Acknowledging the challenges of Professional Relationships in healthcare that contribute to work-based stress, and what you can do about it.

So often we hear that the causes of workplace stress in healthcare are due to unrealistic overworks, staff shortages, organisational change, time management issues, or stretched resources.

Along with working in a post-pandemic world where you are constantly playing catch up with clinical need, often on sicker patients and in bigger numbers.

Just as new innovations and demands on those already stretched resources inch their way into your day or service.   

What is less talked about as a contributor to workplace stress, is the impacts that poor quality professional relationships have on individual staff. Rectified we are told by improving communication and effective listening.

Whilst this continues to be a fact, the reality is often more complex.

There will be varied skills and levels of self -awareness amongst staff. Some people believe they are good listeners when actually they are not. How many times have you tried to put your point across, and you know the recipient is not really listening?

Perhaps they just ticked a box in the hearing you out stakes.

Listening to understand, is a whole different story to the more common listening to respond approach.

You’ll come across people that feel they have nothing to learn by improving their communication skills. Perhaps driven by ego or pride, discipline, culture, complacency, gender or past experiences. Even fear, that it might be seen as a weakness.

The traditional hierarchical structure of healthcare can cause imbalances in communication. Resulting in some staff in senior roles seeming oblivious to their communication style, and the impact they are having have on more junior team members.

Then there’s the emotional intelligence aspect, some of your colleagues may struggle with empathy, or lack that ability to read body language. Or pick up on the non-verbal cues that make you question what is not being said.  

Even the best relationships can falter in stressful situations, potentially leading to breakdowns in communication and the inevitable conflict.

As senior nurses and AHP’s you know all too well the consequences of these factors not being considered. From patient safety issues and poor outcomes and complaints. To reduced job satisfaction amongst staff who feel undervalued, not listened or disempowered.

You may be experiencing a loss of confidence or capability in these circumstances, that leaves you questioning your role, or your place in a team. Even to the point where you find yourself endorsing unacceptable behaviours by not taking any action, at the risk of repercussions.

Whilst you may be on the receiving end of these challenges, you are also likely to be the bridge in communication between individuals, disciplines or departments. So, it becomes even more important that you can manage your own emotions and expectations, and find solutions!

Human being are sociable animals, we value connection and a sense of belonging, of participation. In an organisation like the NHS, the strength of professional relationships can be the most valuable asset in managing work-based stress.

It is acknowledged that some of the problems are systemic, and the advice in the literature generally relates to adopting a collective responsibility to improvement. By building that supportive network in order to promote collaboration, address toxic behaviours, improve communication, and encourage empathy etc.

Yet this all takes time.

When it’s you that’s being affected, waiting for someone else to rectify the problem upstream in a policy might not be your best option.

So, what can you do as an individual? – Plenty!

🔸It’s time to really work on building your self-awareness. In my view this is singly the most important aspect.

🔸 Consider what part you play in the relationship - Are you unknowingly influencing it negatively in any way? Either by what you say, or what you don’t say, and just think.. It’s so easy to form assumptions about individuals based on your previous experiences or beliefs. 

🔸The next time you interact with that challenging person, and you get the same negative reaction, consider what happened just before it, for you, or for them that might have influenced your actions? Was there a sense of urgency, or not? What vocabulary did you choose?

🔸 Make the effort to understand other people’s perspectives on the relationship to encourage empathy. In the words of Steven Covey: “Seek first to understand, in order to be understood.”

🔸 Notice the other persons body language, and non-verbal cues. What will you do with that new information?

🔸 How else might you structure your questions or verbalise your needs?

🔸 What if you ditched the hostility and considered the value of those different relationships?

By acknowledging the multifaced nature of professional relationships, gives you a strong starting point as an individual in learning some strategies for your personal growth. The aim is not to find the perfect relationship with your colleague, we are all too fickle and different for that.

Making small consistent improvements however, builds significant changes over time, and its contagious.

Factor in that time and commitment at the beginning. To build trust, to think, to challenge your assumptions and perspectives, and to find solutions.

If you are prepared to put the time and effort in, then so am I.