Bullying and Incivility in Healthcare Workplaces
This paper examines workplace bullying and incivility as forms of aggressive behavior with significant consequences in healthcare settings, including decreased staff morale, increased turnover, and diminished patient care quality. Drawing on multiple scholarly sources, the paper defines both concepts, distinguishes between them, and outlines management strategies for prevention and response. It also connects the topic to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) essentials — particularly the first essential on clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice — and identifies key leadership role competencies relevant to fostering a culture of respect and civility in healthcare organizations.
- Defining Bullying and Incivility in the Workplace: Distinguishes bullying from workplace incivility
- Consequences in Healthcare Settings: Impact on staff morale and patient care
- Management Strategies for Prevention and Response: Policies, training, and conflict resolution approaches
- DNP Essentials and Evidence-Based Practice: Applying DNP framework to workplace civility
- Leadership Role Competencies: Leader behaviors that promote respectful workplaces
- Conclusion: Summary call for respectful workplace culture
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What makes this paper effective
- Clearly defines and distinguishes two related but distinct concepts — bullying and incivility — before exploring their effects, giving the argument a solid conceptual foundation.
- Grounds practical recommendations in a recognized professional framework (the DNP essentials), connecting real-world management concerns to academic nursing standards.
- Consistently ties managerial strategies back to patient care outcomes, reinforcing the clinical relevance of the topic.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a problem-solution structure supported by multi-source citation. Rather than simply cataloguing research findings, it synthesizes evidence across several studies to build a coherent argument for why healthcare organizations must act — and what specific actions leaders should take. This synthesis technique is particularly effective in professional practice papers where policy recommendations must be evidence-based.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by defining its core terms, then moves to consequences, management strategies, the DNP framework, and leadership competencies before closing with a summary call to action. This logical progression — from problem definition through framework alignment to practical recommendations — is a model commonly used in healthcare policy and nursing practice writing. The reference list follows APA format throughout.
Defining Bullying and Incivility in the Workplace
Bullying and incivility are forms of aggressive behavior that can create conflict in the workplace. Workplace bullying typically involves repeated, intentional behavior designed to harm or intimidate another person (Tran et al., 2018). Incivility, on the other hand, is characterized by rude or disrespectful behavior that creates a negative work environment (Santoso et al., 2020).
Consequences in Healthcare Settings
In the healthcare setting, bullying and incivility can have serious consequences, including decreased morale among staff, increased turnover, and a decline in the quality of patient care (Kline & Lewis, 2019). These behaviors can also lead to conflicts among staff members, which can further disrupt the work environment and negatively affect patient outcomes.
Management Strategies for Prevention and Response
To reduce and eliminate bullying and incivility in the workplace, management can take a number of steps (McPherson & Buxton, 2019). These include implementing policies and procedures that clearly outline expectations for respectful and professional behavior, as well as providing training and support to help staff develop the skills and knowledge they need to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying and incivility (King et al., 2021).
Additionally, management should take steps to promote a positive work environment — for example, by recognizing and rewarding staff members who demonstrate positive behavior and by addressing conflicts and incidents of bullying and incivility quickly and effectively (King et al., 2021). Addressing these issues in the workplace therefore requires a combination of preventative measures, training and support, and effective conflict resolution. By taking these steps, management can help create a positive work environment and reduce the negative impact of these behaviors on staff and patients.
DNP Essentials and Evidence-Based Practice
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) essentials are the core competencies required of all DNP-prepared nurses. All eight of the DNP essentials are directly applicable to the topic of bullying and incivility in the healthcare workplace, as they provide the framework for nurses to develop the skills and knowledge they need to address these issues in practice. However, the first essential — clinical scholarship and analytical methods for evidence-based practice — is especially relevant, as it emphasizes the importance of using research and evidence to inform practice. This can be applied directly to understanding the impact of bullying and incivility on the work environment and on patient care quality.
Conclusion
Ultimately, bullying and incivility can create conflict in the workplace by fostering a hostile environment where employees feel disrespected and powerless. This type of environment can lead to decreased employee morale and motivation, increased absenteeism and turnover, and decreased productivity. Management should take steps to reduce and eliminate bullying and incivility by creating a positive work environment. This begins with management setting a positive example — treating everyone with respect and utilizing positive reinforcement (Salin, 2021). Additionally, management should have clear policies in place that address bullying and incivility, investigate any reports of bullying promptly, and take corrective action when necessary. Management should also provide employees with training on how to respond to bullying and how to create a more respectful workplace. Finally, management should ensure that all employees feel heard and valued, and that their opinions and ideas are taken into consideration.
References
King, C., Rossetti, J., Smith, T. J., Smyth, S., Moscatel, S., Raison, M., ... & Watson, J. (2021). Workplace incivility and nursing staff: An analysis through the lens of Jean Watson's theory of human caring. International Journal for Human Caring, 25(4), 283–291.
Kline, R., & Lewis, D. (2019). The price of fear: Estimating the financial cost of bullying and harassment to the NHS in England. Public Money & Management, 39(3), 166–174.
McPherson, P., & Buxton, T. (2019, July). In their own words: Nurses countering workplace incivility. In Nursing Forum (Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 455–460).
Salin, D. (2021). Workplace bullying and culture: Diverse conceptualizations and interpretations. Dignity and Inclusion at Work, 513–538.
Santoso, A., Panyiwi Kessi, A. M., & Anggraeni, F. S. (2020). Hindrance of quality of knowledge sharing due to workplace incivility in Indonesian pharmacies: Mediating role of co-worker and organizational support. Sys Rev Pharm (A multifaceted review journal in the field of pharmacy), 11(2), 525–534.
Tran, V. C., Nguyen, P. H. N., Bahr, W., Nguyen, V. L., & Nguyen, B. D. (2018). Definition and characteristics of "cyberbullying" among Vietnamese students. VNU Journal of Science: Education Research, 34(4).
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