Lateral Violence

Bullying can be an issue in schools, or the workplace, and it is very unfortunate this continues to occur. Bullying that occurs in the workplace is known as lateral violence, or workplace violence and is defined as “nurses overtly or covertly directing their dissatisfaction inward towards each other, themselves and towards those who are less powerful and influential than themselves” (Koh, 2016 p. 214). Lateral violence is a universal issue not just in nursing, but in all professions, however it goes underreported (Koh, 2016). Whatever the reasoning, it is essential to understand and address it because lateral violence can negatively impact the patients, staff, and organization. I reviewed an article written by Wee Meng Steven Koh, which investigated

Koh (2016), conducted a literature review with information obtained from trusted databases, such as Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Health and Psychosocial instruments, and CINAHL. Nine studies were selected, which indicated that workplace violence occurs among nurses (Koh, 2016). These studies viewed characteristics of the perpetrators, victims, and the organization, to determine how they attribute to the incidence of workplace violence. According to Koh (2016), perpetrators are usually experts in their field, but do not always share their knowledge. They tend to be powerful figures, with strong personalities, who may constantly criticize others, possibly leading to negative work relationships among co-workers (Koh, 2016). Victims of workplace violence tend to be 30 years of age or young, with little work experience, and may possess personality traits related to anxiety and depression (Koh, 2016). Organizations can also attribute to workplace violence if they do not possess effective management leadership or suitable work conditions, which can lead to a role ambiguity and stressful work environments (Koh,

These events can cause financial and legal problems within the organization, resulting in a negative reputation of the hospital. Personal effects on victims include “loss of self-worth, increased sense of ineptitude, despair, and depression” (Rainford, Wood, McMullen, & Philipsen, 2015 p. 159). Studies have also indicated victims have “increased health issues, such as headaches, respiratory conditions, worsening of chronic diseases, and sleep disorders” (Koh, 2016 p. 215). Due to the psychological effects, nurses are less likely to communicate openly with other team members and are more likely to leave their place of work, within 6 months of employment (Koh, 2016). This creates a communication gap in the health team, lack of staff in the organization, and increased workloads on nurses. This may result in acts of negligence, which effects the safety and quality of care provided to the patients (Koh, 2016). Negligence can lead patients to file lawsuits against the organization, which can affect them financially, however negligence is not the only reason for financially difficulties. As mentioned before, low employee retain rates are accompanied by acts of workplace violence and it is estimated that organizations can spend up to “$4 billion dollars a year because of lost time, productivity, and turnover of trained staff” (Rainford et