The document discusses issues with workplace civility and incivility at a nursing director's place of employment. Floor staff feel belittled by the director and avoid her due to her critical attitude. There have been incidents where the director yelled at staff in front of others. While workplace assessments show mildly healthy scores, the relationships with management, specifically the director, undermine civility. The document advocates for using tools like the DESC model and cognitive rehearsal to address incivility incidents and promoting emotional intelligence among leadership. Maintaining civility is important for staff retention, communication, and providing high-quality patient care.

1. ALI
Response 1
The work environment assessment showed by place of
employment score of 66, mildly healthy. I would agree with
this. I want to point out, the low scores on the questions were
referring to management only. Based on these results, the
workplace is not entirely civil. The floor staff works excellent
together, but we avoid the director at all costs, as far as
bringing things up or going to seek them out. It is felt firmly
among floor staff that all the director of our unit makes us feel
like we are not doing enough, and she cannot stand to be on the
unit. This is mainly because we “just aren't doing things right.”
Often, she has come down and just cleaned up things, asking
what we have been doing and why we cannot keep up. We feel
belittled and not 100% when she is around. “The toxic
environment leads to a decrease in the nurse’s job satisfaction
resulting in increased absenteeism and unnecessary turnover.
(Schoville & Aebersold, 2020, p. 2).
There have been incivility incidents in the workplace, and
people were unsure of what to do at that moment, making it
uncomfortable for all. It seems many of the times those
incidents get swept under the rug. I can think of the director
with a raised voice at one of the providers in the nurse’s station
in front of all floor staff. This was highly inappropriate, and
the provider was very hurt. Not being handeled properly, it
made everyone uncomfortable. The provider was going to write
an incident report, but in the end, did not. Like many other
times, when the director makes people cry, it is ignored because
there is no one else to tell. If we do seek out a higher up, we
feel there will be retaliation anyway.

2. The DESC model is an excellent approach to structuring a civil
conversation. DESC stands to Describe your specific situation,
express your concerns, state other alternatives and consequence
statement. “Using DESC model in conjunction with cognitive
rehearsal is an effective way to address specific incivility
incidents." (Clark, 2018, p. 21).
One way to keep the workplace civil is to have high levels of
emotional intelligence. In doing this, staff will be happier and
conflict management will be easier. Keeping personal thoughts
and feeling to the side will help the leader focus on the actual
problem and the solving. “First, as a leader, it is important to
bracket your own emotional responses.” (Marshall & Broome,
2018, p. 286).
“Interactions among employees can affect their ability to do
their jobs, their loyalty to the organization, and most important,
the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care.” (Clark, 2018, p.
18).
References
Clark, C. M. (2018). Combining cognitive rehearsal, simulation,
and evidence-based

3. scripting to address incivility. Nurse Educator.
doi:10.1097/NNE.0000000000000563
Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational
leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader (2nd ed). New York, NY:
Springer.
Schoville, R., & Aebersold, M. (2020). How Workplace
Bullying and Incivility Impacts Patient
Safety: A Qualitative Simulation Study Using BSN Students.
Clinical Simulation in Nursing,
45, 16–23. https://doi-
org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2020.01.003
Chr Zei
Response 2
Workplace civility is essential in providing high-quality care
for patients and promoting effective communication between
staff. The American Nurses Association (ANA) acknowledges
the importance of nurses encouraging and participating in being
civil by abiding by ethics and fostering respect. When a
workplace lacks civility, it can harm patient care as there is

4. increased employee turnover and a lack of effective
communication between staff (Clark, 2015). Civility allows
employees to communicate effectively, not always to agree, but
to allow for a healthy discussion. Many employees who
experience incivility don’t speak up and lose motivation to
provide high-quality care. Incivility costs a workplace
financially due to a lack of retaining employees and decreased
productivity (NIH Record, 2019).
Often, it is the workplace leader’s job to workplace civility and
a teamwork mentality. An effective leader must have a clear
vision for the team to follow, and when issues develop, the
leader is ready to evaluate and resolve the problem. A good
team leader ensures that employees have appropriate resources
to conduct their jobs and motivate them to collaborate (Marshall
& Broome, 2017). A workplace inventory is a tool used to
assess how healthy a work environment is. The place that I am
employed with scored 79, which indicates mildly healthy. In my
opinion, my workplace is civil, for the most part, with some
situations and employees that often require redirecting and
effective communication. For example, two employees both
expressed that they thought they were trying to interfere with
patient assignments. These individuals saw a situation in their
minds that one another was trying to sabotage each other when
I, as the supervisor, made clinical decisions regarding patient
assignments with the physician on call. When we all sat down
together to discuss this, these two individuals realized that they
were feeling overwhelmed at the time and may have
misinterpreted the actions of each other. We resolved the
situation by creating a safe and neutral space for both parties to
express their concerns and mediate the discussion to end with a
civil conversation and a healthy conclusion.
Not every situation in the workplace ends with a positive
conclusion. It is essential to use cognitive rehearsing to practice
what one wants to convey to another staff member. It is often

5. challenging to discuss situations in the workplace, where
emotions are heightened. As a leader, it is imperative to guide
these discussions when necessary and not turn a blind eye.
Ultimately
References
Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a
more civil workplace. American
Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. Retrieved October 08, 2020, from
https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf
Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. E. (2017). Transformational
Leadership in Nursing (2nd
ed.). New York: Springer Publishing.
NIH Record. (2019, March 26). Workplace Civility Increases
Productivity. Retrieved October
08, 2020, from
https://nihrecord.nih.gov/2018/08/10/workplace-civility-
increases-productivity
.