Medical Office Manager

Managing staff

8 ways to make your meetings zoom by

By Lynne Curry If you dread meetings–attending them, hosting them–and long for meetings to become more than a necessary evil, you can make it happen. Not long ago, I hosted a two-day, 15-hour meeting that the 17 attendees said “zoomed by,” “was fun, kept me engaged the entire time,” and “made an hour seem like five minutes.” Here’s how we did it. 1. A “you” start We started … [Read more...] about 8 ways to make your meetings zoom by

Resignations: It’s not the pay, it’s people problems

By Lynne Curry It’s not the money driving the Great Resignation, in which 4.3 million employees quit their jobs in January, followed by another 4.4 million in February.1, 2 A major research project completed a couple of months ago makes this clear. The MITSloan Management Review researched 600 companies that had higher quit rates than their sector benchmark and assessed vast … [Read more...] about Resignations: It’s not the pay, it’s people problems

Helping your employees help Ukraine  

By Lynne Curry My inbox flooded when I challenged readers “are you brave?” writing about the woman who crashed Russia’s main state news broadcast to protest the Ukraine invasion, and then challenged employers with “what’s occurring in the Ukraine creates widespread grief. Are there ways you can channel your employees’ anger and sense of powerlessness by offering them avenues … [Read more...] about Helping your employees help Ukraine  

High at work: Anyone else smell that?

By Paul Edwards More often than you would think, we get calls from managers wondering what they can do about someone whom they think is impaired at work. When that happens, we immediately go into crisis control mode because, well, impairment at work is never acceptable. In this article, we are going to discuss impairment and odors from the perspective of marijuana … [Read more...] about High at work: Anyone else smell that?

Beware the Bermuda Triangle of workplace conflicts

By Lynne Curry We don’t always understand why we react to some people, nor they to us. Or why otherwise talented employees and supervisors get tangled in interpersonal messes that create toxic work environments. Over the years, when I’ve helped clients fix workplace conflicts, I’ve discovered some of the most challenging conflicts stem from drama triangle collisions. Like the … [Read more...] about Beware the Bermuda Triangle of workplace conflicts

7 things to require of your moonlighting employees

By Lynne Curry “One of our highly paid staffers works remote. We don’t want to lose his talent, but he used to work 45 to 55 hours a week and now half the time I can’t find him when I call. He always calls me back, but it’s hours later. Last year, he was the first to volunteer for special projects. He doesn’t anymore. I heard a rumor he’s working another job, and I’m … [Read more...] about 7 things to require of your moonlighting employees

Clocked out or connected: What you need to know about after-hours group chats

By Paul Edwards “Quick question…” Those two words have become increasingly popular as our near-constant attachment to communication devices blurs the line between work and personal time. Whether by phone, laptop, or tablet—via Slack, WhatsApp, or Google Chat—it’s easier than ever for teams to stay in contact after the workday is done. But employers need to be cautious … [Read more...] about Clocked out or connected: What you need to know about after-hours group chats

Own your piece of the action

By Lynne Curry “It wasn’t my fault. I blew up because I had the worst day.” “Anyone would have reacted the way I did.” When you lose your temper, shut down, or behave badly in other ways, you may feel tempted to rationalize your behavior. It can feel right to pin responsibility for your reactions on the other person or to attribute them to the situation. When you do, you … [Read more...] about Own your piece of the action

How to handle employee hotheads

By Lynne Curry Question: “Eric” loves one-upping other employees in meetings. While he sometimes does this to me, by loudly posing contrary opinions, this morning he slammed another employee, also a hothead, who argued back. I told employees to stop. Neither did. Eric, however, raised his voice. I felt forced to raise my voice and didn’t like the person I became. It was a … [Read more...] about How to handle employee hotheads