Manage Difficult Situations

Chapter 13 Manage Difficult Situations




The difficult manager


Managers who are prone to getting angry 

Managers who don’t manage 

Managers who expect too much 

The problematic colleague


Colleagues who tend to be continually negative 

Colleagues who continually whinge about others 

Colleagues who put themselves down all the time 

Colleagues who are continually calling for advice and support 

Allegations of bullying or harassment within your team


What is bullying or harassment? 

What steps should you take? 

What do you do if your initial approach does not work? 

Staff complaints


Complaints in writing 

What to do if you cannot resolve the complaint alone 

Helping your staff to act


The arrogant consultant 

The pushy bed manager 

Overloaded link nurses 

Dealing with racism or other forms of discrimination


Patients and relatives 

Co-workers 

Unsafe staffing levels


Prioritise patient safety 

Put everything in writing 

Incident forms 

Cliques


Effects on new recruits 

Breaking up a clique in your team 

Promotion to ward manager with the same team 

What if your own line manager is part of a clique? 

Be specific about expanding nursing roles


Develop guidelines 

Be proactive with enforced moves or mergers of services


Get involved 

Plan ahead 

Developing a project plan 

Involve the experts from the beginning 

Managers have to deal with all sorts of different personalities ranging from the shy and passive to the explosive and aggressive types. Working in the health care environment can bring out the worst in people as the pressure increases with more work and fewer resources. It is important to understand the emotional vulnerability that underlies many difficult situations. A key managerial skill is the ability to notice individual needs for recognition and self-esteem, and to be confident in confronting challenging situations and people in a constructive and positive manner.



The difficult manager


People usually get promoted because they are good at their job. The problem with clinicians being good at their job is that when promoted to become managers, they find it is a totally different job from that which they were doing before. They do not necessarily have the skills in managing people or resources. (In some cases, people are promoted because they are poor clinicians or because they have been in the organisation for a very long time, but this is rare nowadays.) That’s not to say that all managers are no good because most are (even those who may not have been appropriate for the job originally). Many will thrive and become good managers in time. Unfortunately, there are a few who do not. Some will struggle in their role and may take out their frustrations on others or perhaps become very controlling and manipulative. Some adopt an aggressive manner and may shout or lose their temper on occasions, while others may shy away from difficult decisions and leave their team to their own devices.



Managers who are prone to getting angry


If your manager starts shouting at you, do not sit and take it but, whatever you do, do not shout back. Say that you are sorry about whatever it is, but would rather wait and discuss the matter when things have calmed down. Say that you will leave if necessary. Only stay if they agree to talk to you in a civil manner. By saying that you prefer to wait until things have calmed down, it does not look like you are blaming them. You need to be diplomatic. After all, this is your manager.


Unfortunately there are some managers who are continuously aggressive and intimidating. Explain that this approach of shouting at you is not going to make you work any harder. It just serves to upset and intimidate you. If you have made a mistake, always admit to it. If you have not done something that was asked for, state clearly and succinctly the reasons why you have not achieved what is required. Don’t make excuses, which may only serve to increase their anger.


If this is a situation that comes up time and time again, go and discuss it through with either your manager’s line manager or someone senior in your human resources (HR) department. It’s best to let your manager know first of your intentions. This may well stop the situation by itself. All NHS organisations are required to have a policy for dealing with bullying and harassment. You should be well supported through the process (although you must keep a factual log of all incidents as evidence).



Managers who don’t manage


Some managers are reluctant to take on their managerial responsibilities. These tend to be people who are promoted because of their clinical experience. As mentioned previously, clinical skills are not the same as managerial skills. These types of managers may busy themselves with issues that require their clinical expertise and ignore their managerial role. It can be hard to get them to make any decisions or take any action on important managerial matters.


It is difficult to deal with this sort of manager because they are normally well liked and maintain a good rapport with everyone. They will spend a lot of time sympathising with you and your team over your issues, but don’t actually do anything about them. People tend to label them as ‘supportive’ managers because they spend time listening to individual problems (despite not doing anything about them).


One way of dealing with this type of manager is to never present issues as problems, try and present the full solution to the problem, or a number of alternative solutions from which the manager can choose. For each solution, make sure:



image it has been fully researched and meets the appropriate guidelines or policy


image the appropriate people have been consulted


image the implications have been considered in depth.


Bear in mind that these managers tend to thrive on social acceptance among the clinical team so ensure you make it clear that your solutions have been generated by your team and reflect all their views too.



Managers who expect too much


It is hard for managers whose working day used to revolve around patients’ needs to enter a world where it revolves around managing others from an office environment. Patients’ needs were always the priority, but when the next role no longer entails looking after patients, it can be difficult to work out what the priorities are. Some will take on too much work in order to compensate for this and over the years may get into a pattern of being very busy but not actually achieving anything. Some will take on extra projects or find it difficult to say no when bombarded with demands from their own senior managers, especially with regard to meeting the latest ‘performance indicator’.


The problem for you is that some managers end up working extra long hours (unpaid of course) and expect you to do the same. You may find that some of this extra work is being delegated down to you. If this is happening to you and it gets too much (and you are certain that you are managing your own time effectively) then you must say so. Work out what your priorities and time commitments are (see Ch. 2) then go and discuss them with your manager. This can achieve two things:



1. Your manager will hopefully stop delegating the extra work to you.


2. Having seen what you have done, your manager may be stimulated into defining and prioritising their own workload using the same formula.



