EP. 129: Why HR Must Be Part of Workplace Culture Change
From Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare, One Cup at a Time by Healthy Workforce Institute
March 18, 2026 · 23 min
About this episode
Dr. Renee Thompson discusses the critical role of HR in addressing workplace culture and disruptive behavior.
Addressing disruptive behavior at work is not just a people issue; it is a business risk. In this episode, host Dr. Renee Thompson explains why HR should not be brought in only after workplace issues escalate. She discusses how disruptive behavior, bullying, and incivility drive turnover, disengagement, medical errors, and financial losses, and why leaders must stop treating these issues as secondary. Dr. Thompson argues that HR is uniquely positioned to help leaders build a strong business case for change, identify patterns, and support accountability through better documentation and strategy. She also shares practical ways leaders can strengthen their partnership with HR, from tying behavior to performance to using workplace data and creating consistent consequences for harmful conduct. Tune in to learn how intentionally partnering with HR can help leaders reduce organizational risk and build a healthier, more accountable work culture. About Dr. Renee Thompson: Dr. Renee Thompson is a leading authority on creating healthy work cultures by eliminating bullying and incivility in healthcare. With more than 31 years of experience as a clinical nurse, educator, quality manager, and…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Renee Thompson
Topics covered
- workplace culture
- HR involvement
- disruptive behavior
- bullying
- accountability
- organizational risk
Keywords
- HR
- workplace culture
- bullying
- disruptive behavior
- accountability
- medical errors
- turnover
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Healthy Workforce Institute
More episodes of Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare, One Cup at a Time
- EP. 141: Q&A with Renee: How Leaders Address Disrespect, Feedback Resistance, and Workplace Culture · June 10, 2026 · 28 min
- EP. 140: Bringing Human Connection Back to Healthcare · June 3, 2026 · 43 min
- EP. 139: How to Use Employee Survey Data to Improve Workplace Culture · May 27, 2026 · 22 min
- EP. 138: How Healthcare Leaders Build a Healthy Work Culture That Lasts · May 20, 2026 · 24 min
- Creating a Positive Nursing Work Environment That Improves Retention · May 13, 2026 · 38 min
- EP. 136: From Fixer to Leader: How to Empower Your Team Without Burning Out · May 6, 2026 · 46 min
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