Drilling Down for Operational Excellence: In Leaner Times, U.S. Businesses Scrutinize Policies & Procedures

In the wake of President Obama’s historic healthcare law—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010—the U.S. hospital industry, for one, has had to take a closer look than ever before at operational effectiveness and efficiency. This year, Escoe Bliss has partnered with a world-class hospital in Los Angeles to deliver state-of-the-art Policy & Procedure training using the institution’s existing Policy and Procedure Management software. Escoe Bliss’ consultant Diana Berger has developed and facilitated a structured sequence of hands-on writing workshops tailored to students at all levels, from a wide range of departments. 

While many firms can send in a consultant who can simply write a policy or procedure document, Escoe Bliss has set out to provide something more. Our Excellence in Policies and Procedures program sets itself apart in three important ways:

1. It is an entirely new approach to P&P writing, which actively engages personnel from different departments within a company.
2. Our team of experts, lead by Diana Berger, can be architects (if called upon) to design an entire P&P hierarchy (either for the company as a whole, or a single department).
3. Through this new approach we have developed turnkey training systems geared to the diverse backgrounds of a wide range of students from nearly every level in the organization.

When it comes to developmental work on policies and procedures, Escoe Bliss can service a company at any level.

Needless to say, the importance of reassessing current policies and procedures is not exclusive to the healthcare industry. In this challenging economic environment all organizations can benefit from a training program that enriches and revitalizes existing policies and procedures while, at the same time, drawing from the knowledge base and creativity of their current talent. 

To learn more about our workshops in policy and procedures excellence and the benefits of this program, please contact our office at 949.336.6444 or by email. 

Meeting ROI: Seven Steps to Productive Meetings

What time is it? Time for your next meeting? Maybe you just came out of one. Or maybe you’re in one right now and you have no idea what’s being discussed. If so, now would be a good time to look up and nod. OK—continue reading.

Chances are you spend a good deal of your day in meetings. Yes, they cost time. But have you ever stopped to figure out how much money they cost? Think of one of your recent meetings. Jot down the 

• Number of participants 
• Hours spent preparing for, attending, and then reporting on the meeting 
• Average hourly salary for participants plus 50% for labor burden. 

Multiply the three numbers above to find out the approximate cost of the meeting. It’s not cheap. 

Good meetings identify challenges, speed communication, and spawn solutions. Bad meetings waste time and discourage—even alienate— participants. That’s why it’s a good idea to follow these simple guidelines for conducting a good, productive meeting.

1. Decide if the potential results are worth the cost. Do this before you schedule the meeting. 
2. Identify the fewest participants needed to accomplish the goal. 
3. Draft an agenda. Include the goal of the meeting, items (with start/stop times for each), and presenters. Distribute the agenda (use e-mail) before a scheduled meeting to allow participants to prepare for it. Even if it's an impromptu meeting for only a few people, take a few moments to establish an agenda, then stick to it.
4. State the nature of the meeting. Clearly communicate whether the meeting is scheduled to (a) convey information, (b) generate ideas, or (c) make decisions. Few work events are more discouraging than meetings where you expect to make a decision, only to find out you are on the receiving end of a data dump. 
5. Encourage participation. Call out participants individually if they haven’t contributed and ask for opinions. Be prepared for disagreement. If the meeting’s goal were easy to achieve, you probably wouldn't need the meeting. Listen. 
6. Summarize. Clearly define decisions and action items. Be sure that all attendees understand their action items. 
7. Draft minutes. If a meeting is worth holding, it is worth recording. Minutes prevent misunderstandings. Include action items, due dates, and the individuals responsible for them. Spell out a reason for attendees to review the minutes.

Escoe Bliss Professional Resources has an expert team of consultants that can help your company improve processes and operational efficiency. Please contact us if we can partner with you on your organizational needs.

Blogging with Bliss blogger, Dr. Adrienne Escoe, is the president and owner of Escoe Bliss Professional Resources.

Procedures That Jog, Not Clog

Looking to make 2012 a productive year for your department or company? Start with five powerful steps to help slim down written procedures, saving your company time and money.
 
1. Include only what’s needed.
Start from zero. Assume no information is needed. Then add only what is required by law, contract, or prudent business practice. Ask yourself, “Would any harm come to the company if we leave out the information?” If the answer is “No,” don’t include it. Ask, “Would any harm come if we leave it in?” If the answer is “Yes,” leave it out or send it somewhere else.


2. Write active sentences.  
Don’t wear out readers with long, passive sentences. Be direct: Tell who is responsible for what.
Passive: It is a good idea to have extended code included in the manual that has been revised.
Active: Include extended code in the revised manual.


