. Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style.
Main Post: Timeliness	10 (10%) – 10 (10%) Posts main post by day 3.	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%) Does not post by day 3.
First Response	17 (17%) – 18 (18%) Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. Responds fully to questions posed by faculty. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	15 (15%) – 16 (16%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	13 (13%) – 14 (14%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.	0 (0%) – 12 (12%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited.
Second Response	16 (16%) – 17 (17%) Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. Responds fully to questions posed by faculty. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	14 (14%) – 15 (15%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	12 (12%) – 13 (13%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.	0 (0%) – 11 (11%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited.
Participation	5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days.	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%) Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on 3 different days.

Total Points: 100

NURS 6053 Week 7 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment Sample Essay