The problematic colleague


The very nature of our work means we will always be working with people, sometimes some very difficult people. Unfortunately you cannot choose your work colleagues, and in the clinically focused role of the ward manager, you cannot retreat to an office or work alone to avoid the problem.


So how do you handle a colleague who is proving rather difficult to work with? First, tell them. This sounds fairly obvious but you would be amazed at how many don’t do this. The individual then carries on blissfully unaware of the angst they are causing. The situation will get worse if you leave it, and the longer you leave telling your colleague, the worse they will feel. Second, don’t get personal, otherwise they will become defensive and you’ll get nowhere. Focus on the issue, not the person.



Colleagues who tend to be continually negative


Negative people are those who tend to be insecure and unsure of themselves. By saying negative things about others they are often trying to cover up their own limitations. Make an effort to share your ideas with them. Get them on your side by offering to take on some work together. Boost their confidence by giving them positive feedback on things they do well.



Colleagues who continually whinge about others


If you have a colleague who is always finding fault with people, ask what they have done or plan to do about the problem:



image ‘What have you done about his behaviour?’


image ‘Have you told her how you feel?’


The more often you question what they have done about it, the less they will find fault.



Colleagues who put themselves down all the time


Colleagues who turn the criticism on themselves, saying things like ‘I’m not good enough’, are usually lacking in confidence. It’s easier to criticise themselves before anyone else does. With a colleague like this, you can help simply by telling them that they are doing a good job and to stop talking themselves down. Those who put themselves down in order to receive compliments and praise from others are equally annoying. You have to be blunt in this case and say something like ‘Look, you know how good you are at that sort of thing and hardly need any more feedback from me to boost your confidence’.



Colleagues who are continually calling for advice and support


Some of your less experienced colleagues may have found you so helpful in the past that they continue to turn to you for every problem they encounter. If this happens, encourage them to seek a mentor/clinical supervisor for extra support. Tell them that relying on you alone for advice and guidance will restrict their learning; they have to seek support from others as well as you. Don’t do things for them or you will encourage the behaviour. Whenever this person calls you, always ask them first what they think is the best action and enable them to come to their own conclusions and actions.



Allegations of bullying or harassment within your team



What is bullying or harassment?


If members of your team do not treat their colleagues with dignity and respect, it could be interpreted as bullying or harassment. Situations in which a member of your team feels threatened, insulted or intimidated in any way by another person’s behaviour must be stopped immediately. If any of your staff come to you saying that someone else makes them feel this way, even if it was not intended, you need to take action. If you don’t do anything:



1. The individual’s confidence and self-esteem will plummet and therefore affect their standard of work.


2. Other staff will get involved and begin to take sides, thus creating tension within the team.


You should take all complaints seriously, even if you personally believe that it is simply a case of firm management or a harmless joke. Bullying and harassment are defined as any sort of behaviour which makes an individual feel upset, threatened, humiliated or vulnerable and undermines their confidence. In other words, it is the impact of the behaviour, not the intent of the perpetrator which determines whether the person is being bullied or harassed.


Be aware that bullying can include:



image regular shouting or criticism in front of others


image refusing to speak to someone directly


image excessive supervision or checking up on a colleague’s work


image constantly giving menial or trivial tasks to others


image deliberately excluding individuals from work-related social events


image unreasonably refusing requests for time off or training.


Harassment is any unwanted behaviour towards an individual regarding gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, beliefs or any personal characteristic. This can include:



image intrusive questioning or gossiping about a person’s private life, religion, activities, sexual orientation, etc.


image being condescending about the way a person dresses or speaks


image insensitive jokes or pranks


image unnecessary body contact.



What steps should you take?


When a member of staff complains to you that another person’s behaviour is insulting or demeaning, your first step is to encourage them to tell the perpetrator, if they have not already done so. Sometimes people do not realise the effect they are having on others. Once informed, many will alter their behaviour.


The individual who came to you may be low in confidence and therefore may need your support to do this. It is far better to work through with the individual what approach to take and encourage them to do it for themselves. This will increase their self-esteem and enable them to deal with any future situations with more confidence. However, the situation may be such that you will need to act as mediator between the two parties. In this case, make sure you have both parties present, otherwise you will get caught between two different versions of events and not know who to believe.



What do you do if your initial approach does not work?


If the perpetrator does not change their behaviour, you may have to intervene and use a more direct approach. In other words, tell the perpetrator to change their behaviour. If this does not work, the staff member at this stage can take a more formal approach by putting their concerns in writing. You should be liaising closely with your HR advisor throughout the process and ensuring that both parties involved in the allegation have access to support from their trade union representatives.


Once a formal allegation is made, a manager from outside your ward will usually be brought in to undertake a formal investigation. This means that those involved, including you and other staff members, will be interviewed and statements taken. A report will be written with recommendations as to what actions should be taken. The recommended actions could include a number of things such as:



image an apology

Related posts:

  1. Manage Your Time
  2. Instigate a Rolling Recruitment Programme
  3. Manage Staff Performance
  4. Look After Yourself

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Jun 15, 2016 | Posted by in NURSING | Comments Off on Manage Difficult Situations

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