Addressing management issues.

Showing appreciation to lab team

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We have 66 excellent, hardworking staff in our lab that hold themselves to a high standard of excellence and consistently deliver accurate results. We have several successful programs in place to recognize individuals for exceptional work. I am, however, looking for new, creative ways to show general staff appreciation, where all receive recognition as a team. The written and verbal appreciation is good but seems inadequate on some days. Food (pizza party) is also appreciated but probably overused. Do you have any great, reasonably priced ideas you can share?

Keeping your facility "a great place to work" decreases turnover and helps attract and retain the best employees. It is important that we set a climate for motivation of our team. Our team members like to be reminded that they are appreciated.

Marti Bailey suggests, "You may want to talk to your peers to assess interest in a hospital-wide team-appreciation program. Although a manager can certainly recognize and show appreciation to his own team, there may be added value if the recognition comes from a higher level. On an institutional level, teams could be recognized by profiling them in your hospital newsletter, at employee campus meetings (we have these quarterly), by poster presentations in public places (such as the cafeteria and lobbies), and also on your hospital's internal website. Pictures of the staff presented in any of these forums would be particularly helpful in bringing celebration of the team success to a personal level. Sharing the achievements of the laboratory team with the entire hospital community could be very rewarding for the laboratory staff, as well as motivating for all employees. I would urge you to look outside of the laboratory first for team-recognition opportunities. Other possibilities might be:

* a letter to the staff from the CEO recognizing the team's achievements and expressing his appreciation;

* breakfast or break provided by the CEO, with opportunity for the staff to actually meet and sit down with that person informally;

* having the CEO visit the lab staff on the job to personally express gratitude; and

* having the CEO send personal letters to employees' homes."

Ms. Bailey adds, "I would urge you, however, to be certain that when you are considering team or personal recognition that you carefully evaluate whether the behaviors and attitudes you wish to reward are actually above and beyond the expectation of the job. Since there has been increased emphasis on employee recognition (and rightfully so), I have seen the tendency to overcorrect--making public recognition of things that are a normal expectation of the job, such as being friendly, helping patients, and helping co-workers. Personally, I think this is just part of expected job performance. The reason I point this out is that when recognition is over-used, it becomes inflated and its value diminishes. Be sure that when you ask for your team members to be recognized, you can point out the specific ways that they exceeded the norm and made themselves an example of outstanding performance."

Larry Crolla points out, "I have seen special lab T-shirts, sweat shirts, or working shirts with a logo for the lab team. Also special baseball caps and gift certificates from a local store or restaurant work nicely. They do not have to be expensive. As far as the food goes, I like ice cream days, which can serve as an unannounced treat in the middle of the day that tends to show your appreciation via the fact you were just thinking of the team members and thought they deserved a treat. You can also schedule a group outing somewhere, such as a family night out to a baseball game."

According to Alton Sturtevant, "Food has always been an extremely appreciated occasion and an opportunity for my lab teams to gather together in a relaxed environment to celebrate success. This has always been a way to ensure that all employees can be rewarded. Variations that we have enjoyed in the past include a weeklong celebration in conjunction with National Medical Laboratory Week. We ask our vendors to support our activities through donations of door prizes, which have included their marketing materials (drink huggers), flowers, books of movie tickets, and ice cream. We sponsor various competitions or events during the week. One day was poster day, when departments developed posters depicting a medical technology theme--the winning team was rewarded with nominal donated prizes. Other days, we had an ice-cream sundae break, a hot dog cookout, or wore hats or decorated T-shirts and put up departmental decorations. These activities were fun, solicited group participation, encouraged team participation, did not cost much, and did not interrupt the laboratory functions."

Dr. Sturtevant adds, "Other times, we have celebrated by having covered-dish meals and providing entertainment through a local magician. We have celebrated through chili cook-offs, where the employees cooked their best chili; progressive meals, where the different departments provided a portion of the meal; and cookouts, where the managers cooked and served the staff. As you can see, the common theme of our team activities does encompass food and active participation by the team members. Our institution typically provides a part or all of the funds for food through vending-machine proceeds or contributions from willing vendors."

