Trust

There is a dental  practice I know in the north of England which has taken on a new team member.

Everything seems to be going well – I am hearing good things about this lady and then I receive a phone call.

In two weeks the trust of this team member has been lost.

The practice has a confidentialily agreement on pay. This lady has told one or two team members what she is earning and this has caused serious issues for the practice.

Morale has hit a low and the practice manager now feels that she cannot trust this team member. Before the practice says goodbye to this lady I advised the following:

1. Hold an investigatory meeting
2. Explain what has happened
3. Ask why this happened
4. Ask the person in question how they would now be feeling in they were the PM?
5. Ask the team member what should be done next.

We may know the answers but it is important to pass the questions over to the team member.

This practice doesnt keep team members for the sake of it.

One point I made straight away is that you have to sit down and discuss this with the team member rather than ending their trial contract immediately. You never know what has happened. This lady may have been tricked into discussing her pay, or someone may have seen a payslip. You never know.

As the trust the PM has in this team member has immediately vanished, it is important that if there is a valued reason for this breach, that the team member does not lose trust in her leaders if she is to continue to work there.

Trust is quickly lost but takes a long time to earn.

Laura