3. Leave out forms.
Companies revise forms often. If a procedure includes a form, and the form changes, the procedure must be revised too. Simply refer to a form by name or number. Speaking of forms, place instructions on the form itself, close to the user, not in the procedure. Better yet, make forms so clear, users won’t need instructions.


4. Review procedures regularly. 
Obsolete procedures are not only useless, they’re expensive. Rework caused by out-of-date procedures can cost plenty. So can liability when companies no longer do what their procedures say they do. Consider adopting an automatic cancellation policy: If a procedure is important to keep, it’s important to keep current.


5. Place procedures online. 
If your company has a network, place procedures online. Print information only as needed. Online information retrieval systems, such as web-based, save much of the cost of printing, maintenance, filing, and storage. Electronic searching saves time.


Blogging with Bliss blogger, Dr. Adrienne Escoe, is the president and owner of Escoe Bliss Professional Resources and a policy and procedure expert. 

Annual Corporate Event Gives Companies a New 'Leash' on Life!

It is said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but perhaps an old dog can teach corporate America a thing or two. Friday, June 24th is Take Your Dog to Work Day™ (TYDTWDay) and as a self-professed animal-lover, veterinary assistant, and a member of the pet-friendly Escoe Bliss team, I am a huge enthusiast of this annual corporate event that has been gaining momentum since its launch in 1999.

Being one of the fortunate few and working primarily in pet-friendly offices for most of my career, I have a good idea of the benefits and adjustments that come along with having four-legged co-workers. In fact, I would not have my two "furry babies" if it were not for my first pet-friendly position at Peine Engineering in Indianapolis, IN. There is convincing research to support that a pet-friendly workplace can have a positive effect on productivity, creativity, employee-morale, and decreased levels of employee absenteeism in the office. An all-out pet-friendly policy might be too big of a hurdle for your established, 'don't-fix-what-ain't-broken' company, but TYDTWDay might be an easy little addition that even the most conservative of businesses can embrace in one way or another.

If you and your pooch plan to teach your company a new trick or two, then you better have a few tricks up your sleeve. Your first ally will be the Take Your Dog to Work Day™ website, sponsored by Pet Sitter's International. This website has everything you need; a Participant Action Pack, which is a great tool you can utilize in order to get TYDTWDay started at your company and make it successful; links to published articles that document the benefits that pets can play in the workplace; and even a photo gallery of other pooches hard at work across the country.

As you begin your pursuit to introduce TYDTWDay in your office, remember that diplomacy will get you the most results. If our four-legged friends have taught us anything it's that you make far more friends with tail wags, sitting-pretty, and playing well with others. Start sticking your nose where it doesn't belong or marking territory that isn't yours and you're bound to end up in the dog house. Be prepared to take some important facts into consideration:

• How many dogs can your office handle?
Providing a sign-up sheet may be necessary so that you don't accidently turn your office into a dog park. Inform those planning to bring their pups in that they will need to come prepared with a gate, kennel, or a leash at the very least.

• Are there members of your team that have pet related allergies or a fear of dogs?
The premise of TYDTWDay is to make the workplace a more enjoyable environment for the day so you certainly don't want the event to cause discomfort or disruption to any of your fellow co-workers. Make sure you address these concerns and take them into strong consideration. Some companies have chosen to leave their furry friends at home, but still celebrate TYDTWDay in other ways, such as; organizing a pet photo contest; finding creative ways of raising money for a local animal shelter; or inviting a representative from a local shelter to visit the office with a couple of adoptable animals.

• Is your office prepared to welcome several pups for a full workday and are those pups prepared as well?
Some of our favorite stories as pet owners are those hilarious tales of mischief that we share about the time Rex got into the garbage while we were out or how he got that 5 lb. bag of sugar that we're still trying to vacuum out of the cracks in our floor. Our offices however are full of expensive equipment and potentially harmful objects that could make Rex's first day at work an unpleasant one. Be aware of cords that look chewable, plants that may be poisonous, and candy or snacks that are left in tempting places. It will also be important that any employee choosing to bring their pup with them has kept their dog up-to-date on vaccines and well-groomed. The truth of the matter is that certain contagious diseases can spread quickly between canines and so can fleas! Make sure you impress this important fact upon all participants of TYDTWDay.

The Escoe Bliss team wishes everyone the best in their pursuits to participate in TYDTWDay! All of the pooches at Escoe Bliss (Lizzie, Tinkerbelle, Honeybun, Milo, Maggie, Jack, Guinness & Bass) send a big, enthusiastic "Thank You" for any support that you can provide to their fellow furry friends in need of help. We hope that your Take Your Dog to Work Day™ unleashes abounding success and fun at your office!

All my best,
Regina Gormanly
Escoe Bliss Administrative Assistant

My two, "furry babies" Guinness and Bass. "It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."