The nurse told the nurse manager about a situation with another co-worker. The co-worker placed a hand on the nurse's thigh and made a sexual comment

Question

During a discussion between the nurse manager and the nurse manager's immediate supervisor, which of the following responses reflects the best way to approach the situation?

1. "I've requested information from the human resources department regarding termination of the employee who is accused of sexual harassment."
2. "I've decided to wait and see if this will blow over with time."
3. "I've scheduled a meeting this afternoon with the employee accused of sexual harassment to see how we can prevent this from happening in the future."
4. "I've decided to let the nurse deal with it alone. I'm not sure how I can help, and I can't be here all of the time to watch over these employees."

Answer 1

Answer: 3

Rationale: The very best way for the nurse manager to handle this situation is to address the issue immediately with the employee accused of sexual harassment. This action reduces employer liability during these types of situations and prevents further costs to the organization. Prevention programs are the best way to avoid these types of situations from developing. At this stage, the nurse co-worker has only been accused of sexual harassment. The issue needs to be investigated, and a meeting with the accused employee is an important step to help discover the truth. It is not appropriate to wait for the situation to "blow over." The costs to organizations related to sexual harassment are high, and the issue should be dealt with immediately. It is not appropriate to allow the nurse to deal with the issue on his or her own. Later, the facility might be held liable for allowing the sexual harassment to occur after the nurse manager was notified. The organization should foster a "no tolerance" environment for these types of behaviors.