Living with Integrity and Broken Tacos!
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tacos2

Family dinners with my kindergarten-aged twins are usually a raucous good time, and this week’s “Taco Tuesday” promised nothing less . . . until the taco shell broke.

Maybe I made the shells too crispy.  Maybe the meat was too moist.  Maybe Dylan was over-tired.  Maybe an offensive breeze knocked a kite out of the sky on Jupiter.

Whatever the reason . . . Dylan (the oldest by a minute) suffered a complete emotional breakdown at the sight of his exploded taco.  He bolted from the table and with the grace of a trained superhero, flew through the bedroom air and landed with a thud on his bed.  Face down. Sobbing. Convulsively.

“I don’t deserve to be in this family anymore!” He wailed.

“What the heck are you talking about?” I asked.

“I’ve been lying to you.” He confessed. Snot and tears soaked his pillow.

“I tell you every day that I was good in school and that I don’t get in trouble, but I dooooo. I get in trouble every single daaaaaaay.”

Hearing this confession simultaneously broke my heart and made me smile.  He just learned an important lesson about living with integrity.  And he learned it at age 5.  Wow!  I can’t help but be impressed.

Integrity can be a difficult concept to pin down, even for adults.  Most people think of it as honesty—or being able to tell the truth—but it’s even deeper than that.  Although Dylan’s confession was about telling us a series of lies, he could have gone on forever with the charade had it not been for his integrity.

Integrity is when your values match your behaviors.

Honesty must be a value my son just realized he holds.  And he realized that his behaviors did not match that value.  So the taco broke, the confession spilled and (after a long conversation about lying) his integrity was restored.

Fortunately, living with integrity doesn’t have to be so dramatic!  And you don’t have to wait until your taco breaks to figure it out!

Just think about the things that are important to you.  Family?  Career?  Reputation?  Self-respect?  Honesty?  Fairness?  Independence? And then think about all of the ways you behave (or want to behave) to reflect those values.

It’s not always easy to live with integrity. We all face distractions, conflicting desires and confusing motives. Dylan’s actions were motivated by his desire to use the computer. (Being “bad” in school usually leads to a loss of computer privileges in our house!)

What’s keeping you from living with integrity?

Does it really matter if you live with integrity? Why or why not?

What, if any, are the consequences of NOT living with integrity?

Do you think living with integrity is more important in healthcare professionals? Why or why not?

Let us know your thoughts! We love to hear from you!

Posted in Civility in Healthcare, Civility Tips, General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

As the old birds sing . . .
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birdI’m always fascinated by the “words of wisdom” that come from other cultures. For instance, in Italy they say “Cercare il pelo nell’ uovo,” which means to “look for the hair in the egg,” or in other words, to find fault or nit-pick!

In Spanish, I’m drawn to “Poco a poco se anda lejos.” This translates to “Little by little, one goes far.”

And now, thanks to Linda Leekley, my new favorite Norwegian expression is “Some dei gamle sungo, so kveda dei unge.” In her latest blog post over at In the Know, Linda translates it to “As the old birds sing, so do the young ones tweet.”

And as it turns out, it’s a good lesson for some of us “Old Bird” nurses!

Linda writes: 

Blog Quote from Linda Leekley at In the Know.

Thanks for the great lesson, Linda! 

Posted in Bullying, Civility in Healthcare, Civility Tips, General, Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Flower of Kindness…
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civilityquote

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Is it Possible to Be Pro-Bullying?
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October is National Anti-Bullying Month, but anti-bullying campaigns are not limited to just this month.  It’s respectable and noble to be “anti-bullying” these days.  I dare say it’s even trendy. The opposite, pro-bullying, just doesn’t exist. At least no one will admit it.

So why are there still bullies? If we are all so emphatically against it . . . and no one is for it, how can it persist, especially in healthcare?

The fact is that the pro-bullies are the bullies themselves. Bullies desperately try to hold on to their bullying ways because without bullying, they have no power. Or so they think. You see, a bully usually acts out as a means to gain or retain power. Bullying usually comes from a person in a position of power (real or imagined) and involves an abuse or misuse of this power.

