Promoting a Bully-Free Workplace

February 27th is Anti-Bullying Day, an opportunity for BCNU members to join other Canadians in raising awareness and opposing bullying at workplaces and schools.

Workplace bullying is repeated and persistent unreasonable behaviour directed towards an employee or a group of employees. Bullying includes words and actions that make others feel incompetent, ashamed, excluded, worthless, unwelcome or unsafe ¹.

Bullying and horizontal violence is prevalent in healthcare.

• It is estimated that up to 40% of Canadians have experienced workplace bullying ²
• Studies show that 21% to 46% of nurses have experienced or witnessed bullying ³
• Workplace bullying is associated with nurses leaving their job, or the nursing profession ^{4, 5}

Exposure to workplace bullying can negatively affect the health of workers, their family, team communication, job satisfaction, motivation, morale and patient outcomes.

Here's how you can make a difference in your work place:

• Contact your Steward; check your BCNU Bulletin Board
• Learn about your employer's respectful workplace policy and procedures
• Learn more about bullying and a Respectful Workplace:
  • University of New Brunswick, "Toward a Respectful Workplace"
  • Bullying in the Workplace - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
  • Bartholomew, Kathleen, RN, MN. "Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young and Each Other" (HCPro, 2006). Visit kathleenbartholomew.com to find her books.

Anti-Bullying Day (February 27th) is also known as "Pink Shirt" Day. This National day was first organized by two Nova Scotia students who organized a protest to support a grade 9 boy who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt (read more at Pink Shirt Day.)

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