Manager’s toxic gossip damages office morale
In the dental practice where I work, we have a new office manager who is rapidly demoralizing her staff. “Kelly” is a chronic gossip who constantly belittles employees behind their backs. She will have a negative conversation with one person about another, then turn around and tell the first one what the second one said.
As a dental hygienist, I am not directly involved with the administrative staff. However, they often share the comments that Kelly makes about their co-workers. In my 20 years here, I have never seen a manager like this. The dentist seems to have no clue about what’s happening. Is there anything I can do?
Participating in office gossip is the mark of an immature manager, but intentionally stirring up conflict escalates Kelly’s conduct to the level of toxic behavior. Good managers attempt to eliminate drama and divisiveness, not create it.
Unless an authority figure intervenes, people may soon begin leaving for more pleasant surroundings. Fortunately, however, your long history with the practice may put you in a position to help. After working with this dentist for two decades, you should have sufficient credibility to make him trust your account of Kelly’s shortcomings.
For example: “I’m becoming concerned about Kelly’s relationship with our administrative staff. She seems to enjoy spreading harmful gossip and publicly criticizing her employees. Because this is hurting morale, I’m afraid we might lose some valuable people. Could you talk with Kelly and explain that this is not proper management behavior?”
Unfortunately, private practice professionals frequently shrink from addressing performance issues, forgetting that they must also be responsible business managers. But hopefully your dentist will have a firm discussion with Kelly and then quickly replace her if this disruptive behavior continues.
After a recent reorganization, I was told that I would be moving to a different department. Although I can easily perform my new job, the duties are totally unrelated to my professional background. To make it worse, someone with much less experience has now assumed my previous responsibilities.
This change has been demoralizing. I really miss doing the work for which I was trained. In my former role, I felt that I was making a valuable contribution, but this position seems much less essential. What do you think I should do about this?
Your discomfort at being unexpectedly shoved out of your comfort zone is completely understandable. Reassigning employees without explanation is inexcusable, so your managers clearly need more leadership training.
On the positive side, perhaps they hope to use your skills and abilities in a new way, believing that you can add value in a different role. In that case, they need to articulate those expectations. But if management was somehow disappointed with your performance, then you need to understand their concerns.
Either way, it’s time to have a talk with your boss or human resources manager. Without complaining about your current job, explain that you’re confused about why you were relocated. Once you know the reason for this change, you should be better able to determine your next steps.