Do you work with a “pro-bullying” person? Is there a possibility that you are “pro-bullying” without even knowing it? Take this quick “self-awareness” quiz. Self-awareness is when you realize that, although you are not the center of the universe, everything you say and do can have an impact on others. Bullies tend to act out in a way that demonstrates a lack of self-awareness.

Imagine this conversation between a workplace bully and her target.

Target: It seems like you are just waiting for me to do something wrong so that you can criticize me.

Bully: That’s not true. I’m just trying to make sure you are doing things safely. And it’s not criticism. I’m trying to show you how to do things the right way.

Target: But, I’m doing things the way I was taught and I AM safe.

Bully: Well, maybe you were taught wrong.

Target: Fine, if you are trying to teach me, then can you please do it in private? I don’t think it’s good for the company’s reputation when you yell at me in front of patients and our co-workers.

Bully: I wish I had time to take a break and explain your mistakes to you every time you make one. But, I am busy actually working.

Target: I heard you tell our Supervisor that I was responsible for the spill that caused Mrs. G to fall the other day. You know that’s not true. Are you trying to get me fired?

Bully: All I know is I didn’t do it and you were the only other person in that area that day. It must have been you. I’m just doing my best to keep the patients safe.

This “bully” does not see herself as a bully. She has no self-awareness of the impact of her words and actions on herself, her workplace and her co-workers. She sees herself as smarter, better and faster than everyone else. She has an inflated sense of her own worth and importance in the workplace. She thinks her “way” of doing things is the best or only way. She believes that causing a co-worker to look bad makes herself look good. Unfortunately, this is the case with most bullies.

Bullies have their own unspoken pro-bullying campaign going on. Can Pro-Bullies be turned around? You bet! Bullying is a habit . . . and habits can change. It starts with self-awareness.

If you have one or more “Pro-Bullies” in your workplace, download this printable version of the Self-Awareness quiz and give it to your supervisor for distribution. If you are the supervisor, consider putting copies of the quiz in with paychecks or other announcements. Leave a pile in the break room. Pin it up in the locker room.

If you want to take it a step further, consider implementing a full scale civility training program like the one that goes along with the book, “The REAL Healthcare Reform.”

Tell us what you did or are doing to transform the pro-bullies in your workplace!

Posted in Bullying, Civility in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What’s Your Fire Ant Personality?
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I was ambushed by an angry mob of ferocious fire ants over the weekend. And, by “ambushed” I mean I suffered three tiny, albeit excruciating bites. And by “angry mob” I mean I stepped into their home and they failed to welcome me with tea and cookies!

As I scratched, iced and cortisone’d my assaulted ankles I decided I should probably do a Google search to see if I needed to worry about any other symptoms or complications. Turns out—no! I didn’t seem to be allergic and I didn’t suffer enough bites to warrant a trip to the ER! Phew!

Then I stumbled on an interesting study published a few years ago that made me think a little differently about the angry beasts. It seems they have some pretty interesting and distinct personalities!

  • About one third of the colony will play dead during an attack (from a human foot or another colony of fire ants).
  • Another third will run away.
  • The final group will stay and fight to the death. (These are the chumps that got me!)

The first group is made up of the youngest ants. After an attack they can be found curled up just like a dead ant. Then moments later they uncurl and walk away.

Middle aged ants tend to flee, which scientist think may be a tactic to protect the queen.

The eldest ants are aggressive and attack furiously. One researcher points out, “All worker ants are females, and so it’s the cranky old ladies who are the ones fighting to the death.”

Looking at the structure of the fire ant colony reminded me a little bit of the social structures found in most healthcare workplaces. It resembles how different groups deal with the pervasive culture of incivility.

New graduates curl up and play dead when attacked. They may be unsure of how to respond or may fear the consequences that may come from defending themselves.

The more experienced workers tend to cope by ignoring the problem or retreating.

You can draw your own conclusions about the third group!

