[larryn]

If I were an employee there, pulling the weight of a deadbeat malcontent whiner, it would grow old quickly. If I were you, be decisive and find a replacement. Nobody like a boss who would come across as a pushover, when it's causing them to have to pick up the slack.

[4nroots]

just wanted to update everyone...she quit. I think this is the best move she could have made. We are so relieved. Thanks for everyone's input

[Viral]

what small town are you in?

[StewtheBassman]

God's country is west of Ottawa, rich farm country with generations of families who know each other.

Very interesting thread. Just goes to show that the E90 demographic can be very insightful and is obviously hardworking and well educated (whether book smart OR street smart).

Glad she quit, save you a ton in legal fees and stress, who is the new receptionist???????

[tl_boy]

congrats on her quitting. she really needed to. and i think that as long as you do your work well, the diversity issue won't be any problem, even in small towns. i would suggest to even consider doing free clinics (like a free dental exam), or a free cleaning promotion for a limited time, or something, and put flyers around the town for this. This will help establish goodwill.

[Viral]

wow..........didn't know there was an actual place named God's Country.

I was born and raised in Toronto......

[SD330i]

hmmm

[MrSilver]

What was her reason/what happened to make her quit?

[StewtheBassman]

Originally Posted by Viral

wow..........didn't know there was an actual place named God's Country.

I was born and raised in Toronto......

Yup, it's as Ubiquitous a name as Springfield in the USA!!LOL!!

[NFS]

Originally Posted by 4nroots

Hi guys

I am having a bit of a dilemma right now, and an objective set of eyes is exactly what i need, so I am turning to you.

I am a dentist, have been out of school for 5 years now. Almost 3 years ago, I bought a dental practice in a small town. The practice was established many years ago by the guy's father, and the son took it over for about 10 years. The son was 38 and was selling because he was going back to specialty school. To make a long story short, the son was an atrocious dentist both in his attitude towards patients and his obvious lack of care which is refelected in his work. He was also an ass to do business with, and made my life miserable during the transition period. My main concern was to integrate well in the community, which is made harder due to the fact that I am a visible minority in a very Canadian town. I inherited his staff, and the person I am having trouble with is my receptionist.

She has always been resitant to change. The son and his dad did things the old fashioned way (ie old equipment, no computers), and I have completely changed the practice over the last 3 years of ownership to reflect my philosophy (which is to treat the patient with respect and set the bar high in terms of clinical practice). My receptionist has never been on the same page with me, and we recently had a disagreement regarding her paid vacation. Part of her employent agreement states that she has 4 weeks paid vacation every year. Our practice used to be a 5 day a week practice, but is now (and has been for a while) a 4 day a week practice. So, we told her that her vacation pay would be based on a 4 day work week starting NEXT year, and that we would pay it based on 5 years this year just as courtesy. We have also given her a $1/hr raise and fat bonuses each year we have owned the place (the previous owner never gave her a raise for years).

So, she yells and reacts badly to this, calling my wife (office manager) a hot head. This was in April. Since then, things have been getting from bad to worse. She took 'stress' leave in august, and this week announced she needs another month off due to stress. I really want to fire her, but the fact this is a small town and she is from it, has made me hesitant. I have a really good reputation now, and I am afraid she will try to ruin it. I also wouldn't put it past her to sue for wrongful dismissal. All my other staff are on my side, and think she is acting ridiculously and playing the martyr. they all want her gone too. she is definitely causing a lot of tension at work, and I find it stressful to go to work.

I am going to fire her, but I need help with a strategy. My mother in law gave me a good idea, to ask her for a doctor's note in one month stating she is no longer disabled, and then fire her.

Any other ideas? any lawyers on here?

Thanks for any input guys...sorry if this was boring to read

1. See a solicitor to make sure you are correct in terms of employment law. An unfair dismissal case would be damaging - financially and to your reputation.

2. Formalise the new contractual terms with the employee.

3. Have a disciplinary meeting with the employee to find out the source of the problem and agree an action plan to resolve it.

4. If necessary you may need to have several meetings and or issue written warnings prior to dismissal. You need to give the employee time to get her act together and record the fact that you did so.

5. If she isn't going to get in side - you will have to fire her. It's not a good situation for either of you otherwise.

(edit - ignore me - I just read the last page and saw that you had taken legal advice and that she had quit - good result really).

[MIKEYMIKE]

Fire the receptionist and a get a new one.

If you are truly trying to start out fresh, then you need to do just that.

[4nroots]

Originally Posted by Viral

what small town are you in?

goderich ontario, on lake huron

[Dante]

Glad she quit, best solution for you!

Hmm, just remembered that hilarious movie 'The whole nine yards'. Also Canada, also a dentists practise but the recepcionist was a hired contract killer...

Are you Matthew Perry by any chances?

Good luck on finding a better replacement!