Sometimes we can get acclimated to a job’s dysfunction and don’t recognize signs that it’s time to leave. We’re like the proverbial frog in the pot of water who doesn’t jump out when the temperature keeps rising. An outsider’s perspective can help us see what’s truly happening at our workplaces. Dermatologists, here’s a symptom tracker to help you diagnose a dysfunctional job.
Your office is severely understaffed with no plan for growth or new hires.
In this economic climate, offices of any size in any profession are rarely fully staffed for any length of time. Even fully staffed offices have to adjust when staff members are on vacation, or on medical or maternity leave. A shortfall of a single staff member can have ripple effects on a medical office, particularly when that staff member provides patient care. Continuity matters! Hiring replacement staff in medicine is even more challenging due to a workforce shortage.
How do you know when staffing issues may be egregious? You have cause for concern when staffing levels are so low that you can no longer provide quality patient care, or when there is no plan or action taken by leadership to recruit. It’s one matter for leadership to proclaim a desire to fill an open position, but it’s another matter to take action on that desire. Is the position publicly posted on job sites that would reach quality applicants? Has your practice hired a recruiter? Has leadership held interviews with applicants? Sometimes hiring is out of a practice’s control. Perhaps the practice is located in an undesirable location of the country or the need comes at a time when availability is low. However, if you have noticed your practice is not taking a proactive stance to hiring, then it may be time for you to look elsewhere.
The office morale is consistently low.
Office morale in medicine can be low due to the nature of the challenges of the job – grumpy patients and frustrating insurance companies, to name a few. And the challenges of providing medical care in a pandemic can have an especially negative impact on morale.
Office morale can get low at times – that’s normal – but what is abnormal is if it doesn’t rebound. All businesses have busy seasons or seasons where showing up to work each day is more of a duty than a joy. That’s work. But if low morale becomes the norm – and practice leadership does not take any action to address consistently low morale – then it may be time to move on.
Your family is greatly suffering from your poor work-life balance.
No one’s work-life balance is perfect. As the demands of our lives change over time we have to continually flex to create a balance that honors both our professional and personal selves. There will be seasons where we’ll have to put more time and effort into our work, and there will be seasons where our personal lives demand more focus.
The issue comes when we can no longer return to equilibrium. Maybe you don’t remember what balance looks like or your relationships with your family members are deeply suffering. If you find management is continually challenging the boundaries you have set for work-life balance, it may be time to craft a different future.
Office communication is primarily gossip, negative and not empowering.
Communication from management is a key component to office morale, especially in challenging times, but effective employee communication is not a given. In smaller medical practices, management’s personality may influence the how and when of employee communication. Is leadership open and welcoming, or quiet and private? There are pros and cons to how much management should share with employees, but a lack of official communication will cause news to flow in other ways, particularly through gossip. If the best way you can find out what’s happening in your practice is through gossip and not official communication from your leaders, it may be time for a change.
Besides gossip, office communication that’s negative or discouraging is also a red flag, whether communication is official or not. You should feel a sense of emotional safety at your workplace. (At the very least your workplace shouldn’t rival The Hunger Games.) If you don’t feel safe, consider leaving.
Your input isn’t valued.
It’s easy to think that our suggestions are always best. But people – especially management – may have different perspectives and give weight to different matters than we do. Reconsider your workplace when your input isn’t valued at all, when you have no mechanism to provide feedback, or your relationships with leaders aren’t strong enough to have an honest and open dialogue.
You’re forced to operate in ways that violate your personal ethics.
This is where the rubber meets the road. All the other symptoms may be tolerable to a certain extent, but if management is asking you to practice in ways that are undesirable, unethical, or even illegal, then it’s time to take action. What are especially concerning are matters of fraud, including performing unnecessary procedures. If you’re asked to work in a way that puts the future of your career at risk or violates your personal ethics, then consider a new role.
If you have any of the above symptoms, schedule a meeting with your supervisor to go over your concerns and collectively figure out if there is a remedy before you jump ship. It very well may be that workable solutions exist that can address your concerns and restore your perspective on your workplace. If not, perhaps it’s time you explored what jobs and opportunities are out there that may be a better fit for you, including the Dermatology Authority Job Board.