The interesting thing about the comparison though is that the fire ants act this way out of a primal instinct to protect their home and their family (aka colony) from danger. That makes sense. They are tiny little creatures trying to survive in a giant’s land. But, why do we do it?

Think about the fire ants the next time you are at work. Do you play dead, retreat or fight to the death? And, why? If you play dead, you’re giving the aggressor the confirmation he or she needs to feel powerful. If you ignore the problem or retreat, you may inadvertently perpetuate the problem by “protecting the queen.”

If you’re the one on the attack, think about what you are working so hard to defend. I can assure you, it’s not as important as your home or your entire family (like it is for the fire ants).

 

Posted in Civility in Healthcare, Civility Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

It’s Here! Civility Training for Your Organization!
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It’s time to order your organization’s new Civility Training Program!  We are proud to offer the only healthcare-specific civility training program designed to meet the unique needs of the healthcare environment.

Based on our popular book, “The REAL Healthcare Reform,” this program is a complete turnkey solution that contains everything you need to get a civility training program up and running with minimal effort.

Training packages are available for as few as 12 learners and come complete with a copy of The REAL Healthcare Reform for each learner and an Instructor’s Manual for the educator.

The Instructor’s Manual is full of engaging classroom activities, thought-provoking discussion questions, convenient PowerPoint presentations, tips for improving participation and a CD with master copies of all the handouts and presentations. (Read a sample chapter!)

The best part is that the program materials are appropriate for every individual in your healthcare organization, clinical and non-clinical alike. Administrators, managers, nurses, aides, secretaries, and everyone in between, will find the program easy to use and understand. In addition, the program provides six hours of inservice credit for all Certified Nursing Assistants.

Healthcare organizations who provide civility training will find that it:

1. Meets Joint Commission’s recommendations.  This program meets the Joint Commission’s recommendation to provide training that reduces “behaviors that undermine a culture of safety,” particularly intimidating and disruptive behaviors among staff members.

2. Reduces costly medical errors. Incivility ruins communication among the healthcare team and poor communication is a direct threat to patient safety. Civility training decreases dangerous and potentially deadly medical errors by improving teamwork and communication.

3. Increases employee retention. A staggering number of healthcare employees report having quit a job because of incivility. Civility Training improves employee retention at every level, saving organizations the precious time and money involved in hiring and training new employees.

4. Cuts down on “call-outs” and absenteeism. Working in a culture of incivility leads to more absenteeism.  As many as 47% of healthcare employees report spending less time at work because of incivility. Civility training creates an atmosphere that energizes and inspires those who are in it. Employees who are energized and inspired will look forward to coming to work, thus reducing the rate of absenteeism.

5. Eliminates conflict and drama. Incivility leads to conflict and conflict = DRAMA! Healthcare professionals who embrace civility are less likely to burn out, bully or “eat their young!” This means less conflict and drama in the workplace!

6. Improves patient satisfaction and enhances the organizations reputation. Disgruntled, dissatisfied and disengaged employees don’t provide quality care to the patients they serve.  This leads to a decrease in patient satisfaction. Patients who are dissatisfied with the care they receive share their negative experience with others in the community.  Healthcare organizations that embrace civility enjoy improved patient satisfaction . . . and satisfied patients who speak well of the organization in the community enhance that organization’s reputation.

The benefits of using THIS Civility Training Program include:

1. The hard part is DONE!  Our Civility Training Program will save you time, effort and money.  You don’t have to create the program yourself.  We did that for you.  And you won’t have to hire an expensive “expert” trainer to come into your facility to deliver the training. The Instructor’s Guide will show you how to seamlessly deliver the content to healthcare professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds and settings with a wide range of learning styles.

2. Two simple products give you everything you need!  Our program consists of a workbook style booklet that goes hand-in-hand with the companion Instructor’s Manual. The Instructor’s Manual comes with a CD loaded with additional worksheets, quizzes and PowerPoint presentations. These two products contain everything you need to conduct your civility training.

