Page 110 - Petelin, Ana. 2024. Ed. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | Health of the Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik prispevkov z recenzijo | Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press

occur where intimidation is tolerated and reports are ignored or mishandled.
Two interviewees noted that complaints about bullying are often dismissed.

Nothing gets resolved in a way that calms the situation or prevents
it from happening again. Whether it will happen again to other em-
ployees or not, that seems less important (dmst-48).
When asked about trigger for intimidation, all nine interviewees cited, that
it was related to the nature of the work and the organisation’s inadequate
performance.
Bullying can occur when victims point highlight organizational issues,
during stressful periods, or due to understaffing. Two participants cited under-
staffing as the primary cause. Most interviewees suggested that bullying occurs
because of the nurse’s role as a link between the patient and the doctor.
Most believe intimidation often stems from the aggressor’s personal frus-
110 tration or disrespect for nurses. They note that bullying is less common in en-
vironments where management regularly address complaints, fosters positive
zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | health of working-age and older adults
staff relations, and where unit managers are professionally qualified.

Experiences of Bullying in the Workplace
Interviewees reported that bullying among nursing is relatively common, quite
normal. Two described it as a constant aspect of the profession, to which wit-
nesses typically do not respond. All nine interviewees found bullying to be
an unnecessary source of stress and many of them cannot respond in a con-
trolled manner. Most interviewees experienced bullying during work process,
with attacks often being personal nature. The perpetrator aimed to discrim-
inate, humiliate or undermined the victim’s autonomy and responsibilities.
Four interviewees described threats related to the victim’s employment and ca-
reer, while two reported experiencing discrimination related to their use of pa-
rental rights. In one case, the interviewee’s supervisor assigned a low perfor-
mance rating, hindering her promotion due to her maternity leave throughout
the year. In the second case, the assault occurred when interviewee tells super-
visor about pregnancy.

What really shocked me was when I got pregnant and went to an-
nounce it to supervisor; she literally called me a “chicken,” ques-
tioning why I got pregnant and complaining that there were already
so few staff in the department … I just lowered my head and quietly
went working … Then the supervisor came up to me, started shout-
ing at me in front of colleagues and patients, saying that if I always
kept my head down and stayed silent, I would never take care of my
children (sms-33).

Interviewee also reported being indirectly coerced into working nights after
returning from maternity leave, as department leader scheduled her primarily