Lateral Violence in the Workplace

Lateral Violence is EXPENSIVE.........
- Effecting patient safety
- Poor staff morale
- Decreased recruitment
- Lack of retention of new nurses

What can be done?

1. Assess:
÷Why does lateral violence occur
on your floor?
÷Is your staff educated ?
÷Does your leadership style support or negate lateral violence?

2. Plan:
÷Include discussion in orientation
÷Provide yearly in-service
•For staff and managers
÷Use the term “lateral violence”

3. Intervention:
÷Allow staff to tell their stories
•Make staff aware of the process to address lateral violence
•Respond quickly and consistently to incidents of lateral violence
÷Hold a staff meeting to discuss expectations of the unit
÷Teach communication skills and conflict resolution
-Set an example

4. Evaluation:
÷Are the interventions working?
•Staff satisfaction surveys
•Staff turn-over
÷Respond to feedback
- Self-evaluation