3. It’s easy to customize the program to meet your specific needs! You can choose to arrange a full day “seminar” to cover all of the material in one day.  Or, you might like to break the content into chunks and deliver it over several shorter sessions.  This option is great for shift workers.  You can hold a morning session for one shift and an afternoon or evening session for other shifts.

4 There is a pricing option for every budget. When you are ready to order, call In the Know at (877) 809-5515 to choose the package that’s right for you. (See bulk discount pricing below.)

5. The program pays for itself. Incivility steals from your entire organization. Organizations like yours can end up paying dearly for incivility with their profit margins. In the Know’s Civility Training program will improve patient care, decrease costly medical errors and will inspire and energize your team. Best of all, it will decrease employee turnover at every level, saving you the time and money involved in hiring and training new employees.

To learn more about this new Civility Training Program, please call 877-809-5515. We are here to answer all of your questions!

Civility Training Program Package Options

Online ordering is currently not available for these packages,
so please call 877-809-5515 to place your order.

Number of Learners

Qty Discount Price Each Instructor’s Manual Your Cost
12 50% 9.97 69.99  $189.59
24 55% 8.97 69.95  $285.23
50 60% 7.98 34.98  $433.98
100 65% 6.98 34.98 $732.98
150 70% 5.98 Free $897.00
300 75% 4.98 Free $1,494.00

 

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Are You Spreading Specific and Measurable Sunshine?
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“A compliment is verbal sunshine” 

~ Robert Orben

Our sister blog, nurse-aide.com challenges us all to be more than just generous with our compliments. Linda Leekley, BS RN believes we need to make compliments really count by carefully crafting them to be specific and measurable! She writes:

Read the entire post here!

Now you try it! Set a goal for yourself to give at least one specific and measurable compliment to someone who deserves it every day! Check back and let us know how it works! We love to hear your success stories!

Posted in Civility in Healthcare, Civility Tips, Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CivilitySTAT!
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Answers to your personal questions about
combating workplace incivility right NOW!

We get lots of questions about workplace incivility, and we’d like to share them with you! While each problem is specific to the individual who sends it,
most people will be able to relate and make use of the information.

If you have something you’d like to ask our workplace incivility experts, click here and send us your anonymous question.  We will never publish real names or workplaces in this column.

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Dear Civility STAT!

I work in a nursing home in Tennessee. Our employer does not provide a private break area away from resident’s and their families. We have to share the snack machines, fridge, and microwave. Our time clock and other personal items are in there. We are not paid for a 30 minute break, and we have no where to get away from resident care. Is this legal?

~ fed up in tn

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Dear Fed-up in TN,

Thank you for submitting your question. It’s a good one!

First, regarding the unpaid lunch:Federal law does not mandate any specific meal or rest breaks. It does, however, give guidance as to whether or not an employee should be paid during these times. Short breaks (usually 20 minutes or less) should be counted as hours worked. True “meal periods” are usually 30 minutes or more, and do not need to be paid as work time.

But, here’s the catch: During an unpaid meal break, a worker must be completely free of his or her work duties. If the employee is still required to do any duties (even minor duties such as answering a phone), it can’t be considered a meal or lunch period and must be paid. So, if patients or families are coming in and engaging employees in patient-related discussions or making requests, it would seem that that could not be considered a break.

And, here is some OSHA stuff that addresses the problem with the public break room:

“OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard prohibits the consumption of food and drink in areas in which work involving exposure or potential exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material takes place, or where the potential for contamination of work surfaces exists [29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(2)(ix)]. Also, under 29 CFR 1910.141(g)(2), employees shall not be allowed to consume food or beverages in any area where occupational exposure through the contamination of food and beverages is likely.

From what I can tell, OSHA inspectors evaluate each facility on a case by case basis. If your break room has the public in and out frequently, and you are expected to share the same fridge and microwave with potentially infected residents, then OSHA might object.

Then, there’s the HIPAA issue. Mixing staff, residents and families in a space intended for staff to relax is a HIPAA violation just waiting to happen. Staff members talk. They have to. It’s part of the debriefing process. It’s how we process and deal with all the stuff that happens on a typical shift. Residents and family members will, sooner or later come upon a discussion in that public break room and a hipaa violation will be tremendously costly the facility.

