The nursing workforce is ageing globally. An older worker is described to be forty years and above. In America, a registered nurses (RN) average age is 47 years. The government’s ability to fill positions as a large number of nurses approach retirement is a growing concern in the nursing profession (Longo, 2013, 950). Although measures are required to prepare for the next workforce, it is crucial to focus on the present too and keep the older generation nurses employed in order to make use of their expertise and knowledge.
When developing retention strategies, factors requiring consideration are issues such as the work culture: The support received from the organizations management and relationships in the work environment (Longo, 2013, 950). An example of the work culture and relationships issue addressed in the article and currently received many scrutinies is horizontal violence and bullying.
A group or an individual defines bullying as a continuous unreasonable action. Bullying intends to humiliate, degrade, undermine, intimidate or create a risk to the employee’s safety or health. Horizontal violence occurs when these behaviors occur among those in the same employment rank for example staff nurses (Longo, 2013, 951). Nurses of all ages and ranking can be a target of horizontal violence and bullying. Targets for bullying include nurses who display competence, success and initiative. Older nurses with higher qualifications are targets for bullying as well.
Bullying can occur through isolation, excessive criticism, denial to opportunities, and public humiliation. The impact of bullying on the quality and safety of care resulting from healthcare workers behaviors being bullied raises many concerns. Bullying can result to a decline in support and collegiality leading to unsatisfactory patient outcomes because of poor staff performance (Longo, 2013, 951). When work based relationships are not properly examined, they may result in hospital-acquired infections, medical errors, nurse turnover and patient readmission.
Bullying has an impact on a nurse’s job performance and wellbeing as well. Victims of bullying and horizontal violence are likely to experience psychological symptoms including headaches, anxiety, stress post-traumatic stress symptoms and loss of concentration (Longo, 2013, 951). Nurses affected by bullying may completely pull back from actively participating in activities, or become withheld. In addition, bullying causes reduction in work productivity, emotional exhaustion and experience burnout.
An older nurse may already be going through physical limitations; therefore, additional psychological or physical challenges can have dire consequences. Although older nurses may not always be the target of bullying, it still affects them. Older nurses file reports on humiliation and stress when they witness their colleagues behaving badly (Longo, 2013, 952). Bullies use bullying as an unorthodox method to acquire power and satisfy their self-interest. If an intervention to correct the behavior is not adopted, the bully feels that they have permission to continue. To avoid becoming a bullying victim, people may side with the bully, which, results in the formation of cliques and subgroups, which protect the behavior. Another reaction to oppression is people accepting the status quo because they fear change (Longo, 2013, 952). Silencing leads to submissiveness, and this is particularly a concern for an older nurse because the older one gets, the more there is passivity that reflects poorly at the system’s ability to change. Education is the key to address bullying. If consciousness about bullying remains unspoken, it will remain hidden.
Conclusion
In order to prevent a shortage of nurses because of the older nurses retiring, it is important that the older nurse be retained in order to pass on the knowledge to the younger nurses. Another incentive for nurses to maintain their employment is the creation of a healthy work environment. A work environment that tolerates bullying and disempowering circumstances may cause nurses to quit their jobs. The article recommends empowering of initiatives promoting respect, acknowledgement of knowledge and support for all nurses.
References
Longo, J. (2013). Bullying and the older nurse. Journal of nursing management, 21 (7), 950-955.
