How Should Practice Managers Give Constructive Feedback Without Coming Across as a Bully?

Medical Answer

Constructive feedback should be specific, professional, job-related, and focused on what needs to change. Practice managers can hold employees accountable without humiliating, threatening, belittling, or intimidating them.

Constructive feedback should answer three questions:

• What happened?
• What should have happened instead?
• What needs to change going forward?

The difference usually comes down to how the message is delivered. Address the behavior or performance issue rather than attacking the employee personally. Explain the expected standard, give examples when needed, allow the employee to respond, and clearly identify what improvement looks like. Employees should also be open to appropriate feedback and willing to change behavior when legitimate concerns are raised.

Holding Employees Accountable Is Not Bullying

Practice managers sometimes become hesitant after hearing complaints about workplace bullying.

They wonder: “Can I still correct employees?” Absolutely.

Managers have legitimate responsibilities to:

• Establish performance expectations
• Assign work
• Enforce deadlines
• Correct mistakes
• Coach employees
• Apply workplace policies
• Address attendance
• Conduct performance reviews
• Use corrective action when appropriate

The problem isn’t that you’re providing feedback. The issue is how you’re doing it.

Constructive Feedback Focuses on Behavior

One of the easiest ways to keep feedback professional is to describe something the employee did, rather than something you believe the employee is.

Avoid: “You’re careless.”

Use: “Three claims were submitted this week without the required authorization information.”

Avoid: “You’re rude.”

Use: “During the conversation with the patient, your voice became louder and you interrupted her several times.”

Avoid: “You’re lazy.”

Use: “The daily reconciliation has been completed after the deadline four times this month.”

Behavior can be changed. Personality labels usually make employees defensive.

Be Specific

Vague feedback isn’t particularly useful.

Imagine telling an employee: “You need to communicate better.”

The employee leaves your office wondering: What exactly am I supposed to do differently?

Instead: “When a payer issue will delay credentialing, notify me the same day rather than waiting until our weekly meeting.”

Now the employee knows the expected action. Use: Behavior → Impact → Expected Change

Explain Why the Issue Matters

Employees are more likely to understand feedback when they understand the consequence. For example:

“When patient phone messages don’t include a callback number and reason for the call, the clinical team has to search for information before responding, which delays the patient’s call back.”

Now the employee understands: What Went Wrong → Why It Matters → What Needs to Change

That is much more effective than: “Your messages aren’t good enough.”

Correct Privately When Appropriate

Public humiliation can quickly turn legitimate feedback into a destructive management experience. If an individual employee needs correction, consider whether the conversation should happen privately.

Avoid standing at the front desk and announcing: “How many times do I have to tell you how to do this correctly?” in front of others.

There may be situations where an immediate safety or operational issue has to be addressed on the spot. But detailed corrective feedback can often wait for a private conversation.

Don’t Use Embarrassment as a Management Tool

Some managers believe embarrassment motivates employees: “If I call her out in front of everyone, she’ll never make that mistake again.”

Maybe. She may also:

• Stop asking questions
• Hide mistakes
• Avoid you
• Become afraid to make decisions
• Start looking for another job

In a medical practice, employees need to feel comfortable saying:

• “I think I made a mistake.”
• “I’m not sure about this.”
• “Can you check this before I submit it?”

Humiliation can suppress exactly the communication you want.

Watch Your Tone

The words may be appropriate while the delivery isn’t.

Compare: “I need these reports completed by Friday.”

with: “If you don’t get these reports done by Friday, I don’t know why I even keep you here.”

Same deadline. Very different message. Constructive feedback doesn’t require excessive softness. It requires professionalism.

Being Direct Is Not the Same as Being Aggressive

Practice managers often have limited time but you can be direct without being aggressive.

Direct: “We’ve discussed the scheduling errors before. I need you to verify the appointment type before finalizing every appointment.”

Aggressive: “I don’t understand how you keep screwing this up.”

The first is clear. The second is personal and demeaning.

Don’t Use Sarcasm

Sarcasm is particularly risky because managers sometimes think they’re being funny. Examples:

• “Nice of you to finally show up.”
• “Apparently reading the procedure is too difficult.”
• “Maybe next time we’ll get lucky and you’ll remember.”

Employees may hear: Humiliation while the manager thinks: Humor. Don’t make employees interpret whether an insult was “just a joke.”

Avoid Absolute Statements

Be careful with phrases like:

• “You always…”
• “You never…”
• “Every single time…”

These statements tend to trigger arguments over exceptions.

