Ask Amy: Reigning in the bride

A veteran team member recently started making elementary mistakes. Our co-workers think that her negligence is because of her obsession with her upcoming wedding. As a practice manager, what can I do to keep Bridezilla focused on her job?

—I'VE HAD IT UP TO TIER

DEAR TIER:

If team members are coming to you with concerns about this employee, I'll assume two things: that these co-workers have already talked with the forgetful bride—who didn't listen—and that the bride's mistakes are frequent and potentially harmful to pets. Otherwise, team members might have just rode it out until after the big day.

What you need to do is take the bride aside and talk about her oversights. Be as specific as possible. Did she forget to reload the X-ray plates after developing them? Did she fail to properly clean the surgical instruments? Stick strictly to work aspects, nothing nuptial. Her mistakes may be caused by pre-wedding stress, but there may be something more serious going on that she might not want to talk about. Don't pry the reasons out of her. Simply explain that these slip-ups hurt the hospital and make her colleagues' jobs harder.

Ask if there's something you can do to help. Perhaps a reduction in hours or a change in duties would help. Also, don't assume things will get worse as her wedding approaches. If time passes and her mistakes are less frequent or less serious, you could then give her another verbal or written warning and see how she's doing a week later. If they're more serious, you must tell her very clearly that her job is in jeopardy if she doesn't improve. Then schedule a time to evaluate her progress. At that point you can decide what to do next. —AMY