By Paul Edwards It’s 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, and one of your employees knocks on your door asking to come in. They’re avoiding eye contact, they’re fidgety, nervous… This can’t be good news. You imagine accidentally shredded payroll reports, stolen laptops full of patient information, or something equally catastrophic. But when the employee tells you what’s going on, it’s … [Read more...] about A staffer hands you a two-week notice: What’s next?
Managing staff
Tough conversations: What stops you from saying what you want to say?
By Lynne Curry A medical office manager must be able to have difficult conversations with staffers, speaking up with the right words at the right time. Is this difficult for you? Why can’t you say what you want to say? Is it: You’re afraid if you speak up or try to fix things, you’ll make them worse? You’re afraid you’ll make someone angry and lose a relationship or job? … [Read more...] about Tough conversations: What stops you from saying what you want to say?
Employees say job pressures take bigger mental toll than COVID-19 fears
Managers, take note: As the pandemic drags on, the mental health of your staffers may be deteriorating as new survey results would suggest. In a recent survey, 57 percent of workers surveyed say their mental health has degraded since the start of the pandemic. The driving factor behind this decline: their workload. In fact, work pressures are so great that half of respondents … [Read more...] about Employees say job pressures take bigger mental toll than COVID-19 fears
How to improve employee experience and organizational culture as COVID-19 takes toll on staff
The pandemic dramatically changed how, when, and where work gets done. And while a majority of businesses reported that productivity increased as employees settled into working remotely, for many, it came at the expense of the employee experience. Employee burnout, time spent in meetings, and the number of employees with mental health problems increased, while work-life … [Read more...] about How to improve employee experience and organizational culture as COVID-19 takes toll on staff
Paid leave for vaccine tax credit updated & employer ups premiums for unvaccinated
By Mike O’Brien Update to the paid-leave tax credit expansion—paid leave for employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine As previously described in these updates, the Treasury Department and the IRS announced that eligible employers could receive paid-leave tax credits under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for providing leave for each employee receiving a COVID-19 vaccine … [Read more...] about Paid leave for vaccine tax credit updated & employer ups premiums for unvaccinated
Embrace on-job learning and listen to employees for more resilient teams
Leaders who encourage their employees to learn on the job and speak up with ideas and suggestions for change have teams that are more effective and resilient in the face of unexpected situations, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Windsor. “A Resource Model of Team Resilience Capacity and Learning” will appear in a special issue of Group … [Read more...] about Embrace on-job learning and listen to employees for more resilient teams
Is the problem you?
By Lynne Curry The manager called me, completely frustrated with his team. He told me his employees were negative; blamed each other for problems; didn’t communicate with him or take accountability and didn’t buy-in to important initiatives. He asked me to talk with his key employees and tell me how to fix them. When I met with him afterwards, I asked, “How honest do you want … [Read more...] about Is the problem you?
Staffers push back about returning to work
By Lynne Curry Question: We’re getting enormous pushback from our staff to an email we sent out stating that billing and clerical employees need to return to the workplace. At the same time, our organization can’t survive if we let all the employees who want to work from home do so. It’s not fair to our patients or the employees who show up at work. Further, when I call … [Read more...] about Staffers push back about returning to work
Disability discrimination and lookism in the workplace
By Mike O’Brien EEOC sues a work placement agency on behalf of disabled workers for disability discrimination The EEOC announced this week that it has filed suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against a Hawaii work placement agency for disabled workers. The suit alleges that the agency refused to provide sign language interpreters for deaf employees, despite … [Read more...] about Disability discrimination and lookism in the workplace
Performance reviews: Dread them? Ditch them? Replace them?
By Lynne Curry Do you dread filling out annual performance reviews? Do you wonder about their effectiveness? You aren’t the only one with doubts. A Gallup survey reports that only 14% of employees strongly agree their performance reviews inspire improvement.1 According to 58% of executives surveyed, their company’s current performance management system produces neither higher … [Read more...] about Performance reviews: Dread them? Ditch them? Replace them?