WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24,2016 IS PINK SHIRT DAYOn February 24, everyone is encouraged to practise kindness and wear pink to symbolize that you do not tolerate bullying.
Pink Shirt Day has its roots in Nova Scotia, and is part of an annual anti-bullying campaign founded by two high school teens in 2007.
When a fellow classmate was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt to school, David Shepherd and Travis Price decided to take a stand. They bought dozens of pink tank tops at a thrift store and announced they would give them out to students the next day. With the word out, many students took it upon themselves to show up for school in pink rather than wait for one of the tops.
Since then, Pink Shirt Day has become an annual event to speak out against bullying in schools, communities and workplaces.
On February 24, you can make an effort to practise kindness
and acceptance towards both yourself and others. Do you have a story about being bullied, how you stopped a bully or about how bullying has affected a loved one? Share your experiences with co-workers. Don’t forget to use the #PinkShirtDay hashtag in your Facebook and Instagram posts and in your tweets.
Join in the conversation and show your support towards kindness, and against bullying!
#PinkShirtDay
WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying is repeated and persistent unreasonable behavior directed toward an employee (or a group of employees). It includes words and actions that make others feel incompetent, ashamed, worthless, excluded, unwelcome, or unsafe1.
FACTS ABOUT BULLYING
> It’s estimated that up to 40 percent of Canadians have experienced workplace bullying2.
> Surveys show that women are targets of bullies more often than men; 80 percent of the time, the bully is also a woman3.
> Studies show that 21 to 46 percent of nurses have experienced or witnessed bullying4.
> Workplace bullying is associated with nurses leaving their job, or the nursing profession5,6.
> Exposure to workplace bullying can negatively affect the health of individuals, their co-workers, and their family, resulting in symptoms such as increased stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, fatigue, and depression7.
> Bullying can reduce team communication, job satisfaction, motivation, and morale8, and affect patient care9,10.
BULLYING CHECKLISTCOULD IT BE YOU?
Review the questions below and tick-off those situations that you have actively participated in. Remember that bullying is repeated and persistent unreasonable behavior and not a one-time occurrence only!
> Have you humiliated, embarrassed or intimidated a co-worker?
> Have you assigned a task beyond the scope of a person’s job knowing or hoping he or she will fail?
> Have you denied or discounted someone’s contributions at meetings or on a project?
> Have you noticed how your attitude to other workers who don’t share your job title may be different than the attitude you have with individuals who do share it (e.g. RNs’ relationship with LPNs, care aides or other staff)?
> Have you refused to pass on crucial information to someone or sabotaged work because you did not want them to succeed?
> Have you ever shouted at, cursed at, or in some way threatened a co-worker?
> Have you played malicious pranks on a co-worker?
> Have you stolen someone’s ideas and taken credit for them yourself?
> Have you started or failed to stop destructive gossip about a co-worker?
> Have you exaggerated or embellished an event to cause trouble?
> Have you targeted someone new, or someone you don’t want to succeed or to continue on your team?
> Have you denied access to resources such as training or information because you want to see him or her fail?
> Have you uttered threats or shown physical intimidation such as throwing objects?
> Have you treated student nurses with disrespect and exercised condescending behaviors towards them?
> Have you targeted someone to be fired?
> Have you publicly discredited someone?
> Have you been defensive or portrayed yourself as always competent when someone has raised concerns about your professional practice or approach?
> Have you witnessed bullying and not intervened?
Source: Building Dignity, BCNU, 2009
#PinkShirtDay
MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT A BULLY-FREE ZONE!
B uild Dignity
U nderstand Others
L ead with your Heart
L earn about Empowerment
Y ou are the Future
F reedom
R espect
E steem
E ducate
Z ero Tolerance
O wn the Outcome
N urture Relationships
E mbrace Differences
Adapted from simpleeserene.com
BE
HA
VIO
UR
EF
FE
CT
IVE
RE
SP
ON
SE
No
nve
rbal
In
nu
en
do
>
Rai
sin
g o
f ey
ebro
ws;
Mak
ing
fac
esIs
th
ere
som
eth
ing
yo
u w
ant
to s
ay t
o m
e?
Ple
ase
spea
k to
me
dir
ectl
y.
Ve
rbal
Re
mar
ks
>S
nid
e, r
ud
e co
mm
ents
>
Lac
k o
f o
pen
nes
s, a
bru
pt
resp
on
ses
I nee
d y
ou
to
be
mo
re c
lear
in y
ou
r d
irec
tio
ns
and
fee
db
ack.
Is
th
ere
a w
ay w
e ca
n s
tru
ctu
re t
his
to
be
mo
re s
pec
ific?
Un
de
rmin
ing
Act
ivit
ies
>
Turn
ing
aw
ay
>B
ein
g u
nav
aila
ble
I hav
e q
ues
tio
ns
and
wo
uld
like
yo
u t
o h
elp
me
un
der
stan
d h
ow
th
is s
itu
atio
n m
ay h
ave
hap
pen
ed.