And finally, it’s a morale issue. A private break room would create a space for your team to unwind. Nobody can stay “plugged-in” all day long. Your body and mind will become drained. Drained staff members are more likely to experience decreased morale, a drop in sharpness (leading to more medical errors) and loss of productivity. A private break room would give you and your co-workers a place to go to get away for a while and mentally recharge so you can return to your residents rested and re-energized.

You could present all these angles to your employer. But, if you also want to present a solution, ask yourself these questions:

  • Is there a space anywhere in the facility that is unused (or poorly used) that could possibly be converted into a private staff room?
  • Are there any staff members who would be willing to get involved in making the private staff room happen? Your employer might be more willing to agree to renovate a space if you meet halfway and offer some elbow grease.
  • If money is a problem and items like a fridge and furniture are not in the budget, maybe a fundraiser could help. Your employer may be willing to match funds if every staff member was willing to contribute $10-$20 dollars.

If you need more specific information about the laws in your state, call The TN Division of Labor Standards at 615-741-2858 (option 3) or toll-free at 1-866-588-6814.

Hope this helps. Please keep us posted. We love to hear your success stories!

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If you have something you’d like to ask our workplace incivility experts,
click here and send us your anonymous question.

Posted in Civility in Healthcare, Civility Tips, CivilitySTAT!, General | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Sinister Side of Incivility
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We talk a lot about incivility in the healthcare workplace. It’s that insidious, irritating and distracting eye rolling, sarcasm, gossip and belittling we all have either witnessed or experienced. But there is a more serious side of incivility that goes beyond these minor annoyances. And that’s BULLYING.

Bullying is a much more sinister form of incivility that can have devastating emotional effects on workers, costly financial consequences for employers and dangerous or even deadly outcomes for patients.

Are you being bullied at work? If so, get help now!

Here is a helpful graphic that is full of terrific advice
from the folks at Career Journey in the UK.

Source: Career Journey

Posted in Civility in Healthcare, Civility Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nurse Managers: Ditch the Trinkets, Trophies and Doodads!
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Looking for an innovative way to reward and inspire your team? It’s probably safe to assume they have enough pens, key chains, water bottles and canvas tote bags!

Before you order your next trinket or chachki, ask yourself if any of those giveaways ever really made a change. For example:

- Did your customized water bottles ever reduce costly medical errors?

- Did the pens and key chains increase employee retention?

- Did the canvas tote bags improve client satisfaction or enhance your organization’s reputation?

The Real Healthcare ReformChances are good that your answers are “No, no and no!” So, why keep doing it?

Instead of the typical gimmicks and giveaways, make your incentive dollars count!  Give a gift that shows just how much you value your employees, your clients and your organization.

Give the book, “The REAL Healthcare Reform: How Embracing Civility Can Beat Back Burnout and Revive Your Healthcare Career” as your next incentive gift!

By giving “The REAL Healthcare Reform” to your team, you will

    • Encourage civility,
    • Promote healthy teamwork,
    • Enhance your team’s communication,
    • Decrease your turnover rate,
    • Improve client care, and
    • Reduce costly medical errors.

That’s a valuable return you won’t get by giving t-shirts or tote bags!

With special bulk pricing in place, you can put of a copy of “The REAL Healthcare Reform” into the hands of every member of your organization for as little as $4.98 each. Here are your options:

Quantity
of Books

Qty
Discount

Price
Each

Your
Cost

12

50%

9.97

$119.64

24

55%

8.97

$215.28

50

60%

7.98

$399.00

100

65%

6.98

$698.00

150

70%

5.98

$897.00

300

75%

4.98

$1,494.00


List Price:  Book / Instructor’s Manual
$19.95 ea. /  $125.00 ea.

Click here to learn more about
“The REAL Healthcare Reform” and read a sample chapter!

 

Posted in Civility in Healthcare, General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment