I've been working on the heart unit for 2 years now and the people at work are still misbehaving but only this time it seems to have gotten worse. We have a new mgr now and still you see there are some senior colleagues with issues, but there is one in particular who has serious behavioral problems every other week. She has outbursts, tantrums, speaks condescend manner in shift report, huffs and puffs (and practically threatens to blow down houses). ~ not funny~
My new manager has called in an outside consultants to work with all of us on conflict and communication because no one has actually confronted the colleague but avoids her; in my mgr's perspective~ she can't do anything if no one actually talks to the colleague first about her lack of professionalism. My colleagues feel the new mgr should take care of the colleague for us and stop passing the buck.
Is there any resolution for this matter & if so whose responsibility is it to resolve the issue?
Man...I think you have described just about every workplace in the nation.
Every school I ever worked at had at least one (if not more) staff who was volatile, insecure, boorish, inconsiderate and even downright mean. In just about every case, the rest of the staff took the attitude--well, that's just "so and so" being himself (or herself as the case may be.
Most of use usually gave that person a wide berth--keep out of the way as much as possible--and if the person misbehaved at us, we would just kind of let it wash off our backs because we knew it was useless to argue back.
Unfortunately, that is not a real solution. It seems to me that is just tolerating the status quo and does not result in any change of the person's behavior.
As long as you are asking--here is my opinion. As a staff member, you are not responsible or any staff member other than yourself. I am sure you are conscientious enough to do your job to the best of your ability. If this individual interferes with your ability to do the job, then it becomes a problem for the administration. But I don't think it your responsibility to try to change that person. It won't work. If you try the person may just double down on the bad behavior and you will have made an enemy for life.
You can always complain about the bad behavior. If enough people complain that person could be transferred or let go.
Administrators are always interested in the collective "are we getting the job done". So if you frame your complaint as a hindrance to the workplace effectiveness, that might hold some weight.
Otherwise, maybe you should just take some aspirin and call in the morning. (JOKE!!!)
It is not an easy situation--so I wish you good luck in finding some satisfactory solution.
@ Brother Rich, I know right! I've taken the asprin and even called out many mornings when the colleague was on. So far, I decided that since I work part time anyway~ there is only so much calling in the morning that I can do. It was my best bet to change the days I worked so as to minimize my time with her.
@ Saint You got it! I work on cardiac telemetry unit. I'd suggested that the next time the person did something crazy that we as a gp would step in and tell her what she was doing was unacceptable but it looks like no one person has the "gut" to do this and certainly not as a gp.
In the meanwhile, the mgr is doing the communication seminars hoping that people will come to empower themselves to handle conflict effectively. Me personally, I don't have much challenges (although I joked with Brother Rich about the asprin) with her. I've told her what I think on a few occasions.
My thing is that there is only so much "telling the colleague off" that I can do. That's not the reason I go to work. I go there to do my job and take care of both my patients and my family. I just don't like it when people talk about things and don't find a solution to the problem. NOt one of my colleagues will even try going to HR or for that matter over my mgr's head. There is this type of "polictical correctness" at my workplace. I don't get it.
Thursday, October 21st 2010 at 8:00PM
Jen Fad
