Name-calling, lunch money shakedowns, and wedgies are schoolyard hazards that kids have been dealing with for decades. While being picked on can be traumatizing, it's often assumed that as kids mature into adults, bullying behavior will end.

Sadly, bullying often continues into adulthood, moving from the school setting to the workplace. Disruptive behavior such as bullying, lateral violence, and verbal abuse is so common in healthcare settings that the Center for American Nurses recently released a position statement calling for zero tolerance to lateral violence and bullying in nursing work environments. The Joint Commission also proposed new standards that will require organizations to develop codes of conduct that define and address inappropriate workplace behavior.

The fact that these two organizations are advocating for policies to create healthier work environments is a positive step. But stopping disruptive behavior is not just the employer's responsibility. Nurses can take steps to combat bullying and lateral violence at their level as well.

Why is it so important to stop this behavior in its tracks? Bullying and lateral violence negatively impact staff morale, increase staff turnover, and decrease collaboration. Victims may experience physical and psychological problems that lead to greater rates of absenteeism and employee turnover.

We've all heard the saying, "Nurses eat their young," and we've probably seen behavior giving that statement credibility. Gossip, backstabbing, withholding of information, and shunning of co-workers are all forms of lateral violence.

When we witness these behaviors, it often makes us uncomfortable, and we're not sure what to do. Our unease often causes us to ignore rather than confront the situation because we are at a loss for how to respond.

At Empower Public Relations in Chicago, the CEO and his employees took an interesting approach to stop workplace gossip. All employees agreed that if someone was gossiping behind a co-worker's back, he or she was required to repeat it to that person. According to an article profiling the firm in Newsweek, this tactic helped workers become less distracted, made them more productive, and helped them communicate better.

Nurses could combat gossip on their own units by making a pact like the one at Empower. They also can make a vow to think about their words and actions and ask themselves, "Would I want someone to say this about or do this to me?"

At first it might be hard to stand up and say no to bullying, gossip, and bad behavior. You might feel uncomfortable or worry about becoming a victim yourself. But by uniting behind the goal of establishing a respectful workplace, nurses can support each other and further the profession.

For more information on The Center for American Nurses' position statement, visit www.centerforamericannurses.org/positions/lateralviolence.pdf.