Clearly define patient-staff communication expectations

Make sure employees clearly understand your practice's patient-staff communication standards. Spell out, for instance, whether staffers should give their names when answering the phone and how your receptionist should handle incoming calls when she or he is addressing patient needs at the front desk. And tell them never to put a caller on hold without asking for-and receiving-permission.

If you think it's not your role to speak up when staffers exhibit rude behavior in your office, think again. As more workplaces "go casual," employees receive fewer obvious cues about appropriate, acceptable business behavior. They subconsciously look to you to set the proper tone.

Most importantly, teach staff never to respond in kind even if the patient is hostile or confrontational. Staffers need to recognize when they've gotten off on the wrong foot and when to say, "I can't help you; I'll get someone who can." Sometimes just handing off the interaction to a coworker can defuse an otherwise hostile situation.

Continual incivility isn't just a personal issue; it disrupts work patterns and diminishes the effectiveness of its targets and others. And it can lead to more intent, overt acts of workplace aggression.