Instead: “Three of your last five patient messages were missing the patient’s reason for calling.” Now you’re discussing observable information.

Give Feedback Close to the Event

Waiting six months to say: “You’ve been doing this wrong all year.” is frustrating for everyone.

When practical, provide feedback close enough to the event that:

• The situation is still clear.
• The employee can connect feedback to behavior.
• The mistake can be corrected before it becomes habitual.

Don’t save every concern for the annual review. Employees should generally know how they’re doing before they read their evaluation.

Let the Employee Respond

Constructive feedback isn’t necessarily a monologue. After explaining the concern, ask: “Can you walk me through what happened?”

You may discover:

• The employee misunderstood the process.
• Training was incomplete.
• Instructions were inconsistent.
• The EHR workflow created a problem.
• Another employee gave incorrect information.
• The employee genuinely made a mistake.

Listening doesn’t eliminate accountability. It helps you address the right problem.

Ask Whether the Problem Is Skill or Will

This can be useful when an employee repeatedly struggles.

Ask: Does the employee know how to do the job? or: Do they know but aren’t doing it?

If the issue is skill: Training may help.

If the issue is willingness or accountability: Performance management may be necessary.

Don’t discipline someone for not knowing something they were never properly trained to do.

Be Clear About the Expected Improvement

Don’t end the conversation with: “Just do better.” Specify the expectation.

For example:

“Beginning tomorrow, verify the patient’s insurance information before every scheduled procedure and document the verification in the designated EHR field.”

Now both manager and employee understand what success looks like.

Set a Follow-Up Date

Constructive feedback should have an ending. Tell the employee when you’ll revisit the issue.

For example: “Let’s review this again in two weeks and see whether the error rate has improved.”

This communicates: I expect improvement + I’m going to notice improvement

instead of: Here’s criticism. Good luck.

Recognize Improvement

If you only speak to employees when something is wrong, they may begin to associate your presence with criticism. When behavior improves, acknowledge it. You don’t need a celebration.

Something as simple as: “I’ve noticed the patient messages have been much more complete this week. Thank you for making that adjustment.” reinforces the expected behavior.

Give Feedback Consistently

Employees notice when one person is corrected while another gets away with the same behavior.

If your favorite employee can:

• Arrive late
• Snap at coworkers
• Miss deadlines

while others are disciplined, your feedback process will lose credibility.

Consistency doesn’t mean treating every situation identically. It means applying the same basic expectations fairly.

Don’t Give Feedback When You’re Angry

Sometimes the best management decision is to wait. If you’ve just discovered a major mistake and you’re furious, your first instinct may be: “Get in my office right now.”

If immediate intervention isn’t necessary for patient safety or operations, give yourself enough time to become professional and focused.

You want the conversation to solve the problem. Not simply communicate how angry you are.

Don’t “Save Up” Every Complaint

The opposite can happen too. A manager avoids uncomfortable conversations for months.

Eventually, something minor happens and they unload: “And another thing…and another thing…and remember what you did three months ago?”

That’s overwhelming and unfair. Address issues as they occur. One focused conversation is much easier for an employee to respond to than six months of accumulated resentment.

Separate Coaching From Discipline

Not every feedback conversation needs to feel like formal discipline. Sometimes: “Here’s what happened and here’s how to do it differently next time.” is enough. Other situations require:

• Verbal counseling
• Written warning
• Performance improvement
• Formal discipline

Your employees should understand when a conversation is: Coaching versus: Formal Corrective Action. That reduces confusion.

Don’t Threaten Employees

Avoid statements such as:

• “There are plenty of people who would love your job.”
• “Keep this up and you’ll be out of here.”
• “If I were you, I’d start worrying.”

If formal consequences are warranted, communicate them professionally. For example:

“We’ve discussed this issue twice. Continued failure to follow the procedure may result in additional corrective action under our policy.”

Clear doesn’t have to mean threatening.

What About Tight Deadlines?

Deadlines themselves aren’t bullying.

Medical practices sometimes operate under real time pressure. You may legitimately need to say: “This has to be completed today.”

The management question is whether expectations are:

• Clear
• Realistic
• Consistently communicated
• Supported with the resources employees need

Repeatedly giving an employee impossible assignments and then humiliating them for failing is very different from managing a legitimate deadline.

What About Micromanaging?

Managers sometimes become overly controlling because they don’t trust the employee’s work. If you find yourself checking:

• Every email
• Every task
• Every phone call

ask why. Maybe the employee genuinely requires closer supervision because of performance problems.

