How to eliminate gossip in your veterinary practice

Veterinary practices, like any business, struggle with suppressing office gossip. And while a little chitchat may seem harmless, it’s a force to be reckoned with. Gossip can ruin job satisfaction by causing team members to feel bullied or shut out. It can also hurt client relationships, as clients can sense team members’ negativity. Gossip can even affect the bottom line when morale falls so low that no one is focused on what’s important—the patient. So if gossip exists in your practice, it’s time to eliminate it once and for all. And here’s the resources to help you.

Take a dogged stance against gossip

  Establishing a no-gossip policy at your veterinary practice is as easy as one, two, three—steps. Hospital administrator Marie E. McNamara, MBA, CVPM, explains what they are and how you can implement them at your practice today.

Sample: No-gossip policy

  Every veterinary practice should include a no-gossip policy as part of its employee manual. And simply listing the phrase “No gossiping” under your personnel policies won’t cut it. To download a sample policy that spells it out,

click here

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Sample script: How to shut down a gossip

  Team members may understand that they aren’t supposed to gossip, but do they really know what to do when others start opening their mouths? Make sure team members are equipped to handle these situations by role-playing with them.

How to handle backlash from a no-gossip policy

  As a veterinary manager, it’s your duty to protect the team members who report policy violations. Find out the best way to protect their anonymity as well as prepare them for co-workers' negative feedback for "tattling."