Is It Time To Look Under The Hood?Written by John V. Pettrone, SPHR
Most of us routinely look under hood of our vehicle to make certain fluid levels are where they should be and other engine parts are in good working order. We do this to help prevent problems from occurring which can cost us time and money. The same should hold true for a medical practice or business. Periodically, we must take time to look at our human resource (HR) operations to ensure everything is in proper working order. Human resource programs, policies and procedures that are not functioning properly can cause business problems immediately or down road. Let’s just take one facet of human resources that normally takes place first in career life cycle of a staff member. In most cases, that would be recruiting and staffing. One might ask themselves, what are problems a business could face if recruiting and staffing processes, procedures, and tools are not in good working order? Here is a partial list of problems that can occur if recruiting and staffing operations are not in good working order. -High staff turnover -Performance problems -High levels of staff dissatisfaction -Dissatisfied customers -Compliance issues -Unfair labor practice lawsuit -Staff positions left open/unfilled -Loss of business property or protected health and organizational information
| | Partnering For Progress and GrowthWritten by Sue and Chuck DeFiore
Many home-based entrepreneurs are gaining new ground with partnering arrangements. Although it takes many shapes, core of partnering concept is two or more businesses teaming up to achieve together what they can’t do alone. Partnering with other businesses can help you offer a broader product or service package to a particular market segment, provide resources to handle a single major project, or organize resources to meet your customers’ needs. Whatever scenario, partnering gives you image of seamless capacity typically associated with large corporations. Even though it has been around for a while, don’t expect to find fixed rules for individual partnering agreements. With concept rapidly evolving, some partnerships resemble entities unto themselves; others parallel outsourcing or subcontracting relationships. Some business owners partner only under carefully drawn contracts; others do it on a handshake. What’s important is developing an arrangement that satisfies all parties involved. Partnering allows very niche-oriented businesses to serve clients’ complex needs and to compete against large firms that have all necessary staff in-house. Partnering also allows you to handle a large one-time project without actually hiring employees. Another advantage of partnering is it provides a home-based business opportunity to grow substantially without having to move to a commercial location. Get It In Writing While partnering enthusiasts claim there are no serious drawbacks to process, you should still proceed with caution, especially in beginning. Formalize your agreement with a detailed written contract that clearly defines each partner’s role and responsibilities. The contract covers what each is responsible for and what compensation will be. It also includes short and long-term goals. The process of drawing up contract forces you to think things through and be sure both are on same page before starting. A business relationship is like a marriage-it takes work and sometimes you have to compromise. Just like a marriage certificate doesn’t guarantee a happy relationship, a contract doesn’t guarantee a successful partnership.
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