Lindby

The To-Do List Mental Stress

As medical practitioners your day is one big to-do list just getting through the patient list for the day.  However, putting a compliance framework around your business and growing your practice may seem like a huge mountain to climb.

It might surprise you that your to-do list or your task list, can mentally bring you undone. If you’re a very organised person, you probably have lists. Lots of people have lists, but where you can come unstuck is if you have a really huge list with lots of tasks to do. You look at this huge list every day and think to yourself ‘Where am I going to begin? Where do I start?’ and at the end of the day you’ll find you’ve only put the slightest dent in it. You may have only crossed off three things and how deflating is that? It then becomes hard to stay focused, motivated and to gain clarity around what you need to do.

Here’s a tip from our Subject Matter Expert in Time Management shares to create a focused, motivated and productive mindset. It is suggested by experts that if you do have a huge list, your goal is to pick just three tasks (or no more than five) and simply focus on those three tasks that you most want to achieve for the day. For example, what are the top ‘must do’ three tasks you ‘have to’ get done before the end of the day?

What happens is that when you complete those three tasks, there’s a great sense of accomplishment and that’s what enables you to feel productive. It motivates you, stimulates you and propels you to keep going and moving forward. Celebrating and accumulating small wins, makes the big wins much more achievable and enjoyable.

Just like the proverb says “How do you eat an elephant? Just one mouthful at a time”. A famous Lao Tzu quote says, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. It’s about taking that first movement forward, that small step which is achievable. Coming back to your to-do list, make sure that it’s achievable, that it’s a mountain that’s scalable, in fact it’s a hill not a mountain. Pick three tasks that you will achieve today, and you may even get them completed by lunchtime.

Also what three tasks can you delegate to others?

If you are struggling with Time Management… make one of your tasks today to schedule a meeting with our Time Management Subject Matter Expert.


Step 1 – Conduct a Cyber Risk Assessment

Category: Inner Development

Most Medical Practices are not fire compliant!

Different industries often put out policies, procedures and handbooks for their industry, but what if what has been produced is not enough?

A recent google survey of medical practices and their practice procedures and policies revealed a disturbing trend.  Most of the practices are using the same template!

What is the issue with this?

First question is, has each practice done a hazard and risk assessment of their site?  If they had they would realise that they must adhere to all the legislation that is relevant to their business not just follow the guidelines put out by Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).  One area that has not been addressed effectively is fire safety.

Most practices tend to rely on the guidelines put out by RCGP and it talks about having fire safety in place but does not fulfil the requirements of the Building Fire Services Act 2008 or AS3745 Managing Emergencies in Facilities.

In the past nine years I have audited about a dozen medical practices and on first audit none of them were fire compliant, though they maintained their belief they were fire compliant as they had followed the RCGP guidelines.

Medical practitioners need to understand that they MUST as a minimum, by law do the following:

  • Conduct and document a Hazard & Risk Assessment of their practice
  • Install Evacuation Signs and Diagrams
  • Have a separate Emergency Evacuation Response Plan (separate to their other procedures)
  • Have ALL staff, including doctors complete, General Evacuation Training every year
  • Have ALL staff, including doctors complete First Response Training every two years
  • Have the wardens (usually practices managers or nurses) do training every year if in QLD and in the other states every six months.
  • Conduct a Practice Fire Drill for all shifts on an annual basis

The costliest exercise for most practices is the loss of income that they receive when they take doctors out of circulation for these training courses, so most practices fail to have ALL staff trained.  One way to alleviate the expense of this training on practices is to have customised online training for each practice.  This means that doctors can do the training at a time that suits them.  Proper training is more than just telling someone, “there is the door, get out”!

General Evacuation training, for medical practices should include training on what to do if they get an aggressive person or someone with a gun trying to rob them of drugs.  Other unique issues for doctors is, what if they are conducting internal examination on patients who are undressed, and an immediate evacuation is required of all people from premises.  Are they prepared to deal with people who insist on getting dressed and putting their shoes on?

To determine if your business is fire compliant you need to conduct a Fire Safety Audit, work with us and we teach you how to do an audit and what to look for.  You will receive a documented audit report that cites the legislation that you may be breaching, and the cost of the penalties for non-compliance.  Call today to book a Virtual Fire Safety Audit and ask us how you can get one for free!

So What is a Virtual Fire Audit?



For More Info on Fire Compliance

Category: Safety and Wellbeing Capability

The Future of 9 to 5 Jobs is replaced by Flexible Working Arrangements

Jenni Fraser, National HR Assist

The days of 9 – 5, Monday to Friday working hours are not suitable for all employee lifestyles and how we work is slowly changing. Business is in a transition period that may one day see flexible hours, more part time and/or job-sharing roles and remote work agreements become the norm for employees. As the range of employee needs change and become ever spanning across the different generations, employers will need to adjust how they do business. Flexible hours, shorter days and being able to work away from the traditional office might better suit those employees who are studying, caring for children or ageing parents through to those who are easing into retirement. Business may see the day when the flexibility they offer suits all generations of employees, thereby benefiting businesses with higher productivity and lower absences.  

