Abstract

Awareness of workplace bullying is increasing due to an improved understanding of the psychological, social, and organizational consequences of these behaviors. In the field of nursing, which has been facing critical shortages for decades, workplace bullying has been blamed for higher attrition rates, reduced productivity, and even the current nursing shortage. Poorer patient care and reduced safety on the job are also noted sequelae of bullying among nurses. While incidents of bullying may be an accepted though unintended consequence of power dynamics within an organizational structure, there is a critical need for managers to analyze the extent of the problem, determine its impact, and try to understand how it affects staff satisfaction and retention. Although there is evidence that lack of managerial support and hierarchical work environments that disempower staff contribute to bullying among nurses, there does not appear to be agreement on the most important factors that contribute to the perpetuation of these harmful behaviors, or more importantly, on how to reduce the frequency and impact of bullying events. A number of studies have been conducted on workplace bullying; however, very few in the field of nursing have been undertaken. This paper systematically examines the impact of bullying, the factors that perpetuate its continuance, and synthesizes the literature on promising environmental and individual-level interventions in the field of nursing.