Bottom line. The panelists give numerous ways to show appreciation to your team. Try several of their ideas.

Dealing with a difficult manager

I have been at my job in a small rural lab for over 12 years. My question is this: How should one go about seeking advice from a manager who does not seem to care if I said I was from Mars and asked him to take me to his leader? The lead tech and the manager are often at odds with one another, which makes getting any improvements a nightmare. Scheduled work hours are another problem. The PRN (i.e., work as needed) techs work when they want; that is what PRN means, right? Yet, the lead tech covers whenever there is a need, sometimes, 16 hours straight, all hours of the night and day--and not when it is necessary. The manager does not seem to care. Overtime is never shared; no one else can have overtime, except that one person. Our budget, we get told time and time again, is in the dump, due to excessive overtime. I am at a loss. This other "stuff" makes it difficult for me to maintain a positive attitude, and I am easily frustrated that nothing seems to ever get done. A little help, please!

Continuous conflict in the workplace leads to more turnover of staff and results in unhappy employees. Perceived or actual mistreatment of employees by the manager causes the same results.

Alton Sturtevant points out, "I assume that the manager and lead tech have been at the hospital during your entire 12-year tenure. This being the case, then chances of a meaningful change may be slim. Speak individually with the lead tech and manager (if you can) and suggest a work schedule that would solve the overtime issue of distributing it among all parties. You could also engage in a discussion relating to these topics at the next budget discussion. Point out the benefits of using the PRN personnel on a regularly scheduled basis to reduce costs and stress among the staff. If this approach fails, then speak with the human resources department to point out the issues from your perspective. If all fails, then you must decide if you will continue to work in this environment."

According to Marti Bailey, "Ideally, responsibility for good communication is shared equally between a manager and his staff. In the real world, it does not always work this way; and if it is not happening, the burden is on the staff member to turn things around. You will not get anywhere with the issues you raise unless you are able to establish some kind of relationship with your manager that will allow open and honest communication. The kind of advice usually recommended for improving your relationship with your boss includes the following:

* Realize that you have to adjust to your boss' style in order to build a relationship;

* Realize that you have full control of how you respond to your boss;

* Learn and use proven sales techniques. By understanding your boss' wants and needs, you will be in a position to sell your ideas that will help to meet those needs."

Ms. Bailey adds, "The bottom line is that you cannot build a relationship with your boss if you are in the 'me mode.' Since you are such a small group, what do you think would happen if you went to your manager today and asked if there is anything particular that you could do to help out the team that day or that week? It is sort of an open invitation to find out where your boss is coming from at that particular time. The key is to build a relationship that focuses on your role as a supporter of your boss. Once this relationship is established, you will be in a far better position to propose problems and solutions that you would like addressed."

Bottom line. Keep an open mind. Attempt to communicate your ideas better with your manager. Make your suggestions in a positive manner, and see what happens. If you still feel strongly that things are not as they should be, and you are making a positive attempt to get things changed, look for work elsewhere.

Edited by Christopher S. Frings, PhD, CSP 

Christopher S. Frings is an internationally known consultant and speaker on the topics of leadership, managing change, time management, reaching goals, and stress management. His consulting firm. Chris Frings & Associates, is in Birmingham, AL.

MLO's Management Q & A department provides practical, up-to-date solutions to readers' management issues from a panel of laboratory management experts. Readers may send questions to Dr. Chris Frings at 633 Winwood Drive, Birmingham, AL 35226; fax, [phone]; or e-mail, [e-mail]. The following panel of laboratory directors, managers and supervisory technologists have provided their input in the answers given in this column; Marti K. Bailey, MT(ASCP), Work Unit Leader, Pathology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA; Lawrence J. Crolla, PhD, Consulting Clinical Chemist, Departments of Pathology and Respiratory Care, Alexian Brothers Hospital, Elk Grove Village, IL, West Suburban Medical Center, Oak Park, IL and Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights, IL; and Alton Sturtevant, PhD, Vice President and General Manager, LabCorp, Birmingham, AL.