Actual Case Study #55
"Let me Talk to Your Boss!"
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Dr. Meek seemed to be having some problems controlling some unapproved staff activities. About ready to pull his hair out, he struggles with what action to take to take control. If I fire them on the spot, I am out two staff people...THEN what do I do until I can find and train replacements?" He got way ahead of me with his talk of firing them - I asked him to start by giving me some facts.
He laid them out for me..."they set their own work hours; they schedule patients where and when they feel like it, they're on their cell phones throughout the day and when I try to correct them for something they've said on the phone, they jump all over me!" My first reaction to his complaints was..."The boss should know about this...let me talk to your boss!" Oh wait...you ARE the boss! Then why aren't YOU handling this?
We immediately sat down and discussed what was happening, but more importantly, WHY. Plain and simple - it was happening because it could. Staff should not be micromanaged or treated like little babies, but in the same vein, there needs to be management rules to live by! If rules are put in place, are fair across the board and properly enforced (e.g. consequences imposed for not following them), behaviors fall in place.
Dr. Meek's fear of firing staff is a real one. That's not to say that in some instances, dismissal is the right course of action, especially if the employee has stepped over to the "dark side" (theft, abuse, criminal conduct, willful violation or non-compliance, etc.) But, if they've been with you a while and have otherwise proven themselves a productive member of the team, shouldn't you want to salvage that relationship? Part of being a leader/manager/boss is to avoid overreacting; being honest - communicating. Firing them should never be the first response, especially if it is a reactionary one. For with it comes with very real consequences. Consider that being without that pair of hands is going to slow down production while simultaneously recruiting, hiring and training new personnel will cost anywhere from $10,000-$15,000 and upwards. Dr. Meek wanted a less drastic approach.
The first thing we needed to help him develop was a practice manual that not only included written policies dealing with every situation possible - but would lay down the rules and regulations of the practice, employee conduct, discipline and termination actions. Once that was completed,
enforcing
the policies required him to take a more assertive management role...again, he need not be a micro (nit-picking, breathing down your neck) type manager, but one who can deal with and control unacceptable behaviors as they occur. After all, what is the purpose of having a policy manual if no one will be executing it? I suppose if you had two of them, they could make pretty good bookends - but so would cookbooks!
We spoke earlier about communicating. It is essential to open the lines of communication with his staff and along with it, live up to the standards he set; in other words, be an example. If he never said anything to his staff about expected behavior, they won't know anything was wrong. As much as you might think staff have the power to read minds, they can't and if expectations are not first explained, they are not always so clear cut. I've talked to staff people all across the country and hear comments like, "Oh, my doctor doesn't care if we _____ (fill in the blank). S/He sees us doing that all the time, but s/he never says anything to us." In their mind, saying nothing is a form of approval. "Besides," they continue. "S/He does it too." I tell doctors all the time, don't expect them to follow the rules #1 - if there ARE none...and #2- if you don't follow them too!
I can't stress this enough. By creating an office manual, you can clarify employer and employee expectations and guidelines, outline job expectations and duties, reduce confusion, conflict and stress. Just think of it, with a rulebook such as this to set policy, you might actually step back into those boss shoes again...where you belong.
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