Filed under: Consulting, Human Resources, Landrum Lagniappe, Notes from Jim | Tags: Co-existence, Collaboration, Communication, Compromise, Conflict, Cooperation, employees, General Tommy Franks, Mediation, relationships, resolution
posted by, Jim Guttmann, SPHR
We often see those involved in ongoing conflict on a personal and global level. It is all around us whether it is a couple going through a divorce, a schism in our own family, Democrats vs. Republicans, or Israelis and Palestinians. The list goes on and on. We have to wonder sometimes what went so wrong as to cause such strong and bitter feelings. We may be able to draw some insight from General Tommy Franks, who describes four fluid states of any given relationship whether it’s between individuals, families, organizations or nations. These states are: Collaboration, Cooperation, Co-existence and Conflict. In the business world, when we see conflict between employees, we often try to move the working relationships back toward levels of cooperation and collaboration. But how is this done? Well, let’s look at what often brings about conflict:
What typically takes place is that….
1. Expectations of one or more of the parties involved were not met
2. Someone overreacts which further compounds the problem
3. Communication breaks down
4. Lack of respect and trust is created
Does this scenario seem familiar to you? At the heart of the matter is that one or both parties may believe that they have been disrespected. Very often that is the underlying issue preventing a resolution from taking place. The actual issue at hand may only be a symptom of the underlying problem of disrespect and lack of trust.
To help resolve matters, a trained mediator can often help. The initial goal will be to properly manage the emotions associated with the conflict. Participants in mediation are required to treat each other with dignity and respect, even if the best that they can do initially is to “agree to disagree” in a respectful way. Next, the mediator will try to get the parties to identify their individual needs, interests and concerns. In order to find an opportunity for common ground and compromise, it is vital that the mediator move the parties off of their entrenched “positions” toward where their true “interests” lie. Only then can they see their conflict in a new and different light. As the parties truly listen to each other (sometimes perhaps for the first time), they can generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do. Where possible, the mediator may utilize objective criteria (e.g. does an industry standard apply) to help facilitate the process.
As the parties consider possible areas for compromise, a trained mediator will remind them that reaching a fair resolution benefits everyone in terms of avoiding further time, expense, and effort involved in the conflict. As the saying goes, this is the first day of the rest of your life. Only the individual can decide whether the investment in continued conflict over a particular issue is worth it. Would that time and effort be better spent in a more productive and fruitful endeavor? What certainty is there that the individual will get what he or she wants or any part of it? For many individuals, after some introspection they will admit that “moving on” is far better than being “stuck in the past” while harboring ill feelings and resentment.
In the end, true mediation is defined as the mediator empowering the parties to exercise self-determination. Negotiation is the cornerstone of mediation and it’s a fluid process – similar to a play in basketball. In the give and take of mediation, each party will likely feel that he/she was due more; that it wasn’t a perfect outcome. However, without a doubt, reaching a reasonable resolution is far better than continuing the ongoing battle. Just ask the Hatfields and McCoys.
As a Landrum Professional Human Resources Manager, Jim is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and has over 20 years of HR generalist experience for a large government contractor and Fortune 500 Company. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Florida State University and is an active member of the Greater Pensacola Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (GPCSHRM), previously serving as their Vice President of Information Services and Chairman of the Workplace Diversity Committee. Jim is also certified as a County Mediator and in the administration of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
Filed under: Human Resources, Notes from Elizabeth | Tags: EHR, Electronic Health Records, Electronic Medical Records, EMR, Human Resources, Medical
post by Elizabeth Oakes, SPHR
Human Resources Manager, Landrum Professional Employer Services
On March 16, 2010 Landrum Human Resource Companies and O’Sullivan Creel LLP sponsored an evening with Rosemarie Nelson. Rosemarie is a principal consultant with the MGMA Healthcare Consulting Group who specializes in medical technology. Rosemarie’s speech addressed effective strategies to implement an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system into any sized medical practice. While I do not work directly in health care, I do have a number of clients in the health care community, and the information she shared was invaluable in my opinion.
Rosemarie grabbed our attention right off the bat by listing an astonishing statistic: Were you aware it costs, on average, between $5.00 and $12.00 just to pull a patient file? Are you ready to hear a little more on the benefits of an EHR? Maybe you’re still unconvinced – for those of you still not sure if you should take the leap into the electronic records world, Rosemarie gave a list of benefits that might interest you:
- Increased patient satisfaction
- Eventual reduction in overhead cost – Rosemarie has seen, on average, a 10% reduction in labor cost in the first year after an EHR is implemented.
- Potential Medicare incentive payments
- Increased efficiency and being able to do more with less – Rosemarie has seen a 15% average higher fee-for-service collection and a 50% reduction in office supplies.
- Increased revenue – A Family Medicine group reported that after implementing an EHR each physician in the group increased their take home revenue by $3,000.00 per month.
