What to do if you or your colleagues are being treated unfairly

On the first day in my new NHS job I was shouted at.

“Feed the patient, feed the patient, feed the patient,” a senior colleague yelled at me.

I am an experienced nursing support worker and just moments before this interaction, another colleague had told me that this patient preferred to feed themself.

I did my best to explain that I’d been advised this wasn’t the patient’s preference, but the aggressive manner in which I was being addressed was clear for all to see.

I didn’t outwardly show it, but I was hurt and felt singled out. Is this how new staff were spoken to? I chose to ignore it and carry on.

As the days went by, I noticed that some staff, but not all, would ignore me when I greeted them in the morning. I stopped trying to say hello to these people, but this didn’t feel like a positive start, and I felt bad.

I do wonder if I was singled out because I’m from Nigeria. I will never know for sure. But I do know I’m good at my job and I try not to let unkindness get to me. Instead I remain focused on caring for my patients.

I’m educated, with a Master’s degree, I’m passionate about providing great nursing care and I want to stay here and develop my nursing skills. I actively seek out training and development opportunities, which my line manager encourages me to do.

At the end of the day, I also go home to my wonderful family and that’s always something to be grateful for.

Proving the doubters wrong

I still work with the colleague who shouted at me on my first day. Her attitude has changed now she realises I am good at my job. However, I’ve noticed that she sometimes speaks to other staff in the same way. I know how much that must hurt.

They may not feel empowered to speak out, but you can help them

Now, if she spoke to me in that way, I would tell her that I don’t like it. But that’s easier to do with experience and you need to know you have the support of your colleagues.

If you witness someone being subjected to this kind of behaviour, please support them and, if appropriate, share your concerns with your line manager. They may not feel empowered to speak out, but you can help them.

It saddens me that people feel it’s appropriate to treat new staff in the way I was treated. But I’m already proving the doubters wrong. I know that when people see my name on the rota now, they’re pleased to work with me because I’m an excellent nursing support worker.

What if you can't decide whether to report the issue?

You may feel you’re not ready to report it, or you may be prepared to wait and see if it happens again, or if a pattern emerges before reporting it or submitting a complaint or grievance.

• Keep notes or a diary in case you wish to complain in the future. Take a look at our bullying and harassment diary template for an example of how to record any incidents.
• Remember a legal claim can’t normally be brought once 3 months has passed, unless the action is part of a series of events that can be characterised as a “continuing act”, in which case the time limits are calculated from the last event of the series.
• Consider that if you intend relying on anyone who witnesses an incident, their memory of the event is likely to fade unless they also make a note soon after.
• If you're not sure what to do, please contact us as soon as possible for more support.