Compared with my peers, I may appear to be a little “silly” for the reason that I lack plenty of common senses and social skills. Over the years living away from my parents, I have successfully become emotionally and financially independent. However, it is far from enough in order to lead a comfortable and easy life. This means that people should build wide social networks to draw upon others’ ideas and get easy access to information and resources, which is what I should pursue in the coming future. My attitude towards social relation has altered gradually as I tend to acknowledge the saying, namely, “No one is an island”, which is true.
Here to record some principles in the workplace that I have learnt recently:
1. Decline patients with tactics and never tell them unnecessary details.
For instance, if certain time in the appointment book cannot be scheduled for patients to have treatments, say nothing else but “Sorry, the options during this time have already been fully booked”. This is a very clear and simple response which can save each other’s time and most importantly, customers have no need to know what is happening in reality.
2. Always put personal safety in the first place and do not bring oneself unnecessary trouble.
Once, a caller inquired from the very beginning whether my clinic can issue medical certificates and I responded that “Sure! If our existing patients have such requirements based on their actual physical conditions, our doctor can provide related service as proof.” Fortunately, Michael heard this call timely and let me reject the potential patient immediately to avoid any possible risks as such type of inquirers who have dishonest ideas should not be given doors.
3. Do not lose long-time built trust which can be ruined through a single case.
This May I am flying back to China to enjoy a two-week holiday. Actually, I would like to apply for leave a month in advance but stupid me had forgotten about it until there were only three weeks left. By the time I told Michael, he got very unhappy and disappointed saying I was supposed to give him enough time to look for a temporary helper and in this scenario, he may have to find a new reception to replace me. I did not complain a word because it was my own bad. Instead, I sent a letter to him to express my sincere apology and promise to stick to my work until finishing the handover smoothly. To my astonishment, a couple of days later, Michael said that he will manage to arrange the work during my absence and I can stay longer if I want. Many thanks, Michael! Learning from the past, I will give efforts to develop empathy and consider things from a viewpoint of others as a mature adult.
