Business – Page 10

MD sends postcard informing patient has basal cell carcinoma

October 21, 2008 By Administrator

Ann Handley, one of my heroes, just blogged about something significant. To her. And to many others.

A week or so after she visited a dermatologist, she “got a flimsy white postcard in the mail from the doctor’s office. On it were three pre-printed options with open boxes next to them, and one was checked off: ‘Your biopsy showed a cancerous growth,’ it read next to the check mark. ‘Please call our office to schedule a follow-up appointment.’ In ballpoint pen, underneath, someone had scrawled, ‘Basal cell carcinoma.'”

Do take time to read this post, and also the responses. Fascinating.

Employees: How do we keep the best? Part 2

October 16, 2008 By Administrator

By Guest Columnist Anne Caldwell
President, Outsourcing Solutions
How to Avoid Employee Burnout
Helping employees keep their work fresh is another way to avoid burnout. Meeting with staff on a quarterly basis and giving them the opportunity to trade some functions not only keeps them from being bored, it creates a cross- trained pool that can be useful in a crunch.

Take a half-day off once a quarter, splitting the crew in half if you need to maintain coverage. Take them to lunch and let them decide what to do with the afternoon – miniature golf, shooting pool, maybe even playing board games together.

Take Them Out to Lunch
Everyone appreciates being taken out to lunch and having the company spring for some entertainment, and it renews relationships within the group as well, releasing some of those resentments and differences that build up between co-workers.

Find Creative Methods For Building Team Spirit
Finally, find ways to let them acknowledge each other in some creative ways. Go to the local pawnshop and pick out the gaudiest bowling trophy you can find. Present it to a member of your staff, but make sure they’re chosen for a specific act of going beyond the call of duty. It then becomes their responsibility to pass it on after it sits in glory on their desk for a week. They need to select someone carefully, based on a specific act.

All in all, people will tell you that a good salary is great, and a comprehensive benefits package is attractive. But the one thing you cannot undervalue is a positive, productive, and appreciative environment. Everybody wants to work there.

Click here to go to Part 1 of this article
Find H/R expert Anne Caldwell at Outsourcing Solutions. http://www.azoutsource.com