As an employer or manager, it is important to treat your employees with respect and kindness. This creates a positive work environment, helps to build trust and loyalty, and ultimately leads to a more productive workforce. However, it is also important to maintain a professional boundary with your employees and avoid crossing the line into friendship. Here are some tips on how to treat your employees with respect and kindness while maintaining professional boundaries.
Be respectful in your communication: Use respectful language and tone when communicating with your employees. Avoid using derogatory or offensive language and ensure that your tone is always professional.
Show appreciation: Show your employees that you appreciate their hard work and dedication. This can be done through verbal recognition or small gestures such as a thank you note or a small gift.
Set clear expectations: Set clear expectations for your employees and provide them with the necessary resources to achieve their goals. This helps to build trust and establishes a clear understanding of what is expected from both parties.
Be approachable: Make yourself approachable and available to your employees. Encourage open communication and be willing to listen to their concerns and feedback.
Maintain professionalism: While it is important to be kind and respectful, it is equally important to maintain professionalism in all interactions with your employees. Avoid sharing personal information or engaging in gossip.
Be fair: Treat all employees fairly and equally. Avoid showing favoritism or giving special treatment to certain employees.
Provide feedback: Provide regular feedback to your employees. This helps them to improve their performance and shows that you are invested in their growth and development.
Be consistent: Be consistent in your behavior and interactions with your employees. This helps to establish trust and reliability.
Respect personal boundaries: Respect your employees' personal boundaries and avoid getting too involved in their personal lives. While it is important to be supportive, it is also important to maintain professional boundaries.
Avoid socializing outside of work: While it may be tempting to socialize with your employees outside of work, it is important to maintain professional boundaries. Avoid inviting employees to social events or engaging in non-work-related activities together.
Common Mistakes to Avoid.
Showing favoritism: Treating certain employees more favorably than others can create a negative work environment and breed resentment among the team. It is important to treat all employees fairly and equally.
Micromanaging: Constantly monitoring and controlling every aspect of an employee's work can be demotivating and make them feel undervalued. It is important to provide employees with autonomy and trust them to do their job effectively.
Overpromising and underdelivering: Making promises to employees that you cannot keep, such as unrealistic deadlines or promotions, can lead to disappointment and a lack of trust.
Failing to communicate effectively: Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, confusion, and frustration among employees. It is important to communicate clearly, openly, and regularly with employees.
Not providing enough feedback: Failing to provide feedback on employee performance can leave them feeling uncertain about their progress and potential for growth. Regular feedback can help employees to improve their skills and performance.
Failing to lead by example: If managers do not demonstrate respect and kindness themselves, they cannot expect employees to do the same. It is important to lead by example and model the behavior that you expect from your employees.
Ignoring personal boundaries: It is important to respect employees' personal boundaries and not overstep them. Engaging in overly personal conversations or sharing personal information can make employees uncomfortable and negatively impact the work environment.[1]
Failing to recognize individual differences: Each employee is unique and has different needs and preferences. It is important to recognize and respect these differences and not treat employees as if they are all the same.
Challenges peculiar to the Doctor / Employee relationship?
It is difficult to generalize that doctors are particularly good or bad at treating their employees with respect and kindness, as this can vary depending on the individual doctor and the work environment, they are in. However, there are some factors that may contribute to the perception that doctors struggle with this aspect of leadership:
High-stress environment: The medical profession is known for its high-stress environment, with long hours, high patient loads, and intense pressure to provide the best care possible. This can lead to burnout and stress, which may impact a doctor's ability to communicate effectively and treat employees with kindness and respect. This challenge is exacerbated in private doctor owned businesses where the physician is not only responsible for patient care but also for all of the other challenges associated with running a business.
Hierarchy and power dynamics: In many healthcare organizations, doctors hold a position of power and authority over other staff members. This can create a power dynamic that can make it difficult for doctors to treat employees as valued colleagues. We see this dynamic spilling over into the private fee for service world regularly and its wise for physicians to monitor themselves recognising that non primary care businesses need to function differently from the hospital or primary care markets if they want to build good culture.
Emphasis on clinical skills over leadership skills: Medical education places a strong emphasis on clinical skills and knowledge, with less focus on leadership and management skills. This may mean that doctors are not as well equipped to manage employees as they are to provide medical care. If this is a challenge for you, consider hiring a qualified practice manager who is skilled in managing staff to meet your business and clinical needs while delivering premium customer service.
Time constraints: Doctors often have limited time to interact with employees due to their demanding workload. This can make it difficult for them to build relationships with their employees and demonstrate kindness and respect on a consistent basis.
It is important to note that these factors are not unique to the medical profession and can also impact leaders in other industries. However, it is essential for doctors and other healthcare leaders to recognize the importance of treating their employees with respect and kindness, as this can have a significant impact on the quality of care provided to patients, employee retention and the overall success of the organization.
[1] Crossing personal and professional lines is a very common mistake we see with many physician owner operated aesthetic practices. It almost always creates a challenging if not toxic environment and is one of the most common reasons we see employees looking elsewhere for employment.