I am Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.
When building a profitable practice, you may encounter drama in the workplace. Watercooler gossip, hostile coworkers, incompetent bosses; they can all create drama in the workplace. These and other factors can make you feel uncomfortable. You practically can’t wait to accrue some personal time each month so you can call in sick and escape the emotional tension that hangs like an oppressive cloud over you and your coworkers. Take a deep breath. Calm your racing heart and mind. Imagine a reality where everyone you interact with on your job is a joy to deal with. Production is high and so is employee morale. Believe it or not, this can be your experience. Every workplace will have to deal with drama from time to time. While that’s a simple fact, you can limit the amount of drama you encounter, no matter your job type.
Follow this simple five step system and you can start enjoying more positive emotions at work:
1. Understand your position. Drama often occurs when people step outside of their realm of responsibility. Sometimes this is easy to do. You might have a coworker going through a dramatic situation and want to help. Before you know it, you’re sticking your nose and your opinion where they don’t belong. Clarify your role and the roles of others in the workplace and respect those boundaries.
2. Stop the gossip train. You might not gossip at work. You might not talk about other people in your personal life. Good for you. Gossip is almost always centered around bringing a person down. Someone hears a rumor, and they pass it along. The next person unintentionally, or on purpose, adds embellishments and the gossip train gets rolling. When you hear your coworkers gossiping, ask them where they got their information. Let them know you want no part of passing along half-truths and unfounded rumors. You can also stop associating with those few coworkers you know are often the source of gossip.
3. Document. It might not seem like a big deal if someone’s stealing lunches from the employee break room. You still need to document this issue. If it continues, people will try to guess who the culprit is. The finger pointing could lead to hurt feelings and even physical encounters. Anytime you see some workplace drama, document it. Take it to your boss. Share it with the Human Resources coordinator. Always keep a copy of this information to yourself to protect your position in the company.
4. Be clear and direct with your coworkers and bosses, or employees. Choose your words carefully. Watch how you deliver assignments. Make sure you’re not unconsciously presenting yourself in a way that might develop unearned drama. Be clear and direct with your communication, whether it’s face to face or in an email. Sometimes minimizing drama is as simple as not letting it develop.
5. Learn, grow and move on. We can learn lessons from positive and negative experiences. Drama in the workplace can teach us a lot about ourselves, employees or the company we work for. Take whatever lessons you can from the turmoil and tension on the job and then move on. Your career years from now could be advanced or damaged significantly, depending on how you manage drama on the job.
These are proven tactics to make a more comfortable and productive workplace. Use them, share them with your coworkers and management. They can help everyone look forward to going to work rather than dreading another dramatic day at the office.
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Drama can create a lot of conflict in the workplace. Check out this blog post for tips on resolving conflict with your coworkers or employees.
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I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/guide to pick up the free guide to help you determine the best business entity for your new practice.
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Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com
