Discouraging Gossip Among Your Dental Staff

Gossip in the workplace is a growing problem. In fact, it’s not uncommon for employees to spread rumors about one another as well as the regular patients you see in your office. We’ve found that this problem is much more prevalent in offices where employees feel as though they’re out of the loop. If we’re lacking information, it’s normal to try and fill that gap in with rumors. This is why it’s so important to keep open lines of communication in your dental practice.

Gossiping In The Workplace

Many dentists decide only to tell their employees the things that will directly affect them. However, every decision that a dentist makes for the practice will affect your employees. Keep your staff up-to-date about things that are going on and they’ll feel less of a need to make assumptions.

Other times, a lack of accountability will result in gossiping, and backbiting among the employees. Employees may begin to turn on one another or start conflicts if they perceive that the other employees have a lack of accountability. Comments and judgments about a certain staff member may begin to arise and much damage can be done to the image of your practice if this gossip takes place within hearing range of patients.

Gossiping in the workplace will take time away from tasks that need to be done, calls that need to be made, and patients that deserve undivided attention. If it’s not stopped, this harmful gossiping can devastate the effectiveness of your individual staff members as well as the team as a whole.

Putting A Stop To The Gossip

Below are a few simple ways to get your staff back on track and keep the rumors at bay:

• Put Expectations In Writing – Your office policy manual should include a code of conduct. This should cover many areas, including policies of professionalism and ethics, which outline appropriate office behavior, and the individual responsibilities of each staff member. Let your staff know that rumors and gossip won’t be tolerated and begin instituting performance evaluations to discuss these issues.
• Encourage Your Staff To Take A Stand – Let your employees know that you expect them to stand up against gossip and hold one another accountable. If your staff comes to you with proof of gossip and rumors, let the employees know that they will receive a warning.
• Let Gossipers Know That You’re Not Interested – Encourage your employees not to engage in rumors and gossip. If they are confronted with these types of conversations, teach them that it’s ok to say that they aren’t comfortable talking about others. While there isn’t a successful policy to completely eliminate rumors and gossip, you can create a culture within your dental practice that will not tolerate it.

It’s important that your staff is able to work together to provide the best possible care for your patients. For more tips on how to keep your practice running smoothly, please contact Pro Dental Designs today.