Rosemarie also gave a little direction on where to get started and some helpful hints during the implementation process:
- Determine your goals first – when you start to become overwhelmed by the choices or the difficulty level of a product, ask yourself if what you are doing is working towards those original goals.
- Be committed to change, as well as to optimizing your work flow – An EHR is not a means to an end in and of itself, it is a tool to help you work better.
- While you should not jump on the first program you are presented, be mindful of “paralysis by analysis.”
- Remember that this is an ongoing process, and that implementation isn’t going to be overnight. Training and back scanning takes time.
- Develop a team of internal staff to head up the implementation project and most importantly, ensure there is a representative from each area of the practice. Having the team “buy in” is paramount to a successful implementation.
- Retain an attorney who specializes in technical contract writing – ensure that your contact calls for the vendor to return to your Practice after a number of milestones to ensure smooth transitions and that you are using the EHR as effectively as possible.
For those of you seriously thinking about moving to an EHR or fine tuning one you may already be using keep in mind that anything new that you introduce to your practice is going to pose a challenge not just to you, but also to your staff and to your patients. One of Rosemarie’s strongest messages throughout the evening was that problems with an EHR are always related to the system implementation, or lack thereof, and not the system’s functionality. At the end of the day implementing an EHR is all about change management. How you approach the implementation and incorporate your staff will make all the difference in reaching your goals.
Elizabeth Oakes, SPHR
Elizabeth is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the Human Resource Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Filed under: Health Reform, Human Resources, Notes from Ted | Tags: Health Reform, Human Resources, Insurance Reform
posted by Ted A. Kirchharr, Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer, Landrum Human Resources
As Americans watched the debate over health insurance reform with varying degrees of interest, I was reminded of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s famous quote about lawmaking: “The less people know about how sausages and laws are made the better they will sleep.” After watching our Congress at work I couldn’t agree more!
Without question, big changes are in store for the American people. Many of the changes will be phased in over the next several years. For example, the fines for individuals not having health insurance will not begin until 2014. Some provisions, however, will be implemented rather quickly. A new subsidized, high-risk insurance program for those with pre-existing conditions will become available three months after enactment of the bill. Six months after enactment, lifetime limits on medical coverage will be prohibited for many plans.
The biggest change for employers will impact those with more than 50 employees. Beginning in 2014, you may be subject to federal fines if you do not offer employees health insurance. Unfortunately federal rules will have to be written to implement many aspects of the bill, thus prolonging the uncertainty. This is in addition to the inevitable court challenges that are sure to come.
We have found some useful websites to follow this important issue. The Kaiser Family Foundation has a wealth of information about the legislation. The US Department of Health and Human Services is the site to monitor for guidance, as is the government’s Medicare site. As we identify more sites we’ll add them to our blog.
We’ll likely see continued debate and information (as well as misinformation) on this topic over the next several months. Sausage anyone?
Filed under: Landrum Lagniappe, Notes from Ted | Tags: Bloom Box, Bloom Energy, Coral, Energy, New York Times
posted by Ted A Kirchharr, vice-president & chief operating officer, Landrum Human Resources
Our friend Verne Harnish publishes a wonderful weekly email with insights and links to thought provoking stories from around the world. I highly recommend it; you can sign up here.
This week, Verne featured an article by Thomas Friedman that appeared in the March 6 New York Times. It’s an inspiring article about two Indian-American dreamers, Vinod Khosla and K. R. Sridhar. Khosla is working with Stanford professor Brent Constantz on creating clean energy from coal and gas. Khosla and Constantz were inspired by coral! Sridhar founded Bloom Energy, home of the Bloom Box. If you have not heard of the Bloom Box, they are small generating plants being tested by Google, Wal-Mart and others. You may have a Bloom Box at your house one day. It’s a great read; a very inspiring story. You can read Friedman’s article on the Times website.
Filed under: Human Resources, Landrum Lagniappe, Notes from Holly | Tags: Holly, Human Resources, Job Description, Job Performance
I have spoken to many business owners who do not believe in job descriptions. The explanation given to me is, “Their job is whatever I need them to do!” Sound familiar?
While I can understand this line of thought (to an extent), I also firmly believe in job descriptions.
Job descriptions, job performance and pay go hand-in-hand. An employer isn’t going to take a stab in the dark at how much to pay an employee; employees are paid based on how well they perform their jobs. How well someone performs is difficult to determine without knowing what the job entails. Likewise, an employee needs to know what is expected of them in order to meet your expectations – that’s where the job description comes in handy.
Aside from helping you determine the aspects of a job and the employee’s performance in that job, another important role of the job description is to identify the essential functions of a job. Hopefully we are all familiar with the term “essential functions” as it relates to employment. This is a term the Americans with Disabilities Act made common-speak among employers starting in 1990. The litmus test for disability protection has been to determine if an employee can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Let’s say you have a dock worker who lifts 50-pound pallets and moves them from Point A to Point B. An essential function of that job is to lift 50 pounds. If that worker is injured (on or off the job), and his/her doctor states the employee can only lift ten pounds, then that employee cannot perform an essential function of that job. If the lifting restriction is long-term, you may have a legitimate business-related reason to make some employment decisions concerning that employee. If the restriction is temporary, a doctor can look at the job description and determine if and when the employee can return to normal duties – which helps you plan for needed staffing coverage.
