From all of us at McNamara & Associates,
We wish you A Happy/Healthy Holiday Season!
December Newsletter 2009
McNamara & Associates, Inc. Workplace Safety, Security & Violence Prevention
Violance Prevention in Healthcare
Since the Violence in Healthcare Facilities Act was signed in January '08, McNamara & Associates have had the opportunity to assist healthcare facilities with Security Risk Assessments and training their employees on: Violence Prevention, Gang Awareness and Security Officer Training. We have also added three more training courses, to assist healthcare facilities create a safe and secure environment.
The following are descriptions of our training programs:
Violence Prevention-Attendees will learn how to understand conflict, utilize problem solving techniques, de-escalate a potential violent situation, manage anger and difficult emotions, effective communication skills to reduce violence and self-defense techniques.
Gang Awareness-Attendees will learn about the growing problem of gang activity, to understand different gang affiliations, identify signs, markings and language specific to each gang. They will discuss local issues that impact their organizations and assess their organization's gaps in preparedness for dealing with gang interactions.
Security Officer Training-Attendees will learn about their roles, responsibilities, and liability issues. Participants will learn the importance of service excellence in security and how to manage conflict in the workplace. The participants will discuss reporting requirements and take part in self defense and restraining techniques training.
Active Shooter Prevention and Response:
Unfortunately the workplace, whether it be public schools or private businesses, have been the scene of violence at the hands of "active shooters". Active shooters can be defined as a person, or persons armed with any type of weapon, who is actively engaged in actions or behaviors that have the potential to cause injury or death to others in the area. Attendees will learn how to deter, detect, delay and defeat threats to you or your organization.
Winning Lethal Encounters-Attendees will learn to understand the reality of close distance lethal threats. Whether confronted with a firearm, knife, or some other type of close quarter lethal threat, participants will understand how and why these confrontations occur, and how to react in a manner that will enhance their ability to go beyond surviving and WINNING THE ENCOUNTERS.
Wound Care Training-Attendees will learn to identify signs and symptoms of wounds secondary to pressure, venous insufficiency, neuropathy, arterial insufficiency and infection. Participants will learn to identify all aspects of wound examination, discuss stages of wound repair and discuss the four types of debridement. Participants will learn to recognize the indications and contraindications for various interventions. They will learn to identify treatment options and combinations for different wound types, in an interactive problem solving session.
McNamara & Associates are New Members of. . .
McNamara & Associates, Inc is pleased to announce that we are now members of The International Association for Healthcare security and Safety.
The organization is solely dedicated to professionals involved in managing and directing security and safety programs in healthcare facilities.
Holiday Shopping
It's that time of year again. Time for eating, partying, watching 37 college football bowl games (for some of us) and of course, shopping, shopping and more shopping.
Let's get out the list, check who's naughty or nice (spend more on the nice one's) and get to it. What malls to hit first? Which coupons for 15% off to what store? Which coupons are only good until noon that day? Who do you want to drag along to help you with your shopping?
Years ago it was much easier to shop. . .think about it…no computers, cell phones (I'm talking many years ago), blackberry's, video games, rock band, DVD's to shop for, the list could go on and on. . .
I can remember the gift we would always get my Dad. I know you must be thinking "underwear" . . . that would be a good answer. But in this case, the answer is pajamas. I think my Dad had about 79 pairs of pajamas. Long sleeve with long pants, short sleeve with long pants, short sleeve with short pants, striped, blue, green, grey, flannel, cotton, pajamas for winter, spring, summer and fall. Maybe my Dad was hoping for underwear.
Anyway, your mind will be going 100 miles an hour during this holiday season, and we at McNamara & Associates would like you to think of your safety, when shopping this month.
Here are some helpful safety tips while you are out driving around, shopping for the holidays:
- Know where you are going. If you are going to a new area to shop, be sure you don't get lost in the wrong place.
- Park nearest to busy entrances and exits.
- Park near lights.
- Don't park next to vehicles that are occupied when it can be avoided.
- If a car suspiciously drives along side of you while walking to your car or down a street, walk towards the back of the vehicle so if the person(s) are up to no good they have to drive backwards.
- If something doesn't feel right, don't go there now.
- Don't be walking to or from your car with a cell phone on your ear. You must maintain awareness of your surroundings without distractions.
- Have your keys in your hand as you approach your car so you can enter quickly.
- Don't be too distracted or take too long when loading packages in your car.
- Don't accept help from strangers and be suspicious of someone you don't consider a friend.
What to tell staff when layoffs just might become a reality.
Partial reprint of an article that ran in Law Office Administrator, a publication for legal office managers.
The firm isn't closing down, but it's drawing in the money reins.
The fallout is staff anxiety, uncertainly, and a resultant loss of morale and productivity. And as the climate worsens, the top performers start looking for other jobs.
The bad economy calls for good management, says Morganville, NJ management consultant John McNamara, and the key to making it through with the firm intact is "open and honest communication.
A STATE OF THE OFFICE ADDRESS:
The place to start is with a state of the office meeting.
People are worried about losing their jobs. They want to know how things stand, and if the firm doesn't tell them, they will assume the worst.
Be frank, but tell the truth, perhaps "We are in a tough economy. We are not where we were two years ago in terms of profits and cash flow. We do not have to make any layoffs now, but to ensure that we don't later, we have to reduce expenses".
