We all need to work for a living; there's no escaping it. Everyone has bills, rent, mortgages, rates, utilities, and more to pay each month. So, for the vast majority of people around the world who have expenses they need to meet, getting and keeping a job is essential. But what happens if something occurs in the workplace, like you're being treated unfairly or being picked on by a colleague or supervisor? Or what happens when you need to advocate for your workplace to an external body? This helpful article will share how you can advocate at and to your workplace, whether it is for yourself or on behalf of a co-worker. If you're interested in this topic, continue reading to learn more about it.
How Nurses Can Advocate For Their Workplace
There are over 4 million registered nurses in the U.S.A., which makes this job highly important and valuable, and people must stay in these jobs to care for the sick and the infirm. Nurses must speak up when something is not right, with either staff conditions or patient care. You might want to consider how to become a nurse consultant, where you'll be able to provide expert advice on improving outcomes for staff and patients. Nurses can advocate for their workplace by speaking up and raising concerns with management or joining the union, which we'll get into in more detail next. It is vital that nurses raise issues with management when things aren't happening the way they should or there is a risk to staff wellbeing or patient care, as using your voice in the workplace is an important part of advocacy at work.
Self-Advocacy for Nurses
Nursing school teaches nurses how to advocate for their patients, but more needs to happen to coach nurses on advocating for themselves and the profession. Some nurses have tried to advocate for workplace issues but have been shut down by management, so these people shut up, lose their passion, and barely tolerate their jobs.
However, patient safety depends on nurses effectively advocating for adequate staffing, good policies, procedures, training, wages, and safeguards that support sound practice in a safe environment. The American Nurses Association, the peak body for nurses, declares nurse advocacy to be the "pillar of nursing," not only for patient safety and well-being but also in the workplace, the community, and the political arena.
Learning to self-advocate as a nurse will hopefully ignite your passion again, improve your self-confidence, and give you a clear vision of growing professionally and creating a better world for everyone.
Join a Union
One vital way that you can advocate for yourself at work and on behalf of your colleagues is by joining a union. It has been proven over the long years of union advocacy that workers who are trade union members earn more than non-unionized workers on average. Trade unions use their collective power to bargain for better salaries for staff, pensions, holidays, parental leave, health insurance, sick pay, overtime, and more. Trade unions hammer out negotiations with the bosses to get the best possible deal for employees, so you don't have to.
Unions have got your back as a worker. Not only can they tell you your rights at work, but they will also defend your rights at work. If your employer treats you unfairly or bullies you, you can rely on support and expert representation from your union. A trade union rep or delegate is a trusted person to turn to when you're unhappy at work or management is behaving badly and not treating staff well. And, as the workplace is transformed by automation and robotics, trade unions are demanding training for real people, lifelong learning, and social protection for workers to transition to the new way of doing things.
Become a Union Delegate
A union delegate is a staff member at a unionized workplace who is a representative of the union and can advocate for staff on their behalf and with the union's backing. Union members elect delegates and undergo special training to ensure that they can carry out the duties required. A union delegate might advocate for you if you are being treated poorly, bullied at work, or have a pay dispute. It is their job to stand up for and represent rank-and-file union members.
Figure Out What Empowers You
The company you work for and the wider industry you work in are going to have a massive impact on your experience of belonging at work and your ability to grow in your career meaningfully. In order for you to successfully advocate for yourself in the workplace, you'll need to determine the type of environment you thrive in and work best in.
Some people do their best work in rapidly changing, volatile, and unstable environments (such as startups or the tech industry). Others, instead, prefer more consistent and stable settings with clear, linear pathways to the top (like large corporate organizations or non-profit organizations).
Try to figure out what you expect out of your work environment, and this may help you in your self-advocacy goals. What are your negotiables and non-negotiables for a workplace? Don't give up your power simply for a paycheck. Once you know the answers to these questions, you can use advocacy to bring them to life and agitate for a better workplace for you and your colleagues.
Set Goals for Advocacy
Now that you have figured out what you want, what you like, and the kind of environment you want to work in and perform your best in, it's time to come up with a few goals.
Ask yourself what you are trying to achieve by speaking up for yourself at work. You may have several objectives in mind, but try to narrow them down and focus on one at a time. Once you've identified a clear and defined goal, start thinking about the exact steps you need to take to reach it.
For instance, if you want to create a more balanced workload, that might help you feel more comfortable and stable in your role. To advocate for this goal, the first step you take may be to brainstorm a few potential solutions to the problem. For example, one solution may be to prioritize your tasks according to demand and work with your manager and teammates to come up with more realistic deadlines for work due. As a next step, you may need to ask your manager to redistribute the tasks that drain you and are not in your job description in the first place, gaining a clearer sense of your purpose at work.
An Advocacy Conclusion
This informative article has shared how to advocate for and in your workplace. We've covered how nurses can advocate at work, the importance of joining a union, the role of a union delegate, and some general tips on advocacy at work.
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