Bridge Firm Recovery June 2019

Cover story, continued ...

mistake again, or a third time? Suddenly, a small but correctable problem is driving coworkers and management up the wall. What could’ve been remedied quickly and without fuss is now a serious issue. Scheduled, formal reviews must be supplemented with regular feedback. If an employee has project-based work, it’s helpful to debrief at the completion of each project to discuss what went well and what could be improved upon. These sessions can be held in groups or in one-on-one environments. What matters is that you don’t wait until a specific date on the calendar to discuss issues or celebrate good work. IT SHOULD BE DETAILED It’s always nice to hear, “Good work,” but it’s not super helpful. Sure, it’s an affirmation of effort and dedication, and it’s decidedly better than nothing, but it also doesn’t tell an employee very much. Instead, point out exactly how the employee excelled.

Consider these two brief statements:

these topics, but you have to be tactful and empathetic about it.

“Bernice, you are a scheduling rock star.”

Let’s say you have an employee who brings up relevant issues but does so in a way that tends to leave people feeling upset. You should not take the employee to task for their personality, but instead, point out the results of their“pedal to the metal”style. Giving them tools to be more delicate will make themmore effective, which is what they’re after in the first place. AND IT SHOULD LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT If somebody’s attitude is so noxious (or their performance is so inadequate) that you can’t think of anything constructive to say, perhaps you need to consider having a different conversation with them. However, in the vast majority of cases, honest, measured feedback will help an employee improve and make them feel more secure in their role. Whether it’s positive or negative, employees want to know how they’re doing. It’s up to you to start telling them.

“Bernice, we really appreciate the way you schedule things with an eye toward both patient satisfaction and a work schedule that allows us to perform efficiently. The fact that you balance both is amazing and makes our lives so much easier.” Not only is the second statement going to make Bernice feel better, but it also lets her know just what she is doing that makes her valuable. You can bet that reinforcing this specific behavior will enable it to continue. BUT IT SHOULD NEVER BE PERSONAL Feedback, first and foremost, is about the work. It should never stoop to petty snipes at somebody who rubs you the wrong way. Now, that’s not to say you can’t critique the way an employee presented something or suggest a different communication style with their coworkers. You should discuss

LAWSUITS FROM BEYOND Let’s Hope There’s a Courtroom in the Afterlife

We pride ourselves on being a country where everyone receives a fair trial. And while that’s not always the case, even the craziest claims still have to be heard in some capacity by a court of law. As you can imagine, this can result in plenty of spooky high jinks in the courtroom. Let’s take a look at some of the more baffling court cases in recent memory.

occasions after his lawyer missed certain deadlines to turn in proper documents. Thankfully, the issue was resolved, but not before he had his credit cards and Medicaid revoked after appearing to be dead.

SOLEMNLY SPOOKED

DEAD MAN TALKING

An unnamed New York resident — just what on earth is going on in New York? — claimed that the house they’d recently purchased was horribly and cripplingly haunted by unseen forces. The poltergeist was said to disrupt their daily activity, and the plaintiff was suing on the grounds that the home was notorious in the area for being haunted and had a reputation as such. Therefore, the owner felt it should have been disclosed to them before closing on the home. They won. That’s right; the court ruled that the seller misled the plaintiff and should have disclosed the nature of this potentially harmful house. Shockingly enough, this type of thing is required to be disclosed when selling a house in New York. Well, at least a buyer will have peace of mind knowing that they got a sweet new pad and a ghoul for pennies on the dollar.

In something straight out of a Coen brothers movie, a New York man had to sue The New York Times on three separate occasions to get them to stop reporting that he was dead. In all fairness, it seemed like an honest mistake prolonged by the ineptitude of his public counsel and a whole lot of terrible coincidences all rolled into one. Juan Antonio Arias just so happened to share the same first and last name as one “Juan Arias”who had met his untimely demise. After it was reported in a Times article, the living Arias accidentally had his own date of birth and Social Security number added to the death certificate of his now deceased namesake in a terrible mix-up from the coroner. As a result, he sued on three

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