Practice Matters FROM WHERE I S TAND : It’s about of power By Leah Curtin, RN, ScD(h), FAAN

being kept out of the loop. If the harassment continues • or gets worse, or if you’re retaliated against, call the You should feel safe at work. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A safe place for every employee in fact—have a right to a I think that relationships between the sexes have al - NURSES —EVERYONE , workplace free of harassment, but that’s too often not ways been complex at best—and coercive and cruel the case. A few years ago, I was asked to do some (even deadly) at worst. The complicated part has to consulting about harassment in the workplace. A male do with understanding what’s going on. The coercive physician had put his hand up a female nurse’s and cruel part has to do with abuse of power. skirt as she cared for a patient. This Surely there’s a difference between flirt - wasn’t the first time he’d been abu - ing and hurting, asking and forc - sive toward nurses, but this ing, and innocent mistakes and time the nurse’s husband, predation. These differences a physical therapist, wit - need to be defined and nessed the incident. understood. It took the husband’s And in fact, sex is not intervention and legal the real issue; the real threats for action to issue is the harassment. finally be taken. (Ulti - Harassment of any na - mately the physician’s ture or name is a form privileges were revoked.) of . Bullying is a distinctive pattern of harm - What to do ing and humiliating others, Today, a national conversation specifically those who are in has begun about sexual harass - some way smaller, weaker, young - ment. It seems as if high-profile sexual- er, or in any way more vulnerable than harassment allegations are cropping up daily. the bully. Bullying is not garden-variety aggres - While can include physical inci - sion; it is a deliberate and repeated to cause dents, such as and groping, it also can include harm to others of lesser power. Bullying is often rooted unwanted advances, sexual requests, and creating a in the bully’s perceived “superiority.” hostile environment with pervasive sexual jokes and No one should be subjected to threats and intimida - comments and body language that makes an individual tion. No one should be made to feel unsafe or unwel - feel harassed. come in the workplace—or any place else for that mat - If you’re harassed, check your employee handbook ter. Everyone should be able to work and express their and/or collective bargaining agreement to determine creativity without being attacked, whether that’s in who to report the harassment to. Request a face-to-face school, at work, online, or somewhere in between. That meeting with the person you make the complaint to includes whether you’re a man, woman, or child and and follow up in writing, explaining exactly what hap - whatever your race, religion, appearance, or position. pened and what you want. Remember, most states limit the reporting time to 10 months, and most prefer con - temporaneous reports. After you make a complaint, your employer has a legal obligation to investigate and should involve you Leah Curtin, RN, ScD(h), FAAN in the investigation. If that doesn’t happen, explain that Executive Editor, Professional Outreach you want to participate and that you’re unhappy about American Nurse Today

American Nurse Today Volume 13, Number 1 AmericanNurseToday.com 68