Effective job descriptions should contain some basic elements:
1. Job Summary: Describes the purpose of the job – why the job exists
2. Essential Functions of the Job (already discussed)
3. Accountabilities: Describes the end results achieved when job duties are performed satisfactorily
4. Job Specifications: Includes needed skills, effort required, responsibility and working conditions
As you would expect, there are guidelines to follow when creating meaningful and useful job descriptions:
• Choose words carefully; be brief and concise
• Begin each sentence with an action verb
• Be specific
• Qualify wherever possible
Example: Instead of saying a file clerk should “file documents”, say that the
“position requires filing alphabetically”.
• Include only essential information (don’t include occasional duties)
• Describe the desired outcomes
• Focus on essential activities
• Use job title instead of people
Example: “This position reports to the General Manager”, instead of “Joe
Smith reports to Jane”.
• Update periodically (when responsibilities, needs, or technology significantly change)
Final Thoughts
If you currently don’t have job descriptions, or if they are not up-to-date and accurate, you should develop them for every job position in your business. If you do not have experienced and knowledgeable HR support, it is highly recommended to seek outside expertise and assistance in developing them.
For the reasons we’ve discussed here (and more), accurate and current job descriptions can be a useful tool for you and your business. If you are with the group that believes in the value of job descriptions, you’re among friends. If you are with the group that has never liked or wanted job descriptions, I encourage you to reconsider… we’re waiting for you on the other side.
Holly McLeod is a Human Resources Manager for Landrum Professional Employer Services and Landrum Consulting. She is a certified professional in human resources (PHR) and has more than 15 years of human resources consulting in the corporate world, healthcare and manufacturing environments.
Filed under: Human Resources, Landrum Lagniappe | Tags: COBRA, Florida, tax, Unemployment
On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Temporary Extension Act of 2010. This bill provides a one-month extension of federal funding for unemployment benefits, as well as to the federal COBRA subsidy. The new expiration date for these programs is now March 31, 2010. For more information, see compensation.blr.com.
The Florida Legislature and Governor Charlie Crist took unprecedented steps yesterday to offer tax relief to Florida employers. On the first day of session, the House of Representatives voted 117-0 in favor of a bill reducing unemployment taxes. The Senate followed suit, with a vote of 39-0. Almost immediately, Governor Crist signed the bill.
While this offers relief for Florida employers when compared to the previously announced increase, Florida employers can still expect to pay more in 2010 than than they did in 2009. The Florida Department of Revenue will begin calculating new tax rates for every employer in Florida and will be notifying employers of the new rates, presumably before mid-April.
The links below will provide you additional information: Pensacola News Journal, Miami Herald, Tallahassee Democrat, Orlando Sentinel
Ted Kirchharr is Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Landrum Human Resources. He is responsible for Landrum’s strategic planning, benefits administration, risk management, human resources and marketing. He has helped hundreds of organizations pursue strategic planning, institute quality control management, hone organizational development, instill leadership training and improve employee retention. He is President of the Florida Sterling Council.
Filed under: Human Resources, Notes from Holly | Tags: Holly, Human Resources, Trust
In the Dilbert comic strip there is a character named “Catbert” (aka, the evil HR Director). I enjoy reading Dilbert; however, I also trust that not everyone views HR as “evil”. Believe it or not, HR professionals actually do have your best interest in mind when we give advice.
As an HR Manager for Landrum, I have the opportunity to work with a lot of different business owners and managers. As the relationships develop it becomes clear how to most effectively communicate with each owner/manager when giving advice. Sometimes all I have to do is say, “Come on, Sally, you know you shouldn’t do that.” Other times, with more formal relationships, it would be more like “Well, Ms. Smith, there are many reasons why it would be wise to re-evaluate your decision to terminate this pregnant employee who just disclosed she is being treated for depression, and who also just returned to work from a workers’ comp injury. Let’s start with the pregnancy…”
Like Catbert, your HR Manager will give advice. Unlike Catbert, we’re going to give you the best advice we know in order to keep you and your business compliant with the myriad of employment laws out there.
The next time you have an employee issue, one of the most important things you can do is to consult with Human Resources. The next important thing is to trust what HR is telling you. Whether you prefer the “Sally, you know better…” approach, or the “Ms. Smith, you might want to consider this…” approach, get to know your HR support people and develop a great working relationship with them. We’re not there to make your life difficult. We’re not there just to tell you “no”. We are there to help. We really do have your best interest in mind, and we really do want what’s best for all concerned.
Holly McLeod is a Human Resources Manager for Landrum Professional Employer Services and Landrum Consulting. She is a certified professional in human resources (PHR) and has more than 15 years of human resources consulting in the corporate world, healthcare and manufacturing environments.