Then solicit staff's participation. Ask for suggestions: "What recommendations do you have for decreasing our overhead so we don't have to go the route of layoffs?"
Ask too for suggestions to generate revenue: "What can we do differently to continue to grow the business? What are your ideas for generating more business from our clients?"
That gives the staff a sense of control. Besides, they may have ideas the partners haven't thought of.
ONCE A MONTH FROM THERE ON
One meeting is not enough, though.
From there, meet quarterly or even monthly to talk about what's going on and to ask for more suggestions on cutting costs and generating business.
No matter how open and honest the firm has been the economy will continue to take its toll. A spouse could be laid off. Or staff may be having to do more for less pay.
"It's extremely important to listen and give everybody an opportunity to talk," McNamara says. It's good management. If staff know they are being head, they are less likely to become victims of unwarranted fear and suppositions.
In addition, there may be related problems that need solving. If a staffer says the extra overtime is making child care arrangements difficult, it may be possible to adjust the person's schedule.
He adds that the meetings will be especially effective if partners and even the managing partner attend.
KEEP THE DOORS WIDE OPEN
Also essential is a business as usual climate.
Carry the open door policy to the extreme and literally keep the doors open during the meetings.
It's worrisome to see the administrator and partners go behind closed doors even in the best of times, McNamara says. In tough times, it creates paranoia:
"What's going on? Are we going out of business?"
And in those meetings, talk in normal tones so the sound of fear doesn't make it to the hallways.
If there's going to be an actual gloom and doom meeting, hold it early morning or late afternoon when most people aren't in the office.
And for meetings during the day that require privacy, explain the why of it before closing the door, perhaps "I'm going to close the door for this meeting, because I'm working on a sensitive case"
These aren't normal times, he says, and any kind of hint of hush-hush "creates suspicion and uncertainty."
HIT THE SALARIES WITH FAIRNESS
If there are salary cuts, they need to be made fairly, which means from the top down, and staff need to be told that. They also need to be told the criteria for the cuts.
McNamara recommends making the announcement in a meeting, saying perhaps "To avoid layoffs, we are instituting salary freezes. Some will last for six months and others will continue for two years. The determining factors are A, B, and C"
Most employees announce cuts to individual staff and don't explain the criteria, he says. But "nothing stays private," and one person who gets a year's freeze finds out somebody else got only a six month freeze, and everybody thinks the firm is unfair.
THE PARANOID PEST
Also be prepared to respond to staffers asking if their jobs are safe and what's to happen next.
Listen and be empathetic, but respond with candor: "You know as much as I do. There are no guarantees, but I can tell we are doing everything we can as a firm to help us grow and keep us all employed."
And if the worry is affecting a staffer's performance, point it out: "Your worrying has become excessive to the point that it is impacting your ability to do your job and my ability to do my job."
HERE COME THE LAYOFFS
If there are layoffs, again announce them openly and with fairness, McNamara says.
Be secretive, be unfair, and the consequences are dire. There's fear among the survivors, and in come loss of productivity and anger at management.
There can also be a sense of guilt among the survivors, particularly if somebody who is let go is a close friend or has special circumstances such as being a single parent.
The outcome is resentment, "and that can paralyze an organization.
Welcome New McNamara Associates
McNamara & Associates, Inc. would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest staff members: Donna Craton-Markulic, Bernie Fowler and Dr.Scott LaRaus.
Captain Donna Craton-Markulic has twenty-five years of law enforcement experience. She was the firs female Police Officer, in her agency and is currently the only female supervisor. She holds the rank of Captain in a Municipal Police Department in the State of New Jersey. Donna is currently the Administrative Commander overseeing the Detective Bureau, Records Bureau, Communications Division and Internal Affairs. Donna was trained as a Crisis Negotiator, by the FBI, and was involved in numerous negotiations during critical incidents with the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team and the local SWAT team. Donna has received intensive training in the Investigation and Prosecution of Domestic Violence cases and has been a leader in her department in improving the understanding and compliance with domestic violence related issues and laws.
Bernie Fowler is a law enforcement officer with over 15 years of experience. He currently serves as a Training Officer for a municipal Police Department in the State of New Jersey. His responsibilities include: the development and implementation of hands-on training programs for members of his department. Bernie has designed training programs for, and has trained with Police Officers and First Responders from all over the United States and Canada. He holds numerous instructor certifications from the State of New Jersey, The United States Department of Justice (FBI), The Justice Institute of British Columbia, among others. Prior to being selected as a Training Officer, Bernie worked within the Uniformed Patrol Division and the Detective Bureau of the Police Department.
Dr. Scott LaRaus has worked in the field of Wound Care for the past 17 years, in various settings. He has worked within urban hospitals and clinics to private hospitals and out patient settings, from home care to long term care facilities to rehabilitation settings. He is responsible not only for treatment of patients suffering from wounds but also co-organized the University Medical Center at Princeton's original SWAT (Skin Wound Assessment Team-newly named the Skin Wound Action Team) program, which develops and implements hospital wide wound care protocol. Scott is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association where he has, for the past 13 years, been on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Acute Care Perspectives and a member of the Special Interest Wound Care Group. He also serves on the Peer Review Panel for The Advances in Skin & Wound Care.
For complete bios of our new staff members, visit
www.mcnamaraassociates.com
December Newsletter 2009
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