Managing People: getting the best out of your staff

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Managing People getting the best out of your
staff
Robert Cusack, General Manager, Prince of Wales
Private Hospital, Presentation to Emerging Health
Managers, ACHSE, 12th July 2007
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Introduction

• People
• Jobs
• Environment
• Feedback
• Rewards and Recognition
• Performance Appraisals
• Performance Management
• Managing People Older than yourself
• Managing Clinicians
• Scenarios Groups and discussion

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People

• An issue in all organisations
• Health Service industry all about people
• Teams
• Recruitment vital process. Select the right
  person for the right job
• Development and motivation of employees

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The job

• Position (Job) descriptions
• Involvement of the employee in development of the
  PD (if possible)
• Ensure they understand their role
• Clear KPIs. The ones that have the greatest
  impact on the responsibility of the role

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Environment

• Culture positive or negative
• Values eg respect, honesty Organisational/Societ
  y
• Communication keep people informed
• Training and Development
• Pride, enjoyable, safe

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Feedback

• Informal recognition
• Formal including performance appraisal
• Power of a thank you note or letter
• Celebrate success

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Rewards and Recognition

• Staff awards
• Peer recognition (or Family)
• Tokenism? Staff lunch, movie tickets
• Attitude how is it treated?
• Financial and other motivators

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Performance Appraisals

• Importance ACHS experience
• Have an agreed plan with the employee
• Review the plan with the employee
• No surprises essentially a positive session.
• Any unsatisfactory performance issues should have
  been raised at the time (see The One Minute
  Manager)

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Performance Management

• The most challenging area
• Needs to be tackled
• Other employees do not have respect for a manager
  who does not effectively deal with an employee
  with performance problems
• Needs to be done in the correct manner
• Empathy if you were in their place
• Sometimes necessary for the greater good
• Not at the expense of time with good employees

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Natural Justice

• Also known as procedural fairness
• The Aphorism - Justice should not only be done,
  but should be seen to be done
• 3 rules of natural justice
• Hearing rule the right to be heard, which means
  the right to have a fair hearing, with the
  opportunity to present ones case
• Bias Rule the right to have a decision made by
  an unbiased decision-maker
• Evidence rule - the right to have the decision
  based on evidence , not speculation or suspicion

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Performance Management - Process

• Seek expert HR advice if available on both the
  approach and process
• Records file notes, formal letters
• Empathy
• Common mistakes
• Not crossing ts and dotting is
• Not providing prior warnings
• Not documenting warnings and process
• Employee not fully aware of both the issue and
  the implications
• Allowing appropriate support in the process
• Unions will want and expect this
• No follow up

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The One Minute Manager

• Set the rules ie people know your approach to
  feedback
• Do it immediately avoid procrastination
• "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging
  on of an uncompleted task." --William James,
• Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting
  off a hard thing makes it impossible. -- George
  Claude Lorimer
• Be specific
• Let them know your feelings about the situation
• Remind them of the positives
• Reaffirm that you think well of them, but not
  about this situation
• Separate the reprimand from other interaction ie
  know when it is over

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Managing people older than yourself

• Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom
• Respect
• Empathy
• Be yourself
• Treat them as you would others, praise,
  discipline etc

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Managing Clinicians

• Dont pretend you know
• Dont be afraid to ask questions
• They need your strengths ie business management,
  resources
• Treat them as you would others, praise,
  discipline etc
• Non employees

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Scenarios

• Well liked, but not good at their job
• The person no one wants to work with
• Performance plans for people not coping
• Problem person you have now

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Three take home messages

• People issues are essentially the same no matter
  what the organisation
• Values and Empathy should provide the framework
  for effective staff management and motivation
• Performance Management Get the process right
  and dont procrastinate about it

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Providing a productive environment for an
employee(s) to develop and see them flourish and
excel at their job or in their career development
is one of the most rewarding things that can
happen for a manager