Wit
hh
old
ing
In
form
atio
nIt
’s m
y u
nd
erst
and
ing
th
at m
ore
info
rmat
ion
mig
ht
be
avai
lab
le
reg
ard
ing
th
e si
tuat
ion
th
at m
igh
t aff
ect
ho
w I
app
roac
h it
(o
r le
arn
ab
ou
t it
).
Sab
ota
ge
>
Del
iber
atel
y se
ttin
g u
p a
neg
ativ
e si
tuat
ion
Th
ere
is m
ore
to
th
is s
itu
atio
n t
han
mee
ts t
he
eye.
C
ou
ld y
ou
an
d I
mee
t in
pri
vate
to
dis
cuss
it?
Infi
gh
tin
g
>B
icke
rin
g w
ith
pee
rsA
lway
s av
oid
a c
on
ten
tio
us
dis
cuss
ion
in a
no
n-p
riva
te p
lace
.
Th
is is
no
t th
e ti
me
or
the
pla
ce. P
leas
e st
op
(p
hysi
cally
wal
k aw
ay
or
mo
ve t
o a
neu
tral
sp
ot)
.
Sca
pe
go
atin
g
>A
ttri
bu
tin
g a
ll th
at g
oes
wro
ng
to
on
e in
div
idu
al
I do
n’t
th
ink
that
’s t
he
rig
ht
con
nec
tio
n.
Bac
ksta
bb
ing
>
Co
mp
lain
ing
to
oth
ers
abo
ut
an in
div
idu
al
and
no
t sp
eaki
ng
dir
ectl
y to
th
at in
div
idu
al
I do
n’t
fee
l rig
ht
talk
ing
ab
ou
t h
im/h
er/t
he
situ
atio
n w
hen
I
was
n’t
th
ere
or
do
n’t
kn
ow
th
e fa
cts.
Hav
e yo
u s
po
ken
to
him
/her
?
Fai
lure
to
Re
spe
ct P
riv
acy
It b
oth
ers
me
to t
alk
abo
ut
that
wit
ho
ut
his
/her
/th
eir
p
erm
issi
on
. I o
nly
ove
rhea
rd t
hat
. It
sho
uld
n’t
be
rep
eate
d.
Bro
ken
Co
nfi
de
nce
sW
asn
’t t
hat
sai
d in
co
nfi
den
ce?
Th
at s
ou
nd
s lik
e in
form
atio
n t
hat
sh
ou
ld r
emai
n c
on
fid
enti
al. H
e/sh
e as
ked
me
to k
eep
th
at c
on
fid
enti
al.
So
urc
e: B
arth
olo
me
w, K
ath
lee
n, R
N, M
N. “
En
din
g N
urs
e-t
o-N
urs
e H
ost
ilit
y: W
hy
Nu
rse
s E
at T
he
ir Y
ou
ng
an
d E
ach
Oth
er”
(H
CP
ro, 2
00
6)
#PinkShirtDay
Additional Resources:
Bartholomew, Kathleen, RN, MN. “Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young and Each Other” (HCPro, 2006).
Bartholomew, Kathleen, RN, MN. http://www.kathleenbartholomew.com/articles
Bully OnLine – www.bullyonline.org
Canadian Women’s Health Network – www.cwhn.ca
Field, Tim. “Bully In Sight.” (Wessex Press, 1996)
Namie, Gary and Ruth. “The Bully at Work” (Sourcebooks, 2003)
Pink Shirt Day – www.pinkshirtday.ca
References:
1. University of New Brunswick, “Toward a Respectful Workplace” – http://www.unbf.ca/towardarespectfulworkplace/ index.html
2. CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2011/12/06/wdr-cbsa-bullying-johnston.html
3. 2010 Workplace Bullying Institute Survey – www.workplacebullying.org
4. Stokowski L. “A Matter of Respect and Dignity: Bullying in the Nursing Profession.” Medscape Nurses, September 2010.
5. Johnson S, Rea R. “Workplace Bullying: Concerns for Nurse Leaders.” Journal of Nursing Administration. 2009;39(2): 84-90.
6. Griffen M. Teaching cognitive rehersal as a shield for lateral violence: an intervention for newly licensed nurses. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 2004;35(6):257-63.
7. Bullying in the Workplace: A handbook for the Workplace, by the Ontario Safety Association for Community and Healthcare (2009) http://www.osach.ca/products/resrcdoc/rvioe528.pdf
8. Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety – http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/bullying.html
9. MSNBC Hospital bullies take a toll on patient safety http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25594124
10. US Joint Commission – Hospital Accreditation http://www.jointcommission.org/
LEARN MORE
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR WORKPLACE
Contact a steward and/or your workplace JOHS committee representative
Know your employer’s respectful workplace policy and procedures
Call Employee and Family Assistance
Access resources at crisis lines
Share your story on social media using the #PinkShirtDay hashtag