Thompson challenges leaders to confront incivility

Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, CEO and founder of the Healthy Workforce Institute (HWI), Oldsmar, Fla., challenged nurse leaders to confront workplace bullying head-on during her AONL 2025 keynote. Of the more than 2,000 health care professionals HWI surveyed, 81 percent don't believe their leaders set clear expectations for professional behavior, while 72 percent don't think leaders address disruptive behaviors.

"Addressing bullying and incivility is not a nice-to-do, it's a need-to-do," Thompson said, citing 2024 research from the Society of Human Resources Management, which estimates U.S. organizations collectively lose over $1.2 billion per day in reduced productivity due to uncivil behaviors. Thompson proposed two ways nurse leaders address the issue: Heightening awareness of disruptive behaviors by adding "healthy workforce" as a standing agenda item in meetings and confronting inappropriate behavior immediately. "Nothing will kill a good employee faster than watching you tolerate a bad one," Thompson said.

She also compared culture change to swimming against the current: "It's not going to be easy, but when you get enough people behind you pushing against that current, before you know it, you will be floating in the opposite direction," she said.