The Flexible Working Arrangements model is changing, with more responsibility on the employer to work with the employee on their requests.

From 1st December 2018, an updated Flexible Working Arrangement model will be added to all Modern Awards. Requests for flexible working arrangements are made under the National Employment Standards (NES). Whilst under the NES there is no obligation for the employer to deal with the employee prior to responding to a request; the new Award inclusion will mean that employers must consult with the employee and try to reach an agreement.

What you need to know

When an employee makes a formal request for a change to their working hours or conditions, the employer must:

  • Discuss the request with the employee
  • Genuinely try to reach agreement on a change in working arrangements that will reasonably accommodate the employee’s circumstances, having regard to:

o the needs of the employee arising from their circumstances

o the consequences for the employee if changes in working arrangements are not made

o any reasonable business grounds for refusing the request

Under the NES, if refusing the request, the employer must give the details as to why. The new Award term goes further to include that an employer must state:

  • The business ground or other grounds relied upon by the employer for the refusal
  • How the ground or grounds apply
  • If the employer and employee could not agree on a change in working arrangements, whether there are any changes in working arrangements that the employer can offer the employee to better accommodate the employee’s circumstances
  • If the employer can offer the employee such changes in working arrangements, details of those changes in working arrangements

If the employer and employee reach an agreement that is different from the initial request, the employer must outline the details in writing to the employee. The NES allows for 21 days in which to respond to requests for flexible working arrangements. Therefore, consultation should take place as early in the process as possible. This will allow for all details or alternative arrangements to be fully discussed and considered prior to the response deadline.

Is your business ready for the changes to Flexible Working Arrangement requests? Do you have accurate policies, procedures and training in place so that your managers know how to handle the requests correctly?  

Don’t get caught out with incorrect operating procedures, under the Fair Work Act,  there are fines applicable for non-compliance.

If you need help with this or any other areas of HR call now for a no obligation discussion.


Book a Strategy Session to Discuss the Next Step

Category: Career and Employability Capability

Nightly Safety Rituals

Before going to sleep at night most people lock their doors and check their windows.  However, there are other nightly routines that could save your family’s life.

Nightly Safety Rituals kids should do

  • Before the kids go to bed, they need to clear their floor of toys and obstacles. Toys may become trip hazards should they need to evacuate in a night-time emergency.

Nightly Safety Rituals Parents should do

In 2015 a smoke alarm woke a 78-year-old woman after an overheated wheat bag was left smouldering in a rubbish bin.  When the woman tried to escape, the security screen was locked, and fire stopped her from reaching her keys. Firefighters were able to force the door open and the woman was treated for smoke inhalation

  • If your doors have deadlocks – LEAVE the keys in the door as you won’t have time to go looking for them if the house catches fire.
  • Make sure the keys are in the security screens or you have emergency push out screens. In trying to keep unwanted people out of your home you make yourself a prisoner and no one can rescue you.
  • As parents, we often check on the kids before we turn in for the night.  When you check on them make sure ALL electronics such as laptops and phones are switched off and not resting on their blankets. This is important as some electronic devices overheat and the bedding could catch fire.
  • Close your bedroom door before you go to sleep. A shut door keeps smoke and heat out of the room and gives you time to evacuate the house.

  • Consider putting smoke alarms in all bedrooms

The Royal Children’s Hospital put out a really great Home Safety Checklist

Buy Fire Safety for Home E-Book


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Category: Family Development

Do Evacuation Signs & Diagrams Expire?

Building Fire & Safety Regulation 2008 and AS3745 Planning for Emergencies in Facilities states that businesses must have evacuation signs and diagrams and stipulates what must and what could be on the diagrams.

One thing to note though, is that diagrams do not expire.  There are some companies who put a validity date on the diagrams and they use this as an expiry date.  Diagrams DO NOT expire!  However, you must on an annual basis as part of your Emergency Planning Committee Meeting verify that the layout of the building has not changed.  The only time that you need to change the emergency signs and diagrams once created is when there has been a material change to the layout of the building.

Some of the companies that create emergency signs and diagrams also include things such as desks and movable equipment.  As these are movable then it is likely that the layout will change due to a business’s growth and that gives some of those companies an excuse to redo the diagrams.  Only walls and fixtures such as benches and pallet racking that are secured and fitted into the building need to be on the diagrams as they may impact the egress routes.

If you want professionally rendered evacuation signs and diagrams without the BS from other companies, The Answer is Yes has an online course that can walk you through on marking out your emergency signs and diagrams and if you choose we can have them professionally rendered for you.


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Category: Safety and Wellbeing Capability

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