IN THIS ISSUE: The Leading Edge--discipline in the workplace Communication Corner--getting good PR News You Can Use--fast facts on long term care Just for fun--signs of burnout ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAVE 25% WHEN ORDERING ALL 3 PROGRAMS. Announcing 3 New Clint Maun Programs in Partnership with PRIMEDIA Healthcare: The Activity Department's Role in Enhancing Customer Service -- This program will provide insight on how the activity department relates to customer service perception, addresses their role in coordinating the resident's care plan, developing a quality indicator scoreboard and much more. http://www.ihnsolutions.com/products/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75 Meals or Milkings? True Dining Experience or "Herding Ritual"? -- This program discusses how customer perception and value are related to the dining experience, relates how each team member is involved in creating a positive dining experience, identifies rewards and recognitions to foster positive team involvement, plus more. http://www.ihnsolutions.com/products/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=76 PPS, MDS, Do It For Less, or Are We Blessed? -- This program will differentiate between capitated reimbursement versus fee-for-service, identify ways to involve each member in properly documenting services, lists ways to track team success involving capitated reimbursement. http://www.ihnsolutions.com/products/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=77 These three 60 minute video programs target nurses, certified case managers, long-term administrators, dietary managers, dietetic technicians, and activity professionals. All 3 Programs are available on VHS or DVD. Please indicate your preference when ordering. If you'd like more information on Clint Maun's speaking, consulting or products please go to www.ClintMaun.com or call Kathy Cain, VP at 1-800-356-2233. SAVE 25% WHEN ORDERING ALL 3 PROGRAMS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Promoting Self-Discipline ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Most supervisors dislike taking disciplinary action on their employees. It's usually an uncomfortable situation for all parties involved. And often times, managers are left feeling like a parent, scolding their young child. However, as unpleasant as it may be, disciplinary action is absolutely necessary when codes of conduct have been broken. After all, almost nothing lowers the morale of your contributing employees more quickly than seeing inappropriate work behavior go uncorrected. Having discipline and grievance procedures in place allows employers to deal with any issues in a fair and consistent manner. Discipline policies and procedures should cover matters such as conduct, timekeeping, absence, health and safety, use of telephones, email, and Internet on company time. Make sure your organization's policies are made clear to all employees--people need to know exactly what is expected from them. In addition, spend time with new employees talking about what is important to you and your organization. All policies should be communicated to the employee at the start of employment. Promoting Self-Discipline ------------------------------------------------------------------------ While it's a good idea to have discipline policies in place, the ultimate goal should always be that they never actually have to be enforced. Indeed, this is a lofty goal, but it's not impossibility. The following ideas will help you create an environment in which employees--not employers--are the ones practicing discipline. Treat employees as you would like to be treated: as adults! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Adults wanted to be treated with respect. They don't want to be treated like a child in a classroom. Mature adults want minimal rules and guidelines. They should only need the policies necessary to ensure an ordered, fair, and consistent work environment; employees don't want to work at a place where they're constantly worried about remembering or breaking all the rules. Don't let self-disciple and initiative go unnoticed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Publicly praise individuals who demonstrate remarkable work ethic. Tell the person how much you appreciate their contribution and that you hope these contributions continue. Reward the person in any way you can--more pay, time off, a special assignment, or a training and personal development opportunity. If other employees know this type of behavior is noticed and rewarded, they will be more likely to follow suit. Let them decide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seek employees' feedback before implementing a new policy. Hold focus groups to gauge your staff's reaction of potential new guidelines. Remember, employees want to provide input about any decision that will impact their job and their future. Promote ideas, not punishment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Make sure employees are not "punished" when an idea fails to work as intended. Encourage them to share their ideas. You don't want them to feel timid or afraid--this could keep them from sharing valuable ideas and information. Stay in the know. