National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues - News Feeds

Strategies for employee discipline

• Take a progressive approach to team discipline
  Don't dole out harsh reprimands or, worse, ignore the problem. Keep team members in line—and make sure you're being fair.
  
• Monitoring veterinary practices for employee theft
  You may trust your employees, but are you certain there are no thieves among your staff? Here's a look at how veterinary practices are dealing with theft—and the warning signs you should look for.
  
• Life after an embezzlement
  Reno, Nev. — Dr. Davyd Pelsue, 39, learned the hard way that small businesses with a "family" atmosphere are, unfortunately, th emost susceptible to employee theft.
  
• 4 ways to ward off fraud at your veterinary practice
  Protect your veterinary practice from employee embezzlement, forgery, robbery, and more.
  
• Entitled employees experience more job frustration
  Veterinary team members who feel superior to others at work are more likely to lash out at their coworkers and engage in other abusive behaviors.
  
• Q&A: How to handle smoke breaks for team members
  How do I structure breaks in a way fair to smokers and nonsmokers?
  
• Fraud: The enemy within (your veterinary practice)
  Fraud and embezzlement can happen to you. Read about a college panel discussion on the topic, then discuss on dvm360.com.
  
• Survey: Office romance is OK, but save the drama for your mama
  Managers need to step in when employee romances hurt job performance and the work environment.
  
• Q&A: Taming team member tardiness
  Short of termination, how can I discipline a team member who is habitually late for her shift?
  
• Get a grip on employee carelessness
  What to do when team members fail to take care of equipment.
  
• Leaders who lose their confidence are more apt to lose their temper
  New research shows how feelings of self-worth are tied to workplace behavior.
  
• Video: How to give effective feedback
  Dr. Amanda Donnelly, MBA, shares three tips to making the most of feedback when delegating tasks.
  
• BizQuiz: Do you know the right way to fire?
  You're the boss. Are you prepared to handle this situation? To find out, answer the following questions about the employee termination policy recommended by Mark Opperman, CVPM.
  
• Identity theft strikes Ohio clinic, clients lose thousands
  Kettering, Ohio -- Michæl Rohrer worked at the front desk at Kettering Animal Hospital near Dayton, Ohio, for only a few months when police made the call.
  
• Female bosses are 137 percent more likely to be sexually harassed at work
  Study shows harassment is less about sex and more about domination.
  
• Team members behaving badly (Proceedings)
  How would you deal with the following HR situations in your practice?
  
• Developing your management skills: Employee performance evaluations: Part 3 (Proceedings)
  Utilize your computer software to set up reminders a month in advance to remind you to prepare for employee evaluations.
  
• Video: Beat workplace bickering
  When team members start backstabbing each other or yelling in the hallways, it's time to take charge. Sheila Grosdidier, RVT, a partner with VMC inc. in Evergreen, Colo., tells you how. Hint: Make THEM work it out.
  
• Smoking idea left me fuming
  The idea that a hospital would condone employees smoking on the clock, leaves one reader fired up.
  
• Socially rejected employees often strike back
  Those who don't feel accepted by their peers tend to act with hostility toward others.
  
• Sample: Rules of conduct
  Download a free disciplinary action outline.
  
• Watch your computers for e-naughtiness
  One-quarter of employees who use computers visit pornographic Web sites.
  
• Sexual harassment stems from group dynamics
  Women are more likely to be harassed when a work group has a similar number of men and women.
  
• Bad bosses are bad for the heart
  An overbearing boss may be more than just a daily annoyance.
  
• Team members with too many pets
  The number of pets isn't necessarily the issue. It's employees' ability to care for them that can damage workplace harmony.
  
• Tackling turnover
  Lakewood, Colo. — Associate veterinarians are jumping jobs faster than the average American worker, according to a new study, and salaries that don't keep pace with inflation could be partly to blame.
  
• Three strikes you're out!
  No one likes to fire people. But if you don't get rid of that problem employee, you're putting the good ones at risk. Take this approach to make this necessary evil as painless as possible.
  
• A good boss lets bad eggs go
  You show consistency as a boss and respect for your top employees when you terminate someone who needs to go.
  
• Communicate first, discipline second
  As various associations adopt guidelines or standards of care for the practice of veterinary medicine, a concern exists that they will be interpreted as current standards of practice by state regulatory boards and the attorneys general who represent them before they have been accepted by the masses.
  
• Don't get tangled in the Web
  Avoid sticky liability issues, and make sure your team knows what you expect when they navigate the 'Net.
  
• Employee warning notice
  Use this form to document verbal warnings when you're disciplining employees.
  
• Avoiding an age-discrimination suit
  A longtime staff member who's in her late 50s is having trouble learning our new computerized billing system. We don't want to fire her, but we need to replace her with someone who can handle our new technology. If we asked her to retire, would we risk an age-discrimination suit?
  
• Warning: fire ahead
  How many warnings should I give, and when should I fire someone?
  
• Take action with a warning notice
  Take these steps to document poor performance.
  
• Controlling unauthorized overtime
  I have an employee who regularly stays for overtime that I haven't authorized. My attorney says I have to pay her for the time, even though I didn't schedule it. What can I do to keep team members from working unapproved overtime?
  
• Stop complaining about negative team members, and show them the door!
  Let's solve your morale problem by just firing all the unhappy people. Think that sounds rash? The truth is you have nothing to gain from keeping them around. You can't change them. Yes, you can require certain behaviors, such as being on time, doing their jobs, or developing proficient skills or knowledge. But a lot of people simply have a rotten, negative attitude, and there isn't much you or anyone else can do to change that.
  
• Create a plan for employee discipline
  Several years ago I attended a seminar entitled "Employee Discipline and Performance Mistakes." Afterwards, I wrote up a simple, step-by-step plan for dealing with common employee discipline problems, like tardiness, not following the dress code or standards of conduct, failing to compete tasks or checklists.