One of the most important things in my practice is to have a clinic environment where not only the personnel but also their families and patients respect. There are times where a patient might be furious and conduct his/her business with anger specially towards secretaries, due many reasons including pain, impatience, and fees. Sadly, some people have low respects towards some positions and employees. Secretaries are often the ones dealing with such people. After that are the assistants.
In my clinic I tried to create a system where everyone including the patients, personnel and their families have to have respect towards the workplace. That is the reason I don’t accept patients whom I see too pride to respect my personnel or have very low temper.
In other hand I also don’t like personnel to crack nasty jokes or make their relationships too shallow by acting irresponsibly and disrespectfully towards their work or other colleagues or each other.
A couple of days ago mother of one of the new employees wanted to come to the clinic and see where her daughter is working. I give the right to parents to worry and be curious if their children are working in a safe environment and I personally encourage them to come and see. this gives them a relief and peace of mind knowing their children are in a respective workplace.
However, despite me agreeing for her mother to come, I found out that particular mom just entered the clinic without introducing herself and even greeting the staff! In a particular incident even when our secretary asked her to wait for my approval before she enters the treatment rooms, without responding to her, she just looked for her daughter and entered the place.
I was furious for she didn’t consider even introducing herself and her behavior reflected how pride she was to consider even talking to our personnel. Though in her way out she realized my disappointment of her behavior I made sure her daughter knows the fault.
Since then, I started not attend to her and avoid her assisting me. Somehow, I made her feel rejection and disrespected. After 2 days she came and talked to me and I made it clear how her choice (not letting our personnel guide her mom and without any arrangement with the team she started to tour her mom around) and also her mother’s behavior had brought a negative image upon our other staffs and made them feel inferior.
My direct talk without hesitation and my sense of anger and bringing some of the personnel as witnesses, made her realize the place she is working currently is set to protect every member in the team. I myself as part of the managerial staff have to make sure respect is given to each one of our employees, especially the girls who at times are under much stress from the patients or the patient’s companions.
Though we are so grateful for having a very strong, team of employees where they gain their respect via their attitude and behavior, it is still my duty to protect them from any misjudgment and disrespect.
Finally, after realizing her mistake and apologies, she understood she is working in a place where respect goes both ways. And if she wants to survive here, she and her mom has to learn to behave respectively.
“When employees respect each other and get along in the workplace, it’s amazing how productivity increases, morale increases, and employees are more courteous to customers.” – Maureen Wild