If so, explain that: “Because we’ve had repeated errors in this area, I’m going to review these submissions with you for the next two weeks.”

Now the increased oversight has a clear reason and endpoint. Unexplained constant scrutiny can feel arbitrary or punitive.

Don’t Correct Employees Differently Because You’re Frustrated With Them

Managers are human. You may have an employee who repeatedly frustrates you.

But if one employee receives: Calm private feedback and another receives: Eye rolling + Sarcasm + Public criticism for the same type of problem, you have a management consistency issue.

Your tone should be based on the situation—not how much you personally like the employee.

Why Managers Need Feedback Training

Many managers were promoted because they were excellent at their previous role. Then suddenly they’re responsible for managing employees.

Technical expertise doesn’t automatically teach someone how to:

• Give corrective feedback
• Handle conflict
• Coach performance
• Delegate
• Address difficult behavior

Management is a separate skill set. Investing in manager training can help prevent a forceful management style from becoming intimidating or ineffective.

Real Practice Example

A practice manager discovers that a front desk employee repeatedly forgets to collect copays.

Poor feedback: “What is wrong with you? We’ve talked about this a million times. Everyone else can remember. Why can’t you?”

The employee leaves embarrassed and defensive.

Better feedback: “I reviewed yesterday’s encounters and found four patients whose copays weren’t collected even though the system showed an amount due. We’ve discussed checking the payment alert before completing check-in. Starting today, I need you to verify that alert for every patient. We’ll review your collection report together next week.”

The employee may not enjoy hearing it. Constructive feedback isn’t supposed to be enjoyable.

But the message is: Specific + Professional + Actionable

Can Corrective Feedback Be Considered Workplace Bullying?

Legitimate performance management isn’t automatically workplace bullying simply because an employee dislikes receiving criticism. Managers have a responsibility to address performance and conduct problems.

Problems arise when feedback becomes repeated:

• Humiliation
• Personal attacks
• Threats
• Intimidation
• Ridicule
• Deliberate undermining

Focus your feedback on legitimate workplace expectations and deliver it professionally.

What If an Employee Says My Feedback Feels Like Bullying?

Don’t immediately respond: “That’s ridiculous.” Ask what specifically felt inappropriate. Then review:

• What did I say?
• Where did I say it?
• What was my tone?
• Was the feedback job-related?
• Was the expectation reasonable?
• Would I communicate the same way with another employee?

The employee may disagree with legitimate feedback. Or the conversation may reveal something about your management style worth improving.

Should Managers Give Positive Feedback Too?

Yes.

Employees need to know what they’re doing correctly as well as what needs improvement.

Positive feedback can also reinforce specific behaviors: “Your documentation on those patient calls has been much more complete this week. That’s exactly what we need.”

That’s more useful than: “Good job.”

Constructive Feedback Checklist

Before giving corrective feedback:

☐ Identify the specific behavior or performance issue
☐ Gather relevant facts
☐ Remove personality judgments
☐ Determine whether the conversation should be private
☐ Explain what happened
☐ Explain why it matters
☐ State the expected behavior
☐ Allow the employee to respond
☐ Determine whether additional training is needed
☐ Set a realistic improvement expectation
☐ Explain consequences when appropriate
☐ Avoid yelling or sarcasm
☐ Avoid public humiliation
☐ Avoid unnecessary threats
☐ Document significant performance discussions appropriately
☐ Establish a follow-up date
☐ Recognize improvement when it occurs
☐ Apply expectations consistently

Bottom Line

Practice managers can be direct, demanding, and accountable without being intimidating or demeaning.

Constructive feedback focuses on: Behavior → Impact → Expectation → Improvement

You don’t need to avoid difficult conversations. You need to conduct them well. Be specific. Be professional. Give employees a chance to respond. Explain what improvement looks like. Then follow up.

The goal isn’t to make every performance conversation comfortable. It’s to make sure the employee leaves knowing what needs to change and how to succeed, rather than simply feeling attacked.

Key Takeaways

• Being a strong manager does not require being intimidating.
• Address specific behavior or performance, not the employee’s personality.
• Explain what standard wasn’t met and what needs to change.
• Give corrective feedback privately when appropriate.
• Avoid yelling, humiliation, insults, sarcasm, or threats.
• Don’t criticize an employee publicly simply to “make an example” of them.
• Give employees an opportunity to explain what happened.
• Make expectations realistic and clear.
• Follow up so employees know whether they’re improving.
• Apply standards consistently across employees.
• Don’t confuse appropriate performance management with workplace bullying.
• Train newly promoted supervisors in communication and feedback skills.

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