They’re stealing my workload

Q

I work with a group of people offering holistic health care. We sometimes run group sessions that we share. I’m getting a bit fed up with my colleagues, as they always rush to answer any email, even those from my clients. This can lead to them getting some additional work, which should be mine. I want to say something but I don’t want to fall out with any of them. Christina, London

A

Working collaboratively is never easy. It’s only trouble-free if there are clear agreed guidelines everyone adheres to. Without these, someone will break someone else’s rule, leaving that person feeling out of sorts. It

sounds like this is what is happening in your practice. The only way to resolve this is to call a meeting to discuss the distribution of work. Use it to put in guidelines for the future. Don’t use it to moan at others for what they’ve done, as this will just leave them defensive.

Once you have the agreements, it’s easy to refer to them if you think something is broken.

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