EP. 138: How Healthcare Leaders Build a Healthy Work Culture That Lasts
From Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare, One Cup at a Time by Healthy Workforce Institute
May 20, 2026 · 24 min
About this episode
Dr. Renee Thompson discusses how healthcare leaders can build a sustainable work culture by addressing incivility and disruptive behaviors.
A healthy workforce does not happen by accident. It is built through honest conversations, shared ownership, and consistent action. In this solo episode of Coffee Break, Dr. Renee Thompson focuses on incivility as a critical precursor to worsening workplace behaviors and potential workplace violence. Using a powerful, true story of a nurse whose unaddressed behavioral issues escalated from simple eye-rolling to physical aggression against a charge nurse, Renee highlights a pattern where leaders often ignore low-level disruptions because they are tired or overwhelmed. She breaks down actionable strategies to stop this cycle early, including the "72-hour rule" for feedback, creating a behavioral compact, and shifting culture from a leadership burden to a shared team responsibility. Tune in to learn how to address disruptive behaviors in the moment, equip your frontline leaders, and build a sustainable culture of mutual respect. 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 executive…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Renee Thompson
Topics covered
- workplace culture
- bullying
- incivility
- leadership
- healthcare
- team responsibility
Keywords
- workplace culture
- bullying
- incivility
- leadership
- healthcare
- disruptive behaviors
- 72-hour rule
- behavioral compact
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
- 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
- EP. 135: Real-Time Listening: The Key to Reducing Turnover and Rebuilding Culture · April 29, 2026 · 44 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare, One Cup at a Time podcast page.