Physician's Practice - November 2008 - (Page 48)

ADMINISTRATOR’S DESK down productivity and can bring down morale.” Indeed, about a third of the organizations that responded to the Institute for Corporate Productivity’s survey earlier this year said they had experienced “an instance where there was some sort of personal clash linked to religious beliefs,” and 31 percent reported that “unsolicited sharing of religious views,” has been a problem in their work place. While it’s important to be mindful of all religious backgrounds during the holiday season, don’t let fear of causing offense prevent you from celebrating. Joseph Quadros, ofﬁce manager for Del Mar Family Practice in San Diego, notes ofﬁce-sponsored social events provide an important opportunity to bond with coworkers and leave shop talk behind. For all your best intentions, you could leave someone feeling left out of the fun, or worse, outright offended. WATCH YOUR HO-HO-HOs Employees are free to discuss religion, of course, but managers should intervene if they feel one or more staff members are making others feel uncomfortable. That goes double if it’s a department manager. “That’s inappropriate in a work environment,” says Zarate. “It depends on your management style, but I would pull those employees aside and remind them that this is a work place and we all have to be respectful of one another.” GIFT GIVING “We’ve never had an incident [where someone felt slighted],” he says. “I like to involve the staff and ask them what they’d like to do every year. Typically, they like to go to one of the doctors’ houses and have a nice catered dinner where we draw names for a gift exchange and give out bonuses. It’s a nice evening for everyone.” • Shelly K. Schwartz, a freelance writer in A ﬁnal word of warning where employee gift exchanges are concerned. Such events, while fun, can trigger ill will or resentment if the person who contributed the $20 movie tickets gets a dollar store gag gift in return. As a result, many employers are adopting policies that limit the acceptance of gifts. According to the Bureau of National Affair’s Year-End Holiday Practices Survey for 2007, 15 percent of organizations allow no gifts of any kind, while 52 percent allow gifts of “nominal value,” and 15 percent set limits on the value of those gifts — usually between $25 and $50. Only 16 percent of the employers surveyed had no policy on accepting gifts. 48 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | NOVEMBER 2008 Maplewood, N.J., has covered personal ﬁnance, technology, and healthcare for 12 years. Her work has appeared on CNNMoney.com, Bankrate.com and Healthy Family magazine. She can be reached via editor@physicianspractice.com. WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM http://www.altapoint.com http://www.altapoint.com http://www.Money.com http://www.Bankrate.com 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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