Human Resources 101

Your Accountabilities Secretary Recruitment Performance Management Supervision Turnover/Terminations

Scenario One

You’ve just sorted out your contract with the hospital and now it is time to think about your office set up. You realize you need to hire a secretary.

What do you do?

Scenario One

a. Consider the type of employment relationship and pro/cons of each, i.e. hospital hired vs. hired by you

b. Contact the Recruitment Advisor and/or Administrative Officer for information on hiring a secretary

c. Contact Roxana Caraman, Coordinator – Medical Affairs as initial contact

d. Consult the Medical Affairs website to review Professional Staff set up processes

e. All of the above

Employment Relationship

Hospital hire: Secretary = employee, LHSC/St. Joseph's Health Care =employer

Physician = supervisor of day-to-day operations

Must follow hospital salary plans and benefits

Medical Affairs has accountability for ensuring hospital policies, procedures and practices are followed

Two organizations which have different processes

Employment Relationship

Private Hire:Secretary = private hire Physician = employer

Physician determines salary and whether benefits are payable

Employment Standards vacation pay must be paid – minimum 4%

Medical Affairs has accountability for ensuring hospital policies, procedures and practices are followed

Signing a “Employer Declaration & Release”– A copy is to be sent to Medical Affairs

Privately Hired Secretaries

Medical Affairs provides assistance with: hiring supervising mandatory training setting up e-mail for private hire misconduct/inappropriate behaviours privacy breaches

Accountabilities

You are responsible for ensuring your staff member follows the policies and practices of the hospital

You are responsible to ensure all required mandatory training is completed

You will be responsible for hiring, performance management/development, training, vacation tracking, attendance management, etc.

What Are the Physician’s Responsibilities?

Working in partnership with the department and Human Resources (LHSC/St. Joseph's Health Care) Hiring and/or Interviewing Secretaries Changes in status i.e. FT to PT or vice versa Performance development every 2 years Managing Attendance Managing Vacation balances Establishing work expectations Adhering to the obligations of a collective agreement

[applicable at Victoria Hospital] Terminations

Hiring Process for Medical Secretaries at LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care

Hiring processes may differ at LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care

Fair and equitable hiring processes apply For LHSC:

Victoria Hospital– Secretarial staff are unionized – COPE is the bargaining unit for

full time positions or part time positions over 24 hours per week. – Employee must meet essential qualifications of the position,

then seniority governs– Part time positions 24 hours per week and under are non-union

positions.

Hiring Process

University Hospital:– Secretarial staff, both full time and part-time,

are non-union

St. Joseph’s Health Care:– All secretarial/clerical staff are non-union

Hiring Process for Medical Secretaries at LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care

If an individual is employed by both LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care, each organization will treat them as separate hires and they will need to follow the practices and policies of each organization.

As it creates a “conflict of interest,” a family member can not be a direct Supervisor. This includes summer hires.

Recruiting a Secretary

LHSC:Contact is Melissa Dyer, Recruitment Advisor at ext 36866

St. Joseph's Health Care:Contact is Karen Topfer, Human Resources Associate at ext. 65599 Your HR representative will assist you with the hiring process, posting requirements and interview questions.Your HR representative will assist you with obtaining references, negotiating job offers and start date.Salary scale is predetermined by hospital policy for all ongoing positions.

Recruiting a Secretary

You have hired a secretary

from within the organization.

What are your responsibilities?

Recruitment Process LHSC

If you are hiring externally, LHSC requires two completed references from current or past supervisors prior to conditional job offer being made.

HR handles job offer on behalf of Physician. At LHSC, job offers are conditional based on receiving

a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector police check. The employee is responsible to provide the police check to HR.

Once received, HR works with Physician to determine start date and will finalize the offer.

Recruitment Process at St Joseph's Health Care

If you are hiring externally, St. Joseph's Health Care requires three completed references from current and past supervisors prior to job offer being made.

HR handles job offer as the employer.

Once received, HR works with Physician to determine start date and will finalize the offer.

Scenario Three

You know you will be involved in interviews for a new secretary .You want to pick the right people for the position by balancing the technical/clinical knowledge with the “right fit”.

How do you approach this?

Scenario Three

a. Consult your HR Rep for LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care to develop behavioural-based interviewing tools to assess hard and soft skills.b. Decide to wing it and see what happens in the interview. Your gut feeling will tell you.c. Review the essential qualifications for the position.d. Have each person being interviewed tested.e. Ask for work-related references.f. a, c, d, and e apply.

Selecting the Best Candidate

HR identifies candidates who meet the job posting qualifications and forwards a short list to the physician.

Physicians select who to interview and at St Joseph’s Health Care, HR will participate in the interview process if any candidates are external to the organization.

Consider ‘hard skills’ (keyboarding, scheduling, OHIP billing, required computer applications etc.) and the ‘soft’ skills (ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with patients and others, core values, organizational and time management skills and adaptability, etc.)

