People who work together often become very close, and when tragedy strikes one of your employees, it can have a tremendous impact on your medical practice. A tragedy might be the death of an employee, either on or off the job; the death of an employee’s family member; a serious illness or accident, either on or off the job; the employee or a family member might be a victim of a serious crime; or even something like a fire in an employee’s home.
At Consultants Health Care Services, our clients are our partners and more – they’re like family. We’ve gone through some crises with them over the years and we’ve learned some things we like to share with you to help you help your employee and keep your practice on track, regardless of the nature of the incident.
Take care of the victim. Find out what that person needs and make sure it’s provided. Such needs could range from simple moral support to assisting with a variety of logistical issues, such as transportation, food, and dealing with inquiries from friends and even the media. Because Central Florida has a high percentage of people who have come from other parts of the country, it’s likely that many of your practice’s employees do not have local family members to turn to in a crisis and they turn to coworkers for support that would otherwise be provided by families.- Take care of your other employees. Give them a chance to talk about what has happened and provide grief counseling if necessary to help them cope. Particularly if it was an on-the-job incident, remember that the people who were not injured may suffer what what’s known as survivor guilt.
- Keep your patients and suppliers informed. As with co-workers, a bond that goes beyond “strictly business” usually develops between your staff members and the patients and suppliers they have cared for and worked with over time. Those patients and suppliers will likely want to express their concern for the affected employee, and they also need to know how the tragedy will affect your practice, particularly in terms of rescheduling appointments.
- Help smooth the victim’s return to work. People don’t always know how to treat someone who has suffered a tragedy, so take steps to help the person ease back into the workplace. Consider an off-site meeting with colleagues in a casual, candid atmosphere, if possible, before the affected person resumes their duties.
- Expect performance variations. You may see noticeable changes—either positive or negative—in the affected employee’s performance for a long time. Also, there may be a variety of tasks that person has to deal with in the aftermath, such as insurance claims and other legal issues. Be as patient and helpful as possible, keeping in mind that you also have a practice to run. If appropriate, encourage the employee to seek counseling or other necessary assistance.
Of course, the entire team at Consultants Health Care Services is here to help in any way we can.
