Constructive Resistance: Essential to Optimise Workplace Quality

Civility between colleagues is a key requirement of any productive workplace; incivility or uncivil behaviour undermines collegiality, contributes to discord and workplace disharmony, decreases morale and productivity, and increases staff absenteeism and attrition (Anderson et al. 2022; Jackson et al. 2024). Incivility, which includes negative and disrespectful behaviours such as unhelpfulness, sabotaging, dismissiveness, or ignoring personal boundaries, can occur vertically or horizontally, with nursing leaders, managers and colleagues alike identified as demonstrating such behaviours (Waschgler et al. 2013). Multiple papers have been written on the topic of incivility in nursing, including the reasons why it occurs and strategies to manage the associated behaviours.

In this editorial, we explore the constructive resistance sometimes used by nurses when faced with workplace incivility from those in leadership positions. Constructive resistance is posited as a means by which nurses can move forward positively and achieve better outcomes for themselves, the teams in which they work, and ultimately, patients, families and the broader community.