Alignment with organizational values

Terms of Employment

General policy information Non-union Secretaries at LHSC and St. Joseph's Health

Care–non union policies apply. These can be found on intranet

Unionized Secretaries at Victoria Hospital – see COPE collective agreement

Some hospital policies apply to both union and non-union employees, i.e. vacation management

LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care Replacement Coverage

Replacement secretaries to cover leaves of absence at LHSC can be achieved through a job posting (if required) or contracted through a temporary agency (Manpower at 519-680-0100). Contact LHSC Human Resources for advice

St Joseph's Health Care HR rep should only be contacted for extended leaves

Cost of replacement secretaries is billed to the physician

LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care Vacation

Non-union secretaries, information can be found on the respective Hospital Intranets:

It is the physician’s responsibility to ensure that their secretary does not carry forward vacation in excess of that described in the vacation policy.

– At LHSC employees cannot carry forward more than their entitlement plus 75 hours. The Physician must approve any carry over of vacation.

– At LHSC employees may be allowed a negative vacation balance of no more than 37.5 hours per year

– At LHSC employees must take a minimum of two calendar weeks vacation

Vacation entitlement earned in a vacation year is to be taken according to the policy or collective agreement in place at each organization.

Your responsibility would be to establish a process for requesting vacation, i.e. written request via e-mail requesting vacation.

Employee Benefit Plans and Policies

• LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care provide benefits to full time employees upon hire.

• At LHSC, non-union part-time employees who work 22.5 hour per week or more receive benefits.

• Benefit policies are on the respective hospital websites.

Benefits: Sick Time

Paid sick time varies depending on employment status and whether they are union or non-union employees

During an absence due to illness/disability, the secretary retains their status with the right to return to their position when they are medically cleared by the Hospital’s Occupational Health and Safety Services department

If accommodation is required it is the hospital’s legal obligation to accommodate

Workplace Accommodation

LHSC and St. Joseph's Health Care maintain a duty to provide appropriate accommodation to an employee with a disability in order to facilitate continued participation in the activity of work

It is the employer’s obligation to accommodate according to the Ontario Human Rights Code, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

LHSC and St Joseph’s Health Care Performance Development (PD)

At LHSC it is a process of discussing employee performance based on the Job Fact Sheet and established expectations

At St. Joseph’s Heath Care it is a process of discussing employee performance every two years based on the Position Description Summary and established expectations

Forms are located on the respective hospital intranet sites http://www.lhsc.on.ca/priv/hr/perfdev/employee.htm http://intra.sjhc.london.on.ca/depts/hr/pds/index_3.htm

LHSC Code of Conduct /St. Joseph's Health Care Values in Action

LHSC Code of Conduct, St. Joseph's Health Care Values in Action

St Joseph’s Health Care - Standards of Relationships, LHSC- Violence in the Workplace, Managing Abusive and Inappropriate Behaviours: Staff and Affiliates

At minimum, speak up and hold each other accountable

Both organizations policies can be located by clicking on Corporate Policy Manual on the hospital’s intranet page

Standard Probationary Period

Secretaries: New employees are required to complete a standard 3 month probationary period

This is an important period where issues of concern should be addressed and an assessment is completed of whether employment is a fit

Both organizations have 3 month probationary forms that to be completed by the physician and discussed with the employee

Privacy Policy and your Secretary

For Private hires – you and the individual are responsible for ensuring your secretary follows hospital policy and practices to ensure patient privacy

LHSC and St. Joseph’s Health Care hires – the individual carries responsibility for ensuring hospital policy and practices are followed.

Mandatory Training

Mandatory training for employees is completed through iLearn and Learning Edge (online systems)

Following training required: Fire Response and Evacuation (annually) Infection Prevention and Control Training (every two

years) WHMIS (every three years) Excelling at Accessible Customer Service (once) Privacy and Confidentiality (initially and

biannually at LHSC)

Leaving the Organization at LHSC

Ensure that Medical Affairs and Human Resources are made aware of the final date that you will require your secretarial services 5 months prior to departure as costs may be due if the time is shorter

LHSC non-union and union employees require a minimum notice of 4 months and 5 months respectively. In addition, severance is payable.

Employment Standards Act and severance may be required and physician may be required to share those costs

Leaving the Organization at LHSC

Every effort will be made to secure alternate employment for the secretary prior to the physician’s departure. If that is not possible, the layoff language for non-union employees or from the Collective Agreement will apply

Moving to another position -delete any patient lists and databases that they have on their P-drive that they have created pertaining to their previous position.

Leaving the Organization at St. Joseph's Health Care

If for any reason the employee is leaving the organization please contact Medical Affairs and your St. Joseph's Health Care HR representative as soon as you are aware of the situation.

Thank you!