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Communicate all the information that is available about your organization, your customers, your mission and vision. Remind your staff of the organization's overall goals. The more employees know, the more they can act independently to help you. ************************************************************************ "You can have power over people as long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he's no longer in your power." --Aleksander Solzhenitsyn ************************************************************************ Getting Good Publicity… It's Not as Hard as You Think ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Plain and simple, one day of good public relations can help boost your healthcare organization's image better and more effectively than an entire year's worth of campaigns and advertising. Quite simply, when people see and hear good news about an organization via a third party (in most cases, the media) they are much more likely to accept that news at face value. Getting the good news about your organization out into the public eye isn't as hard as you may think. You can enhance your healthcare organization's public image in a number of ways. Take note of the tips below. Do some detective work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Which journalists (both print and TV) in your area cover healthcare related stories? Visit local news organizations (in person, via the phone or their website) and get the appropriate contact information. Unless these journalists have heard of you and what you can offer them, they are certainly not going to call you out of the blue. So, make sure that these individuals know to come to you as the voice of authority when they're doing a story that relates to your field and organization. Put it on paper. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Send journalists a personal letter noting why you liked a specific article they wrote/covered. Let them know about your organization and how it specifically relates to the topics he/she regularly covers. Also, make sure to mention a little about yourself (i.e. how long you've been in the healthcare profession, your title, your credentials, etc). This will help qualify you as an expert, and a credible, worthy person to contact. Channel Surf. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just about every community in America has a local TV channel that is paid for in large part by the primary cable provider. Find the channel(s) and more specifically, the show(s) that tie into healthcare. Then, call the station, and ask to speak with the producer of those programs. Once you've been put through to the right individual, quickly explain who you are and inquire about getting on the show as a subject matter expert whom the host can interview. If there are no present opportunities, remember to leave your contact information, so the producer can call you back when the time arises. While the methods above are great ways to get your organization some publicity, it's critical--above all else--to keep one thing in mind: in healthcare PR, you must always maintain strict ethical responsibility. The messages healthcare PR practitioners convey serve to educate the media on matters of public health and, in turn, raise the public's awareness on issues that may impact their wellness. The whole truth is therefore always essential. Don't ever try to fabricate a story just because you think it will give you a better chance at free publicity. It will backfire--damaging both you and your organization's good name. In order to foster trust in the industry and enhance the professional standing of public relations, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has posted its Code of Ethics on its website. Print this document and post it in your office, cube, desk, etc--it will serve as a good reminder. ************************************************************************ "When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." --Colleen C. Barrett ************************************************************************ Fast Facts: Long Term Care ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The US spends 13.7% of its gross national product on healthcare, twice the percentage spent by other countries such as the U.K. (6%) and Japan (7%). About one-quarter (27%) of adults have received mental health treatment in the past two years, while more than one-third (37%) of those who need treatment are not getting it. According to Business Week, 60% of people over 75 need long term care. Ninety-seven percent of people over age 85 require assistance in the last year of life. According to the Wall Street Journal, for a couple turning 65, there is a 70% chance that one of them will need long-term care. Of those needing long-term care, 57% are elderly, 40% are working age, and 3% are children. Only one in four Americans can afford private nursing home care for one year, yet the average length of stay for a nursing facility resident is 2.3 years. Every eight seconds in America, a baby boomer turns fifty. Three out of four nursing facility residents are women. Two out of every three nursing home residents rely on Medicaid to pay for their care. Additional Sources: Key Healthcare Findings, The LTC Report, & Long-Term Care Issues: GAO/HEHS-95-109 Top Signs of Burnout ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sometimes the only thing that helps us stay sane during stressful times is a good laugh. If you're feeling the pressures of work (as many of us do) then you might find these "burnout signs" a bit comical. 10. You're so tired, you now answer the phone with "Leave me alone!" 9. Your friends call to ask how you've been, and you immediately scream, "Stop asking me all these questions!" 8. Your garbage can IS your "Inbox"! 7. You wake up to discover your house is on fire, but go back to sleep because you just don't care. 6. You consider a 40-hour week a vacation. 5. Visions of the upcoming weekend help you make it through Monday. 4. You don't set your alarm anymore because you know your pager will go off before your alarm does. 3. You leave for a party and instinctively bring your ID badge. 2. Your DayTimer/Work Planner exploded a week ago. And the NUMBER ONE sign that you are burned out because of work: 1. You think about how relaxing it would be if you were in jail right now. |