Residential Care Aides’ Experiences of Workplace Incivility in Long-Term Care

Heather A Cooke and Jennifer Baumbusch
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Heather A Cooke: University of British Columbia, Canada
Jennifer Baumbusch: University of British Columbia, Canada

Work, Employment & Society, 2022, vol. 36, issue 4, 648-664

Abstract: Exposure to peer incivility and bullying potentially disrupts the respectful, collaborative workplace relationships essential to quality care provision in long-term care homes. This study critically examined the nature of peer incivility and bullying in residential care aides’ workplace relationships. Using critical ethnography, 100 hours of participant observation and 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted with residential care aides, licensed practical nurses, support staff and management in two, non-profit care homes in British Columbia, Canada. While residential care aides’ experiences of bullying were rare, peer incivility was pervasive, occurring on an almost daily basis. Two key themes, ‘gendered work environment’ and ‘seeking informal power and control’, reflect how residential care aides experienced and explained their uncivil encounters. Findings highlight the gendered, relationally aggressive nature of workplace mistreatment within this predominantly female workforce.

Keywords: bullying; care assistants; care work; civility; gender; nursing aides; power relations; working conditions/job quality; workplace environment; workplace relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:36:y:2022:i:4:p:648-664

DOI: 10.1177/0950017020977314

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