Who has your back at work?

FigureThink carefully about the answer. If just starting a new job, maybe there is still a sense of uncertainty about who can be trusted. Hopefully, with time, at least one or more people come to mind. If not, it may be time to consider a change. People who have your back show they care about your wellbeing and success as a nurse. They offer help when the workload is heavy, highly acute, or complex. They can be trusted to provide confidential, honest, and constructive feedback when they see that work performance can be improved, or if interpersonal relations are beginning to fray and require mending before problems escalate. Nurses who give of themselves to help other nurses become the valued peers and colleagues who strengthen comradery and teamwork in work settings. Such supportive relationships are built on trust and mutual respect. In my experience, when team dynamics and unit culture evolve to a point that most staff members actively support each other, there is a stronger bond between coworkers and a greater sense of individual security. Whether a leader has a nurse's back has many variables, both good and maybe not so good. In any case, the leader's reaction will be heavily influenced by the nurse's actions and behavior. If conflict arises between a nurse and another person in the work environment, for example, the leader may need to step in. I used to advise my own team to always remain professional and above reproach when responding to challenging situations; if their behavior degenerated, then, as a nursing leader, I had to deal with two problems. An old adage applies here: When you wrestle with a pig in the mud, the pig likes it and you get dirty.∗ The bottom line? Make it easy for people to have your back. There are also nurses who have tried to support certain coworkers, but the behavior of these individuals, including their resistance or hostility to feedback, made the effort difficult or impossible to accomplish. These people may face some real challenges in their careers if they do not let anyone get close enough to have their backs. No matter how experienced or knowledgeable we are as nurses, we need each other personally and collectively to survive and thrive in our nursing careers. From the advocacy and connection of nursing organizations to the many ways nurses care for nurses in diverse roles and work settings, let us embrace and celebrate those who stand by us. Happy Nurses Month! LINDA LASKOWSKI-JONES, MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CEN, NEA-BC, FAWM, FAAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NURSING2024 ∗Author unknown