Culturally Sensitive Intervention for Bullying in Nursing Workplace as Derived from the Voices of Filipino Nurses

Abstract

A qualitative approach was used in this study to explore Filipino
nurses’ thoughts and experiences about workplace bullying. Also, the
study was made for the basis of the development of an intervention that
is sensitive to the major features of the local culture to address workplace
bullying among Filipino nurses. The participants are the staff nurses
working in selected tertiary hospitals in the Philippines who have stories
to tell about their personal and witnessed experiences with workplace
bullying. Written narratives, unstructured interviews, and investigator
field notes were utilized in this study. In addition, the field notes served to
document observations, thoughts, feelings or memories that may inform
or have an impact on the study. From the synthesized responses expressed
by the participants, workplace bullying is viewed as repeated infliction
of harm, offensive, insulting, humiliating, degrading, oppressing, and
violation of rights by the perpetrator affecting the victim’s physical and
emotional state, morale and dignity, thereby, undermining affectivity
and productivity at work. The results also revealed that majority of the
participants expressed the lack of trust and support from nurse supervisors
and other nurses, interpersonal conflicts and job demands emerged as the
root causes of bullying. Among the recommendations to reduce workplace
bullying include assertive communication, standing up for oneself and
sensitivity to feelings of others, playing the game, increased awareness
on bullying, creating workplace policies and committees on bullying.