Guest guest Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 When I started I offered 3 weeks of vacation and no other benefits. Now I offer health insurance and IRA simple retirement benefit. I have 2 doctors and 2 staff. When one of us is out of town one of the staff takes a vacation. Vacation days have to be taken each year or they are lost to prevent a big payout when someone leaves. Staff fill out a time card that I then scan in. I use Paychex to manage payroll which I really like. 90 day probationary period is a great idea. I didn't do that because I had worked for years with the staff at my old office. Dave,We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, PrattOffice ManagerOak Tree Internal Medicine P.Cwww.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Like I said, check state laws. In CA, we are required to allow employees to carry over 150% of earned PTO every year. Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Larry Lindeman Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 2:41 PM To: Subject: Re: Employee management When I started I offered 3 weeks of vacation and no other benefits. Now I offer health insurance and IRA simple retirement benefit. I have 2 doctors and 2 staff. When one of us is out of town one of the staff takes a vacation. Vacation days have to be taken each year or they are lost to prevent a big payout when someone leaves. Staff fill out a time card that I then scan in. I use Paychex to manage payroll which I really like. 90 day probationary period is a great idea. I didn't do that because I had worked for years with the staff at my old office. Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 How much of the payroll work does Paychex do? Does it do direct deposit to employee accounts, compute all taxes, provide quarterly, monthly and yearend tax forms, etc? From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Larry Lindeman Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 4:41 PM To: Subject: Re: Employee management When I started I offered 3 weeks of vacation and no other benefits. Now I offer health insurance and IRA simple retirement benefit. I have 2 doctors and 2 staff. When one of us is out of town one of the staff takes a vacation. Vacation days have to be taken each year or they are lost to prevent a big payout when someone leaves. Staff fill out a time card that I then scan in. I use Paychex to manage payroll which I really like. 90 day probationary period is a great idea. I didn't do that because I had worked for years with the staff at my old office. Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Yep, does all that... RE: Employee management How much of the payroll work does Paychex do? Does it do direct deposit to employee accounts, compute all taxes, provide quarterly, monthly and yearend tax forms, etc? From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Larry LindemanSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 4:41 PMTo: Subject: Re: Employee management When I started I offered 3 weeks of vacation and no other benefits. Now I offer health insurance and IRA simple retirement benefit. I have 2 doctors and 2 staff. When one of us is out of town one of the staff takes a vacation. Vacation days have to be taken each year or they are lost to prevent a big payout when someone leaves. Staff fill out a time card that I then scan in. I use Paychex to manage payroll which I really like. 90 day probationary period is a great idea. I didn't do that because I had worked for years with the staff at my old office. Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of MatrixoSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AMTo: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone,I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management.What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software?When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation?How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year?Thanks in advance.DaveDave Ou, M.D., P.C.Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 It does all of that. I tell them how many hours my staff works and their hourly rate. The employee gives them the form on withholding. Paychecks does the rest. They withold the taxes and makes quarterly payments to the star and Feds. They also prepare the w-2.Sent from my iPhoneLarry lindeman How much of the payroll work does Paychex do? Does it do direct deposit to employee accounts, compute all taxes, provide quarterly, monthly and yearend tax forms, etc? From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Larry Lindeman Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 4:41 PM To: Subject: Re: Employee management When I started I offered 3 weeks of vacation and no other benefits. Now I offer health insurance and IRA simple retirement benefit. I have 2 doctors and 2 staff. When one of us is out of town one of the staff takes a vacation. Vacation days have to be taken each year or they are lost to prevent a big payout when someone leaves. Staff fill out a time card that I then scan in. I use Paychex to manage payroll which I really like. 90 day probationary period is a great idea. I didn't do that because I had worked for years with the staff at my old office. Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (5) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group MARKETPLACE Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center. Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new interests. Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now. Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 How do you count the 90 days probation? Calendar days or actual days worked? We have a new employee that works M-W and is off by schedule design on Th & F. We don’t feel she can be evaluated on days she doesn’t work. So far her performance has not been what we want and have given her feed back related to her performance. We did the employee counseling session a week ago. Yesterday she mentioned that her 90 days would be up on Aug 10th since she was hired on May 10th. I feel since she only works 3 days a week she has a lot longer time before she will have worked 90 days. What do you all think about this? Beth Sullivan, DO Ridgeway Family Practice Commerce, GA 30529 From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Pratt Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:51 AM To: Subject: RE: Employee management Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 I count it as calendar days, which is typical of most organizations. If I hired a part-time employee, I’d probably make it 120 days. Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Beth Sullivan, DO Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 7:31 AM To: Subject: RE: Employee management How do you count the 90 days probation? Calendar days or actual days worked? We have a new employee that works M-W and is off by schedule design on Th & F. We don’t feel she can be evaluated on days she doesn’t work. So far her performance has not been what we want and have given her feed back related to her performance. We did the employee counseling session a week ago. Yesterday she mentioned that her 90 days would be up on Aug 10th since she was hired on May 10th. I feel since she only works 3 days a week she has a lot longer time before she will have worked 90 days. What do you all think about this? Beth Sullivan, DO Ridgeway Family Practice Commerce, GA 30529 From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Pratt Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:51 AM To: Subject: RE: Employee management Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Most people count 90 days as calendar days, so I would agree with the employee’s interpretation. If you are not sure you want to keep her by now, it does not bode well for the future. dts From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Beth Sullivan, DO Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 7:31 AM To: Subject: RE: Employee management How do you count the 90 days probation? Calendar days or actual days worked? We have a new employee that works M-W and is off by schedule design on Th & F. We don’t feel she can be evaluated on days she doesn’t work. So far her performance has not been what we want and have given her feed back related to her performance. We did the employee counseling session a week ago. Yesterday she mentioned that her 90 days would be up on Aug 10th since she was hired on May 10th. I feel since she only works 3 days a week she has a lot longer time before she will have worked 90 days. What do you all think about this? Beth Sullivan, DO Ridgeway Family Practice Commerce, GA 30529 From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Pratt Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:51 AM To: Subject: RE: Employee management Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Matrixo Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AM To: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Our attorney told us that employees should never have a formal "probationary" period. There are contractual obligations implicit (on you as employer) when you designate a period that the employee would be considered permanent vs. temporary. All employees should be considered "at will" meaning that any time they can be terminated if they are not meeting the job expectations as agreed upon when they were hired; or have behaved in a manner that is considered harmful to the business or patients. Variou benefits can be started upon an accumulation of hours or passage of time on the job as stated in the employee handbook. That being said, it is important that new employees be reviewed, and be reviewed in terms of their clearly-explained and written job descriptions within a reasonable period of time after they were hired. That protects you in the event that you need to terminate a newer employee and want to avoid a wrongful termination charge with an increase in your unemployment insurance premiums. Note: I am not an attorney, but have had personal experience with these matters. S Employee management Hello everyone, I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management. What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software? When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation? How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year? Thanks in advance. Dave Dave Ou, M.D., P.C. Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 I am lucky to be on 2 list serves, one for Women Entrepreneurs, and another through the IMP group. My other list serve just had a huge discussion about evaluating employees, when to let go, how long to keep trying, etc. The bottom line from multiple employers, coaches, and multimillion dollar to mom and pop organizations was, " Cut your losses, sooner than later". The actual often repeated quote was hire slowly, fire quickly. In other words, make very clear up front what you need, out of your employees, have it documented. When you counsel that they aren't getting it, document the session as well, and what their response is. Give a time line for improvement if possible. If they are not rising to the occasion by 90 calender days, they likely never will. Our tendency as caregivers, and also for women bosses, is to try to keep helping people work out. Really, you generally know within less than a month if they are working out. They should be gung ho, able to take your instructions, and complete them correctly, and better yet, think ahead, and do more than originally asked. Especially in this economy, there are many good people needing work. If this person isn't working out, lay her off withint the 90d, and start over. She will be a huge drain on your time, energy, and work. This is a business, treat it as your livelihood, and if someone isn't all about doing everything possible for your business, find someone who will. Cote' MD Cote' Medical, Laser, and Spa Employer for 7.5 yr, many mistakes, and lessons learned, and still learning. RE: Employee management Most people count 90 days as calendar days, so I would agree with the employee’s interpretation. If you are not sure you want to keep her by now, it does not bode well for the future. dts From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Beth Sullivan, DOSent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 7:31 AMTo: Subject: RE: Employee management How do you count the 90 days probation? Calendar days or actual days worked? We have a new employee that works M-W and is off by schedule design on Th & F. We don’t feel she can be evaluated on days she doesn’t work. So far her performance has not been what we want and have given her feed back related to her performance. We did the employee counseling session a week ago. Yesterday she mentioned that her 90 days would be up on Aug 10th since she was hired on May 10th. I feel since she only works 3 days a week she has a lot longer time before she will have worked 90 days. What do you all think about this? Beth Sullivan, DO Ridgeway Family Practice Commerce, GA 30529 From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of PrattSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:51 AMTo: Subject: RE: Employee management Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of MatrixoSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AMTo: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone,I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management.What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software?When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation?How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year?Thanks in advance.DaveDave Ou, M.D., P.C.Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 This is all sound advice, but some states are considered "At will " meaning in those states any employee can be fired at any time, for any reason, ( except discrimination: sex, orientation, race, religion, gender, etc). Washington where I am is an at will state. Wrongful termination is usually considered while on L & I, discrimination, in retailation for something, etc. Despite all this, it is still in your best interest as an employer to document everything, have an employee manual, with clear job descriptions, and consequences, etc. The more you have documented, good, and bad, the better for both parties. In the United States, as my attorney says, "Anyone can sue you, for anything, at any time". IN other words, they don't have to be right to start a lawsuit, and it can still cost you considerable time, and money. Cote' MD RE: Employee management Most people count 90 days as calendar days, so I would agree with the employee’s interpretation. If you are not sure you want to keep her by now, it does not bode well for the future. dts From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Beth Sullivan, DOSent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 7:31 AMTo: Subject: RE: Employee management How do you count the 90 days probation? Calendar days or actual days worked? We have a new employee that works M-W and is off by schedule design on Th & F. We don’t feel she can be evaluated on days she doesn’t work. So far her performance has not been what we want and have given her feed back related to her performance. We did the employee counseling session a week ago. Yesterday she mentioned that her 90 days would be up on Aug 10th since she was hired on May 10th. I feel since she only works 3 days a week she has a lot longer time before she will have worked 90 days. What do you all think about this? Beth Sullivan, DO Ridgeway Family Practice Commerce, GA 30529 From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of PrattSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:51 AMTo: Subject: RE: Employee management Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of MatrixoSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AMTo: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone,I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management.What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software?When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation?How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year?Thanks in advance.DaveDave Ou, M.D., P.C.Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010  Each state is different. My state is an "employ at will" state which "apparently" allows me to terminate for any reason or none at all. Even so, as long as you don't terminate and "challenge" unemployment, I don't believe there's a problem but really, that's what I have an attorney for and why I pay unemployment comp insurance. Goes with the cost of business......... Ask your attorney, laws are not always rational.......... Matt in Western PA RE: Employee management Most people count 90 days as calendar days, so I would agree with the employee’s interpretation. If you are not sure you want to keep her by now, it does not bode well for the future. dts From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Beth Sullivan, DOSent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 7:31 AMTo: Subject: RE: Employee management How do you count the 90 days probation? Calendar days or actual days worked? We have a new employee that works M-W and is off by schedule design on Th & F. We don’t feel she can be evaluated on days she doesn’t work. So far her performance has not been what we want and have given her feed back related to her performance. We did the employee counseling session a week ago. Yesterday she mentioned that her 90 days would be up on Aug 10th since she was hired on May 10th. I feel since she only works 3 days a week she has a lot longer time before she will have worked 90 days. What do you all think about this? Beth Sullivan, DO Ridgeway Family Practice Commerce, GA 30529 From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of PrattSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:51 AMTo: Subject: RE: Employee management Dave, We have only one employee. She keeps track of her time on an excel spreadsheet. We keep it stored on a shared drive on our computer system. If you don’t plan to have a shared drive, you could do it on Google documents and then track it that way. I simply do an entire year’s worth at a time on one spreadsheet – by week – and automatically fill in the paid holiday hours. At one time, we had 3 employees and I was using software that dumped the time straight into Quickbooks, but found that it is really more than I needed and wanted to pay for. When we’re out of town, she typically works a few hours each day, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, diverting patients to Urgent Care, and doing refills. Sometimes we have completely closed the office, but not typically. When we are in flight, Steve forwards his phone to her cell phone in case of any emergencies. We use RelayHealth, so anything that she has a question about, she can email Steve via RelayHealth. He checks it from his iPhone once per day and takes care of everything that way. The only benefit we have is paid time off (no medical, dental, etc benefits). We have 7 paid holidays (all days that the building is closed) and offer 2 hours of PTO for every 40 hours worked. 90 day probationary period to start, in which PTO accrues but cannot be used. Laws differ from state to state regarding PTO vs. vacation vs. sick time, so you should check your state laws. Good luck with the opening of your new practice, Pratt Office Manager Oak Tree Internal Medicine P.C www.prattmd.info From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of MatrixoSent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:14 AMTo: Subject: Employee management Hello everyone,I'm in the process of starting my solo practice and plan to only have one staff member with me. I've found a lot of useful information in this group over the months. I do have a couple of questions now that I've hired a medical assistant since I'm a newbie to practice management.What do you use to keep track of time for employees? Paper? Software?When you're out of town for conferences or vacations, do you have your receptionist/assistant work full time, work part time, or take a paid/unpaid vacation?How much paid vacation and sick days do you offer in the first year?Thanks in advance.DaveDave Ou, M.D., P.C.Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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