u/Dazzling-Attempt-499

Overall, I think leadership needs to see the employee feedback but they need to also take responsibility for things going wrong and in a good faith effort make attempts to make things better.

There is no all employee survey again this year (which I’ve found is used to gaslight people anyway) but facilities can do a different type of survey.

Originally, I thought it would be good to do a survey but does it do more good or more harm if you run a survey and leadership brushes it off? Or just decides that people are just negative?

I see a lot of “well you have to give me suggestions on how to fix it not just complain.” And I get that just ranting is not helpful. However, pointing out poo leadership and how it is affecting everyone IS feedback the problem is that they aren’t able to see that THEY are the problem and they need to work on their leadership. If you are a good leader you’re able to ask more questions to get the feedback to find the real issues or help people get to solutions. You can’t just say “ok but you have no suggestions so you’re just negative.” Ok well take some time, ask some open ended questions, and be curious about their concerns and you may find that conversation leads to a solution.

The only people is leaders in the VHA don’t want feedback, ideas, or solutions. They want compliance, loyalty, and obedience. If you’re not willing be to sugar coat things or blow smoke it their ass you are a problem to them.

Anyway, what is worse, not asking for the feedback at all? Or asking but then dismissing it?

All of the things designed to protect employees do nothing. EEO, OIG, OWP, or OSC all act like they care about fraud waste and abuse but nothing actually gets done.

It doesn’t matter if it is patient safety, harassment, bullying, even financial fraud it gets ignored or sits in “investigation” status forever meanwhile retaliation occurs and there are no real protections.

Meanwhile the ELT ignores the issue or pretends to be surprised by unethical or unprofessional behaviors. There is not real accountability and ELT cannot even talk to each other and cannot make a decision to save their life. If you bring up a concern or a problem you are now the problem and they won’t fire you but they will do everything and anything to make your work life miserable until you quit.

Thankfully the Veterans love our facility because we have so many good people who work so hard and really care about their job. So they don’t see the corruption and bad leadership. Unfortunately that is leading to the very best people leaving but it doesn’t matter because leadership thinks (and they have said this out loud so it’s not hyperbole) that “everyone is replaceable if they don’t like it they can leave.” They can feel that way if they want but when you keep losing providers and nurses and it takes about a year plus to get a new one in it’s not that replaceable is it. Then the Veterans get passed around provider to provider with no continuity.

Many people are rude and nasty when you try to work with them or ask basic questions. Education is non existent and process improvement is treated like a dirty tissue.

There are wonderful people too I want to make that clear but none of them are in charge.

Anyway this is half a rant and half what else can employees do when the systems and offices there to protect them against harassment and corruption when the offices and policies there to protect constantly fail them?