A new nurse manager has observed several instances of horizontal violence between staff members on her unit, primarily verbal abuse and malicious gossip. What should she do?

A. Confront the bullying behavior and discuss strategies for responding to it. Effective leadership requires immediate and direct intervention to stop lateral violence and maintain a safe environment. Discussing strategies empowers staff to recognize and reject toxic interactions. Addressing the issue early prevents the normalization of verbal abuse within the unit culture. B. Keep a log of observed bullying behavior to discuss during the employees' annual evaluation. Delaying feedback until an annual review allows the toxic culture to persist and escalate over time. Immediate corrective action is necessary to protect staff well-being and maintain patient safety standards. Annual evaluations are for performance development, not for managing acute behavioral crises. C. Ignore it because it is not physical violence and will not hurt anyone. Verbal abuse and malicious gossip cause significant psychological distress and decrease professional collaboration. Horizontal violence is linked to increased medical errors, burnout, and high staff turnover rates. Ignoring non-physical bullying validates the behavior and undermines the manager's authority and unit morale. D. Model this bullying behavior so that staff can see how it affects people. Mimicking unprofessional behavior violates ethical leadership standards and worsens the existing conflict. Managers must model professional communication and emotional intelligence to set the standard for the unit. Using bullying as a teaching tool creates a hostile work environment and invites litigation.