Physician's Practice - November 2008 - (Page 47)

THE ADMINISTRATOR’S DESK ’TIS THE SEASON TO BE NEUTRAL THE HOLIDAY SEASON CAN BE A GOOD WAY TO CONNECT WITH YOUR STAFF, BUT BE CAREFUL NOT TO OFFEND THOSE WHO PRACTICE ANOTHER FAITH. B Y S H E L LY K . S C H WA R T Z It’s that time of year again and chances are you’ve already put plans in place to celebrate the season with your staff. From holiday parties to bonus checks, December marks the perfect opportunity to look back over the year and thank your team for a job well done. staff by reminding them that we all come from different beliefs and backgrounds.” PARTY ON Where ofﬁce-sponsored social events are concerned, for example, it’s best to keep the theme generic, “Someone who is Hindu may not need off the week of Christmas, so allow them to swap with someone in exchange for days off later in the year… It’s about being respectful of each individual and trying to accommodate their needs.” TIME SWAP — Jennifer Zarate, CEO, Professional Medical Staff Association waiting room,” she says. “I wouldn’t have any problem putting up other decorations to celebrate different holidays as well.” Another idea? If your ofﬁce is particularly diverse, encourage everyone to bring in a dessert or appetizer for the ofﬁce party that represents their religious background, recommends Zarate, noting such efforts help to cultivate a more tolerant and respectful work environment. DAYS OFF Before you break out the Bing Crosby Christmas classics, however, pause for a moment to consider the many different religious backgrounds reﬂected in your employees (and your patients). For all your best intentions, you could leave someone feeling left out of the fun, or worse, outright offended. “The main goal during the holidays is to be fair across the board,” says Jennifer Zarate, chief executive of the Professional Medical Staff Association in Kansas City, Kan. “As a manager, you should have a basic level of understanding of all the holidays and religions. And you need to encourage tolerance among your WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM particularly since many Americans have no religious afﬁliation at all. Instead of a Christmas party, throw a holiday party or an end-of the-year bash. Replace your Secret Santa swap with a gift exchange. Efforts to be inclusive, though, do not mean you must eliminate religious references entirely during the month of December. While some practices stop short of decorations associated with a particular faith, for example, Danielle Guyton, practice administrator for Urology Associates in Danbury, Conn., says she embraces that which makes her ofﬁce unique. “Half our partners are Jewish and half are Christian so we put up a Christmas tree and a menorah [for Hanukkah] in our Though it’s harder in a small group setting, it’s equally important to accommodate your employee’s requests for time off to attend religious services wherever possible — not just in December, but throughout the year. Many practices, in fact, ask members of their staff who practice different faiths to cover for each other during the holidays. “Someone who is Hindu may not need off the week of Christmas, so allow them to swap with someone in exchange for days off later in the year,” says Zarate. “It’s about being respectful of each individual and trying to accommodate their needs.” DEBATE OR DIVISION? As practice administrator, you should also take note of one of the leading sources of friction during the holidays — religious-based dialogue that takes place between the staff. Indeed, the holidays create a platform for people of many faiths to share their beliefs with everyone — including coworkers. “This is the time of year where the goal of some people is to get the word out,” says Zarate. “It can actually lead to very heated debates, which slow NOVEMBER 2008 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | 47 http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physician's Practice - November 2008

Physician's Practice - November 2008 Contents Death of Solo Practice Just a Myth Letters HSAy What? Noteworthy Finding Lost Revenue: The Search for Billing and Coding Gold Getting More: Our Annual Physician Compensation Survey ’Tis the Season to be Neutral Ask the Experts Evaluating Paperless Labs HR in a Box? The Guide Coding Third-Party Audits on the Rise Branding the Cash-Only Practice Intra-Office Tug-of-Wars Stickin‘ Up For Yourself Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physician's Practice - November 2008

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