Whose job is it anyway?

I Stopped at my favorite local Starbuck’s today and things were jumping.  Could it be coffee for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day?  Nonetheless, after I placed my order I couldn’t help but overhear what sounded like a heated discussion between one of the baristas and the store manager, Erica.  The level of conversation was high and continued to escalate in spite of the crowds and cross-banter at the coffee bar that should have drowned it out.  I’m sure that not only could I hear the conversation, but I suspect many others could as well.

“She never picks up after herself”, said Trevor, “and with that she runs out the door as quickly as she can and the end of her shift and I never see her grab the garbage or do anything to help the rest of us. I’ve really had it with her. You need to address it as soon as possible.”

The body language was almost as interesting as the dialog, with Trevor leaning forward and Erica looking stunned with almost a glazed look in her eyes.  It appeared as though Erica was near tears and didn’t know how to respond.  I was hoping that with every word Trevor uttered she would be intentionally moving him toward the back room, but this never happened. With Trevor’s rambling, it was obviously difficult for her to get a word in, or move him away from the patrons at least. Erica was clearly very uncomfortable

My coffee was placed on the bar and as they called my name I grabbed it as I heard Erica say, “Okay, stay a little later with me and help me make a list of the things you want me to address with Stephanie. Is there anyone else that has similar issues with her?”

Whoa, really?, I thought to myself.  I see a couple of things here that are unacceptable and problematic at best.  Why not stop him right away noticing the crowd that had been forming in the store? Why not immediately take him to a quiet place for a moment so that others wouldn’t be privy to the conversation? And why oh why would you encourage this employee to continue his anger with you so publically? These aren’t your issues, they are between him and a fellow employee and should be resolved between them without any interaction from their managers, bosses or superiors.

My experience today reminded me of those I have witnessed while working in practices over the years. It’s the team members airing their issues and not always in the most healthy manner or most opportune time. It’s the dentist/employer who will stop and listen to this rhetoric getting much more engaged in the story than they should.

Have you established guidelines and very specific “language” in your practice culture overview or employee manual to manage issues of this nature?

Direct your employees to solve their own problems and become more self-sufficient, for if you continue to offer them a platform to vent, their problems will immediately become yours.