September 1999
Volume 63 |
Number 9
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WHAT'S NEW IN ...
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| ... Committee
on Professional Diversity Activities |
Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.,
Chair
Committee on Professional Diversity
The Committee on Professional Diversity was approved as a standing
committee of the ASA by the House of Delegates in 1997 and charged
with identifying and integrating the talents of our diverse membership
into ASA. Although initially perceived as a forum for issues related
to race and gender, the committee has functioned more broadly
in addressing the emerging challenges of an increasingly diverse
workplace.
The committee serves as a resource throughout the year
for members who seek information related to workplace law and
resources related to effective integration of older anesthesiologists
and their families into busy anesthesia practices. Anesthesiologists
who would otherwise have retired 20 years ago are finding that
their health as well as their enthusiasm for their specialty allows
them to continue to practice. As a society, we are striving for
more balance in our personal and professional lives. More anesthesiologists
now choose to work less because of family issues or dual careers.
These changing expectations will continue to challenge our traditional
staffing and call coverage practices.
When Wall Street assesses the advantages and challenges
in managing an integrated work force, time and again the experts
demonstrate that the benefits far outweigh the costs. While it
sounds nice and it feels good to be one of the "best companies"
for women and minorities, does the market pay extra for diversity?
When reviewing top performing companies whose stock has appreciated
significantly over the past five years and who also matched or
exceeded the S&P, we find that many of these companies are
diversity friendly. In other words, diversity is important for
business success and Wall Street does pay extra for it.
Businesses feel that diversity is a competitive advantage. People
approach similar problems in different ways, and thus a diverse
work force can arrive at better business solutions.
In the practice of anesthesiology, we have found that
diversity presents similar challenges and advantages. In our department,
we have identified a mechanism allowing older anesthesiologists
to graduate from the 24-hour call schedule to a 16-hour schedule
and then to an eight-hour call schedule. The advantages are greater
continuity of the daily work force and larger blocks of post-call
time allocated to younger staff with family obligations. Richard
M. Flowerdew, M.D., a member of the Committee on Professional
Diversity, heads a group at Maine Medical Center in Portland,
Maine.
"The most important characteristic of a job is a sense of professional
development and satisfaction with the work environment. Successful
environments value equity and engender employee loyalty, enthusiasm
and involvement."
He has created a computer program that calculates effort and
compensation and distributes work responsibilities appropriately
between members of his group. Such approaches maximize the ample
experience of older practitioners, harness the energy of younger
practitioners and create a flexible environment that allows time
for development within and outside of the workplace. As articulated
in a Wall Street Journal article in June 1999, retention
of employees has more to do with work environment than salary.
The most important characteristic of a job is a sense of professional
development and satisfaction with the work environment. Successful
environments value equity and engender employee loyalty, enthusiasm
and involvement.
Does this mean that we can avoid all workplace conflicts
with appropriate management? Unfortunately, the conflicts arising
between changing workplace expectations and traditional definitions
have resulted in a new, busy legal subspecialty, workplace law.
The Committee on Professional Diversity fields many queries from
anesthesiologists seeking information on management of workplace
inequities. Workplace disagreements do not have to end up in a
courtroom. In fact, well-informed and educated employers and employees
can often mediate to a win-win situation.
The Committee on Professional Diversity has identified
Web-based and printed material that address return-to-work after
many injuries and illnesses. The majority of practitioners using
our resources want to return to work but are encountering numerous
obstacles. Changes in Equal Employment Opportunity regulations
and the Americans with Disabilities Act have expanded the list
of covered disabilities. Employers and employees need to be educated
regarding their responsibilities and rights. Employers with more
than 15 employees for a period of 20 weeks in the current or previous
calendar year are obligated to attempt to develop reasonable accommodations
for disabled employees. The average cost for accommodations is
usually less than $500. The real benefit, however, is the integration
of a willing employee into the workplace. There is still much
committee work to be done in the area of education and publicizing
creative solutions for the workplace challenges facing our specialty.
The laws of contract protect parties. Employees have rights,
as do employers, that are guaranteed by law. Equal opportunity
is really more than a patriotic slogan, and personnel policies
are not as important themselves as how you implement them. Creative
and lawful decision-making requires the consideration of many
alternatives and enables the workplace to accommodate a diverse
group of employees. The soft stuff is harder to manage
than the hard stuff. However, attention to the concepts
that value diversity will keep your practice and your specialty
a top performer.
Please join us at the ASA Professional Diversity Luncheon
on Monday, October 11, 1999, in Dallas, Texas. The committee is
showcasing a few of these challenges and some creative ways of
addressing them. Our keynote speaker will be Michael F. Roizen,
M.D., who will be reviewing his Age Reduction Plan. Our round-table
discussions will focus on fatigue and stress and their effect
on physician well-being, occupational risks and how to avoid them,
hypnosis as a tool to manage stress, part-time employment and
well-being programs.
Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., is Professor
and Chair, Department of Anesthesiology, Medical University of
South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
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