By Lynne Curry bio “Good riddance” the supervisor mutters the day his employee leaves. As the practice manager, however, you have doubts. “Kate” is the third employee who’s resigned from your practice in the last eighteen months. All three worked for “Jim.” If you want to learn the truth, you need to talk to these employees who’ve chosen to leave – before they carry away the … [Read more...] about Exit interviews: You might be surprised by what you learn
Managing staff
Model Social Distancing Policy
As the pandemic drags on, medical offices and other essential businesses that remain open must be scrupulous to ensure employees maintain social distancing both at and away from the workplace. Here’s a Model Policy you can adapt to accomplish that objective in accordance with your specific circumstances and the terms of the latest public health guidelines in effect in your … [Read more...] about Model Social Distancing Policy
How to prevent the spread of nurse burnout in your healthcare organization
When COVID-19 hit, healthcare teams were called upon to save the world. And they did. But what healthcare leaders didn’t realize was that the battle has just begun for healthcare heroes suffering a severe mental and emotional toll. As COVID-19 cases rise and fall and rise again, so do physician and nurse burnout. “Executive leaders are cutting back on their resources to … [Read more...] about How to prevent the spread of nurse burnout in your healthcare organization
Post-pandemic period a chance to try flexible staffing strategies
By Lynne Curry bio Question: COVID-19 hit our northern U.S. practice hard. We cut employees, then salaries, and then we cut again. Our revenue is down 70%. Some administrative staffers left our state when their spouses’ high-paying jobs evaporated. Others in billing took off when COVID-19 combined with our cold, dark winter proved too much. Because these employees had … [Read more...] about Post-pandemic period a chance to try flexible staffing strategies
New rules for wellness programs & marijuana legal in more places
By Mike O'Brien bio Employment law continues to change rapidly with a change in federal government administration and the continuing pandemic. As manager of a medical office, it’s just one more thing to keep up with. Here are a few recent developments. New rules coming for employer wellness programs On Jan. 7, 2021, the EEOC issued proposed rules related to what incentives … [Read more...] about New rules for wellness programs & marijuana legal in more places
Try skip-level meetings to get straight answers
By Lynne Curry bio Question: The three of us run a mid-sized practice. Despite the pandemic, we’re doing well. We’re hiring, in part because we're growing, and in part because we’ve had resignations. We don’t understand why so many employees have resigned since mid-October. We have a bright future, but sense we have a problem. As we don’t know what it is, we can’t fix … [Read more...] about Try skip-level meetings to get straight answers
5 people problems and how to solve them
By Lynne Curry bio We can’t guess all the challenges facing us as office managers in this new year, but we can assume that we will be dealing with an old one: people and their personalities. Whether working together virtually or in-person, chances are good you will be dealing with people problems. Here are five common problems and strategies for dealing with them. Stopping … [Read more...] about 5 people problems and how to solve them
Model waiver of COVID-19 infection liability sign to post at your medical office
As long as COVID-19 remains a threat, you run the risk of being sued by clients, vendors, guests and other visitors (“visitors”) who claim they contracted the virus at your office facility as a result of your inadequate safety measures. One way to limit liability is by conspicuously posting a sign at the entry of your facility indicating visitors’ agreement to waive their … [Read more...] about Model waiver of COVID-19 infection liability sign to post at your medical office
What I really wanted for Christmas
By Lynne Curry bio “What I really wanted for Christmas,” the woman said, “Wasn’t a turkey or a ham. It’s communication. The management around here keeps us in the dark, but then expects us to carry out their last minute orders without knowing the full story.” Have you thought about how you could have wished your employees happy holidays this year? Did you throw them an … [Read more...] about What I really wanted for Christmas
Professionals working from home logging long hours including weekends
Although your practice is open to patients, some of your office staffers may be working from home. And they may be putting in longer hours than usual. A new study by global staffing firm Robert Half shows employees are working around the clock while at home. More than half (55 per cent) of professionals who transitioned to a remote setup as a result of the pandemic said they … [Read more...] about Professionals working from home logging long hours including weekends