bullying managers - what can we do . . .

15-Oct-2009 10:57 am

This is a very interesting debate and I sympathise with your situation Elle - your manager sounds totally incompetent. But I have to say that I think it's wrong to demonise managers just because of their position. There's good ones and bad ones, just like nurses. We need them as much as they need us!

15-Oct-2009 11:53 pm

Quote " I then had my GP sign me off work as I was unable to work with him "

mmm...this is pretty symptomatic of the " I'm a victim " society that seems to be prevalent nowadays - if this option was taken by everybody working in the NHS who had issues with people they worked with then how many of us would be left actually doing any work ! What are the costs of this "sicky" culture to the NHS and Society as a whole ?
The term "bullying" is used indiscriminatly nowadays and just because a person cant change their contracted hours when they have had a child it cheapens the whole issue of "bullying" for those who truly are undergoing hellish conditions at work. Nobody ever told me to become a Father - I had a deep fundamental urge to be one for myself and I didnt expect the rest of Society to change itself to fit around me just because I had the privilige of becoming a father.

11-Nov-2009 4:24 am

Try the private sector to see what bullying really is. E.G.

- a nasty Managing Director feeling hot tells his staff he'll f**cking sack anyone who closes the window (he meant it & ignores everyone else who arefeeling cold)

- same MD tells his "nurse manager" to micro-manage one of the nursing staff so closely that she won't be able to take it & so will chuck in her job (he wants to get rid of her)

- senior nursethreatens that same nurse with reporting to the NMC for fraud. No evidence whatsoever but that doesn't let you sleep very well at night.

- Human Resources "person" blatantly lies to the nurses & the Rcn about what policies she's trying to implement. Candidly tells the responsible managersthat she has no intention of doing anything more than appearing to comply with the law.

These are merely the tip of an iceberg of bullying that is rife throughout this company. Why doesn't nursing have some way of identifying these cowboys & warning other nurses who might be stupid enough to apply for work with them?? Any suggestions??

30-Nov-2009 4:22 pm

My career has been ruined by a manager who gave absolutely no support to me when i was being bullied as she gave her full support to the bullies and when i spoke to human resources i found my self being persuaded away from taking out a grievance against her. Things went from bad to worst as every time i tried to get on in my career i was stopped at every turn as it turns out its who you know not what you know as they are all mates together. When i went again to human resources and spoke to another wast of timers i was advised to may be find a job in another trust. So much for supporting those who are being bullied, especially when the trust say they wont tolerate bullies. They also say they are committed to equal opportunities what a joke, i could write a best seller on how they aren't.Well i could try. And as for the NMC i pay my subscription but what the hell for i ask myself. My constant bartering has now effected my health and i am now taking early retirement from a career i have always loved. I despair at what is happening to our profession, i miss the days of matron who ruled the roost, yes she was tough but we had great respect for her and she was fair. I have no respect for the so called managers who go around waving their fingers at all and sundry instead of rolling up their sleeves and helping as most are RGNS. This is my personal observation and I'm sure some of you have very good managers. I see on the news hospitals are number one topic again on poor care. When will any one in management realise that we need more trained staff on the shop floor to give patient the care they deserve instead of endless ques of managers.

30-Dec-2009 11:39 am

Sadly, this is so common that even if you alert the Chief exec, HR and the Board, noone wants to know!!! The bullies get awards and pats on the back as they 'duck and dive'....
There is a known culture of this bullying, everyone knows where and who but noone tackles it?? why??? When my colleague and I tried to maintain standards and ensure safety we were the ones picked on. I am not a victim but I have had to leave that post down grade and take a dent in pride as to what I have worked for, to ensure patient care comes first otherwise the situation will never change. Tried to do it in a senior position didnt work now trying in a different position. Therefore, covert bullying never gets to NMC....squashed by organisations who want to look good always but to the detriment of staff and patients. People try to whistleblow, take out grievances but then find another job elsewhere to get out of it and the procedures are dropped the bully wins again to pick on someone else.... is it the system or is it human beings?????

20-Jan-2010 12:59 pm

Get any f your colleague to witness what your manager is doing to you. Document and based on my experience I took the experience from other colleague and let them sign the petetion or complained letter. If it does not work from the Human resources bring it to higher trust and write a complain to them. This bulley managers should be remove from their post because they degrade the confidence of their staff woking with them and it will affect on giving a quality health care or the patient.

22-Jan-2010 7:42 am

Sad? It's unforgiveable. It reduces the dignity of the people we support, us and nour colleagues. And what, exactly, has the NMC or RCN done about it? Answers on the back of a postage stamp, please.

1-Jun-2010 11:11 am

I put up with a bully for over a year until she destroyed every bit of self confidence i had and i left. she was the senior ward sister, and my union rep, and had a long standing reputation for bullying. the matron said she could do little to support me as 1, this was the sisters 'way' and 2, the things the sister was picking on were 'legitimate' complaints. for eg, i couldnt manage the caseload, my time management was poor - yet when i raised these concerns myself before they became a target for her spite, she said she would whip me into shape. when i asked for support from the clinical
educator i was told id get to work a shift with her - usually weeks in advance - and then it would be cancelled as she always seemed to be teaching. when i did get to work with her, she commented on how good a nurse i was and that she didnt think i had a problem.
we were short staffed, hand over was poor (tape recorded!) and the patient caseload (many acute hepato-biliary med and surg pts) was very heavy for the staff ratio. the sister openly criticised me in front of people and i tried to fight my corner by standing up to her but i was never going to win. instead of supporting me, she actively victimised me, and senior staff just stood back and watched as they felt inadequate to help me for fear of her too.

i am now in a post where i am so happy and thriving, and my patients and senior staff are extremely happy with my work. i know it wasnt me who was a bad nurse, its just the bully who makes you think you are.

31-Dec-2010 8:26 am

Unfortunately most white ward managers tend to bully BME staff more. Well that is what I have experienced by a white ward manager.

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