We have previously touched on the ways a divorce can hurt your medical or dental practice. However, there are two ways in which divorce can affect your business that we have not discussed: your company’s reputation and your employees relationships.
When it comes to business reputation, doctors typically only need to worry in the most extreme divorce cases. Divorces are often contentious. However, with divorce being so common, many of your patients will be able to relate. Even those who cannot are often still sympathetic. If you are going through a divorce, you should not have to worry too much about patient retention. Whether you are performing cellulaze treatment in Chevy Chase MD, or pediatrics in Philadelphia, or Voluma in Washington DC your patients are coming to you because of your capabilities as a doctor, not as a spouse. However, you should be wary in particularly difficult divorces, of spouses intentionally trying to harm your practice’s reputation. Angry ex-spouses may try to hurt your business by posting anonymous nasty reviews, especially if your former spouse feels he/ she is entitled to revenue from your practice and gets nothing. There are legal routes you can take in such an instance, but it is best to safeguard against such dangers in the first place. Consulting with an online reputation management firm, like this online reputation management firm in Washington DC, can help protect your practice’s good name.
If you are undergoing a divorce, you should speak frankly with your employees about the future. Explain to your employees that your medical practice is a business and you do not at all intend to close its doors. Your employees are likely worried about job security, especially if they specialize in a treatments such as clear and brilliant laser in Washington DC or Voluma in Washington DC, and there are few other businesses that employ such specialists in the area. Even before you announce your divorce, your employees likely know already, having seen your email, divorce lawyer invoices, or even heard an exchange between you and your spouse. Your partners will likely also be concerned, wondering how the practice’s financial information will be disclosed. The more forthcoming you are about the situation, the more likely you are to gain the respect and support from your peers and employees.
There are instances where a doctor may have to sell his or her medical practice, however this is often not the case. If you are divorcing and worried about your professional reputation, remember it is best to be honest. Many clients and employees will be sympathetic, and likely respect you for your honesty. Keeping a business afloat during a difficult personal time is no easy task, and your ability to do so will likely earn the respect of your clients and coworkers.