By Lynne Curry bio The conversation stops when you walk into the break room. Two employees look at each other, mouth "later," and head back to their desks. An hour later, you see another employee dart into the restroom and come out five minutes later with reddened eyes. You ask her "what's up?" and when she looks like she might burst into tears, you usher her … [Read more...] about 3 steps a manager must take to end harmful gossip in the workplace
Managing staff
How to end the jealousy when a sharp newcomer threatens longtimers
A tenet of management is "people require care." And nowhere is that more evident than in the situation where a bright-eyed, eager, and well-qualified new staffer comes in and threatens the long-term staffers. The cure is recognition, says Venus Opal Reese, PhD, of Creation Consulting Practice, a firm specializing in professional and business development. And it has to come … [Read more...] about How to end the jealousy when a sharp newcomer threatens longtimers
6 key ingredients of a profitable medical practice
Medical office managers are often so focused on the day-to-day that it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture. That big picture is profitability—because, without it, the practice will not remain in business. Although profitability isn't rocket science—after all, only rocket science is rocket science—it does require attention to detail, or what Medical Office Manager … [Read more...] about 6 key ingredients of a profitable medical practice
8 steps to quickly and (almost) painlessly creating an employee handbook tailored to your medical office
Writing an employee handbook from scratch can be a daunting task. Where do you start? What do you include? And how are you going to find time to write the thing? It's tempting to set the job aside and wait until work slows down a bit. Of course if you wait for the perfect time to write, it's unlikely that you will actually do it at all. So we're here to help you get the project … [Read more...] about 8 steps to quickly and (almost) painlessly creating an employee handbook tailored to your medical office
Potential hires meet with staff as part of job interview
Because a job interview produces a lot of pat answers, one medical office manager sends potential hires out to spend 15 minutes with the staff they will be working with. What takes place are "the little conversations that employees have with one another," she says. And the outcome is information no formal interview can uncover. For that reason, the time with staff has … [Read more...] about Potential hires meet with staff as part of job interview
Austin practice showers staff with appreciation
As a busy practice administrator at Capital Otolaryngology in Austin, TX, Sangita Lakhia has a difficult time keeping track of the "special days" – admin assistants week, nurses day, sleep tech day, surgical tech week, and so forth. "I also felt bad giving a gift or breakfast to just one department and not others," she tells Medical Office Manager. So Lakhia decided to drop … [Read more...] about Austin practice showers staff with appreciation
Try these no-cost ways to boost staff morale
To have good employees, an office "has to treat people right," says Sabrina Hebert, manager of Northlake Surgical Associates, a five-physician, 12-staff office in Covington, LA. And her office does that by giving benefits that are a bit out of the ordinary, are well appreciated – and cost little or nothing. The favorite is gift cards. At $0 cost. Herbert buys them with the … [Read more...] about Try these no-cost ways to boost staff morale
Matching your management style to your employee’s personality
Much like one bad apple, one bad employee can spoil the whole bunch in your office, says Dr. Steve Cohen, Principal, Lead HR Consultant at HR Solutions On-Call. Cohen, who is often described as a "mess management" expert for his ability to solve people problems for vulnerable organizations, says the typical job is always built on the issue of technical skills, but … [Read more...] about Matching your management style to your employee’s personality
How to be a strong manager even when dealing with over-controlling physicians
The sad truth about working in a medical office is that a manager often has no real job description and not much authority either. Here are examples of situations that come as a result. They are outlined by Ana McGary of PeopleFirst Enterprises, a human resource management consulting firm in Powder Springs, GA. The doctors never seem to agree on my role as manager. Many times … [Read more...] about How to be a strong manager even when dealing with over-controlling physicians
A half dozen plus one good ideas
A good manager = a good people-problem solver. Here are some solutions readers have told MOM about in the past. They are easy to implement, and they work. • To keep little problems from getting big, name a head staffer for the clinical area, front desk, billing department, and so on. When staff have comments or problems, they have to e-mail them to those … [Read more...] about A half dozen plus one good ideas