NURS 6053 Workplace Assessment Discussion Walkthrough
NURS 6053 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment
Assignment Overview
Assessing the health of a workplace environment requires more than casual observation or personal opinion. Just as a nurse would not diagnose a patient without proper assessment tools, evaluating organizational civility demands structured measurement. The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory provides a validated framework for this purpose, enabling healthcare professionals to move beyond anecdotal impressions toward data-driven understanding of workplace dynamics. This discussion assignment requires you to complete the inventory, analyze your results, and reflect on both the civility of your workplace and any incidents of incivility you have witnessed or experienced.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
- Apply the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory to assess the civility of a healthcare work environment
- Interpret assessment results to determine the health and civility status of a workplace
- Analyze the relationship between workplace civility and organizational outcomes
- Reflect on personal experiences with workplace incivility and evaluate how such situations were addressed
Instructions
To Prepare
- Review the Resources and examine the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, found on page 20 of Clark (2015).
- Review and complete the Work Environment Assessment Template in the Resources.
Initial Post
By Day 3 of Week 7, post a brief description of the results of your Work Environment Assessment. Based on the results, how civil is your workplace? Explain why your workplace is or is not civil. Then, describe a situation where you have experienced incivility in the workplace. How was this addressed? Be specific and provide examples.
Response Posts
By Day 6 of Week 7, respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by sharing ideas for how shortcomings discovered in their evaluations and/or their examples of incivility could have been managed more effectively.
Sample Discussion Post
My work environment assessment using the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory yielded a score of 50 out of 100, indicating a barely healthy work environment. This result did not surprise me given the high turnover rates and persistent staffing shortages I observe regularly at my facility. Employee trust in administration appears notably low, and colleagues frequently express frustration about communication gaps between frontline staff and leadership. As Saleem et al. (2022) found, workplace incivility significantly harms employee performance, and trust in supervisors plays a mediating role in this relationship. When employees lack confidence in their leaders, even routine workplace interactions can become strained, creating a cycle of disengagement and conflict that undermines organizational health.
I recently experienced incivility firsthand when a colleague expressed anger over my approved annual leave request. Despite explaining that I wanted to spend Christmas with my children, this coworker refused to cover my shift, leaving me without relief on a holiday. The situation required multiple calls to my supervisor before any resolution occurred, and even then, the response was delayed and inadequate. This experience highlights a broader pattern of poor communication and inadequate supervisory support that contributes to workplace stress and employee dissatisfaction.
Workplace Civility and Organizational Health
The connection between civility and organizational outcomes extends beyond individual experiences to affect patient safety and care quality. Won and Choi (2022) demonstrated that nurses experiencing workplace incivility report increased emotional exhaustion and decreased job satisfaction, factors that directly correlate with higher turnover intentions and compromised patient care. My assessment results align with these findings, as low scores in employee engagement, workload distribution, and wellness initiatives suggest systemic issues that require organizational-level interventions rather than individual solutions. Creating a truly civil workplace demands commitment from leadership to address these structural factors while simultaneously empowering employees to advocate for their own wellbeing.
Addressing Incivility Through Evidence-Based Interventions
Organizations seeking to improve workplace civility can draw on several evidence-based strategies. Cognitive rehearsal, as described by Clark (2019), equips employees with scripted responses to uncivil behavior, enabling them to address incidents constructively rather than reactively. This approach works best when combined with mentorship from skilled facilitators who can guide junior staff through debriefing and preparatory learning. Additionally, primary prevention strategies that focus on building relational civility and organizational readiness, as proposed by Di Fabio and Duradoni (2019), can address root causes of incivility before they escalate. These approaches require active leadership engagement and a commitment to cultural change that extends beyond policy implementation.
Common Questions About Workplace Civility Assessment
What does the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory score range indicate about workplace health? The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory uses a 20-item scale with scores ranging from 20 to 100. Scores of 80–100 indicate a healthy work environment, 60–79 suggest a moderately healthy environment, 40–59 reflect a barely healthy environment, and scores below 40 indicate an unhealthy environment requiring immediate intervention. These categories help organizations benchmark their current state and identify priority areas for improvement.
Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Results | Clearly describes assessment results with specific scores and detailed interpretation | Describes results with some specificity but lacks depth in interpretation | Provides vague description of results without clear interpretation | Does not describe assessment results |
| Workplace Civility Analysis | Provides thorough analysis of why workplace is or is not civil with specific examples | Explains civility status with some examples | Offers minimal explanation without specific examples | Does not address workplace civility |
| Incivility Incident Description | Describes specific incident with clear details about how it was addressed | Provides incident description with some details | Mentions incident vaguely without addressing resolution | Does not describe any incident |
| Scholarly Support | Integrates multiple scholarly sources effectively with proper citations | Uses some scholarly sources appropriately | Minimal use of scholarly sources | No scholarly sources used |
| Writing Quality | Clear, organized, grammatically correct, and follows APA format | Generally clear with minor errors | Several errors that affect clarity | Significant errors impacting readability |
Research, Writing, Citation and Referencing Guide
This discussion requires integration of scholarly literature to support your analysis and recommendations. The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, developed by Clark (2015), provides the foundational framework for this assessment. Additional sources may include Clark, Olender, Cardoni, and Kenski (2011), Clark (2018), Griffin and Clark (2014), and other peer-reviewed articles addressing workplace civility in healthcare settings. When citing sources, follow APA 7th edition formatting for both in-text citations and the reference list. Direct quotes require page numbers, while paraphrased content requires only author and year. All sources cited in the post must appear in the reference list, and all references must be cited within the text.
Why This Matters in Practice
Workplace civility directly impacts patient safety, staff retention, and organizational performance. Healthcare leaders who prioritize civility create environments where nurses can practice effectively, collaborate productively, and deliver high-quality care. Understanding how to assess and improve workplace civility equips nurses with tools to advocate for healthier work environments and better patient outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory? The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory is available in Clark (2015), “Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace: Let’s end the silence that surrounds incivility,” published in American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18-23. The inventory consists of 20 statements rated on a 5-point Likert scale from “completely true” to “completely untrue.” Your course Resources should provide access to this document, and it may also be available through your university library or directly from the American Nurse Today website.
References
Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace: Let’s end the silence that surrounds incivility. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18-23. https://www.myamericannurse.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf
Clark, C. M. (2019). Combining cognitive rehearsal, simulation, and evidence-based scripting to address incivility. Nurse Educator, 44(2), 64-68. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000563
Clark, C. M., Olender, L., Cardoni, C., & Kenski, D. (2011). Fostering civility in nursing education and practice: Nurse leader perspectives. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(7/8), 324-330. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0b013e31822509c4
Di Fabio, A., & Duradoni, M. (2019). Fighting incivility in the workplace for women and all workers: The challenge of primary prevention. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1805. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01805
Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(12), 535-542. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20141122-02
Saleem, F., Malik, M. I., Asif, I., & Qasim, A. (2022). Workplace incivility and employee performance: Does trust in supervisors matter? (A dual theory perspective). Behavioral Sciences, 12(12), 513. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120513
Won, S. Y., & Choi, H. (2022). Structural equation modeling of nurses’ experience of workplace incivility. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration, 28(4), 342-351. https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2022.28.4.342
Next Assignment
NURS 6053 Week 9 Assignment: Workplace Environment Assessment Paper
Following the Week 7 Discussion, students typically complete a comprehensive 3-6 page Portfolio Assignment analyzing their workplace environment in greater depth. This assignment requires students to describe their Work Environment Assessment results in detail, identify surprising findings and confirmed expectations, and explain what the results suggest about workplace health and civility. Students then review selected literature to describe a relevant theory or concept, explain how it relates to their assessment results, and propose how their organization could apply this theory to improve organizational health. The final section requires recommending at least two evidence-based strategies to address identified shortcomings and at least two strategies to bolster successful practices, all supported by scholarly literature. APA formatting with a title page, headings, and reference list is required for this assignment.
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