Question # 1
Workplace environmental assessment provides an opportunity to observe and understand the workplace setting, including the physical factors that support or hinder employee health. One of the tools for workplace environment assessment is Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory (CHWI). CHWI template comprises of 20 items that touch on various topics contributing to employee satisfaction (Lally, 2014).
My organization scored 55 on CHWI, which is a barely healthy score. The dismal score is caused by lower employee satisfaction, wellness, self-care, and equal treatment in the hospital. There is a dire shortage of nurses and the majority of the nurses are struggling with constant burnout and fatigue. The nursing shortage has a domino effect within the healthcare facility, and it often leads to lower patient satisfaction.
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The most surprising discovery after the assessment is the level of dissatisfaction because the hospital does not make an effort to improve the wellbeing of the employees. Nurses are suffering from extreme fatigue and burnout amid massive workloads. It was expected that the nurses would complain about fatigue, but not to this extent. Another surprise is the huge disconnect between nurses and the management such that the nurses felt that they did not have anyone to turn to. Management has not created open lines of communication with staff, and the concerns of the staff members hardly reach the management.
The results of the assessment make a commentary on workplace civility. A score of 55 signals an unhealthy work environment and this can imply that workplace civility is not at par. Workplace civility is concerned with manners, courtesy and awareness and respect of rights, wishes, and the feelings of others (Laschinger, 2014). Employees in the organization respect each other and are committed to providing quality service. However, it is hard to say there is workplace civility when nurses are constantly dealing with fatigue, burnout and low work-satisfaction, and the management is not ignoring them.
Question # 2
The article by Clark (2015) explores ways for addressing the stressful healthcare workplace. The article asserts that nurses and healthcare professionals are falling short in communicating in a respectful, considerate manner. Healthcare professionals fail to realize that patient safety relies on their ability to manage stress and communicate respectfully (Griffin & Clark, 2014). Nurses and other healthcare professionals need skills to address uncivil encounters and engage with each other freely, particularly regarding patient safety issues.
The concepts in Clark’s article are related to the results of the Work Environment Assessment. The organization attained a dismal score of 55 on CHWI because of some issues including nursing shortage, nursing fatigue, and burnout. A majority of employees are experiencing burnout because the management has failed to address this issue adequately or because the nurses are not communicating with the management well. There is only one nursing assistant on the floor, and this affects the quality of service as the nurse cannot adequately meet patient needs.
Clark (2015) argues that it is the responsibility of the management to create an environment where nurses feel free to speak up about issues concerning patient safety. If a civil environment existed within the organization, nurses would have spoken up about the nursing shortage, fatigue, and burnout that they experience regularly at the hospital. The culture of civility is not just about speaking up, but it also affects employee job satisfaction. This is a reason for the poor score on Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory.
The organization can apply some of Clark’s concept to improve organizational health. One solution is the creation of a safe zone (Griffin & Clark, 2014). A safe zone is a place away from the patients and employees, where healthcare personnel can engage in a meaningful conversation to solve a problem. A nurse can suggest a meeting in a safe zone with the manager to explain in detail the real problems so that the manager can understand the challenges facing nurses.
Question # 3
Clark (2015) recommends strategies that can be used to address the shortcomings revealed in the Work Environment Assessment. The first strategy is through open and healthy communication. Leaders should encourage open discussion and dialogue about all the elements that make up a healthy work environment (Clark, Ahten & Macy, 2014). A genuine discussion on how to make the workplace better will address issues causing work stress, poor job performance, and other uncivil behavior.
The second strategy is nurturing a civil and collaborative work culture. Nurses and other health care workers have to collaborate to create a healthy environment (Griffin & Clark, 2014). Collaboration is not through conversation only, rather it is about working together to create a safe environment for the employees and patients.
Despite the many challenges at the hospital, nurses have shown their resilience by trying their best despite the challenges they face. Nurses also work with each other well as there are no conflicts. The successful practices can be maintained through the communication of the organizational values, mission, and vision to reinforce good behavior. Managers and supervisors should emphasize these positive behaviors to make sure that employees know what is expected of them (Lally, 2014). Another strategy is for the leaders to model the behaviors they want to see in the employees. Leaders set the example for the employees as employees take cues on how to behave from those in charge. The leaders have to take their role seriously and act in a manner that they want employees to exude.
References
Clark, C.M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10 (11), 18-23.
Clark, C.M., Ahten, S.M., & Macy, R. (2014). Nursing graduates’ ability to address incivility: Kirkpatrick’s level-3 evaluation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 10, 425-431.
Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing , 45 (12), 535-542.
Lally, S. (2014). Healthy workplace project: Creating healthier, more productive workplaces. Professional Safety , 59 (3), 29.
Laschinger, H. K. S. (2014). Impact of workplace mistreatment on patient safety risk and nurse- assessed patient outcomes. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration , 44 (5), 284- 290.
