What to do when trust has been breached in your practice

We've all experienced gossiping, missed deadlines, someone taking credit for another's work, and little white lies. These and other breaches of trust are commonplace. However, they do more damage in the medical practice than many practice managers realize. This article argues that medical practice employees need to trust their managers, patients, doctors, one another, and even the security of their jobs so they are able to focus on their daily tasks and perform well. It defines trust as both a logical and emotional act and describes common breaches of workplace trust. It defines three characteristics of high-trust organizations and illustrates through examples how practice managers can demonstrate their trustworthiness through their actions, not only through their words. This article also offers seven steps for rebuilding trust that has been breached. It offers readers two instruments: a survey tool practice managers can use to assess the trust in their practices and a self-quiz practice managers can take to assess their own trustworthiness. Finally, this article offers research about the impact of trust on the bottom line and 10 truths about trust that medical practice managers can share with their employees.