From self-employed to employee
QUESTION: Masters, I am working for a boss rather than in private practice for the first time in years. I feel anxious that I am being asked to do too much, that I am being ‘put down’ and that there is a lot of resentment in the workplace. How do I differentiate between what of this is my own old patterns manifesting and what is the boss’s? Can I make this employment relationship a happy and respectful one? ~Catherine, Australia
ANSWER: You are your own worst enemy. You have so many expectations of how the business should be run, based on the way you have run your own in the past, that you think you know what is best for your boss and what the other employees should do and how they should treat you. When someone is responsible for the work ethic of a team of employees, they expect the same type of effort by all the employees.
Based on the performance of past workers, your boss knows what each should be capable of. You used to spend more time with clients than this business allots to each. This makes you think that the boss is making unreasonable demands when that is not the case. The other employees think you are snooty and don’t want to see as many people as they do. They equate your behavior with a standoffish superiority.
When someone is paying you to work for them, you have to follow their rules and regulations or it will never be comfortable for either one of you. To “fit in” and feel a part of the organization, you must learn what is expected. If you do not like their way of doing business, look elsewhere.
Watch the way the other employees handle their clients and see if you want to adapt to the same structure. The other workers have never run their own business and do not understand that there are many ways to deal with clients. The choice is yours if you want to comply with the expectations of the boss or not.