Managing laboratory personnel--are you prepared? Part II

At the center of the hardware in the clinical laboratory are people, and managing these people can be difficult for the resident who has had no management experience or instruction in management skills. Last month, in the first of the two part article, the author explained how a pathologist's administrative role differs from his role as a physician, reviewed management styles, and discussed management tools the laboratory director needs to organize and operate a laboratory. Here, he focuses on the orientation program for new employees, motivational factors, and the importance of personnel policies, job performance evaluation, counseling and disciplinary action, and proper delegation of responsibilities.