5 Proactive Tips for Scheduling Holiday Requests

By Belen Arredondo

The Holiday Season is right around the corner. What is your organization doing to prepare for holiday vacation requests?

Remember the chaos that was scheduling during the holiday season last year? And the year after that? Well, be proactive this year!

No need to stress over cancelled sessions, underserving clients, not enough hours for staff, and on, and on, and on.

CodeMetro wants good fortune and jolly holidays for all, which is why we wanted to share with you the following tips on how to prepare your organization for the holiday season:

Tip #1

Review your current policy on vacation time – and if you do not already have one in place, create one for the holiday season… NOW!

Tip #2

Remind and discuss with your supervisors what your vacation policy is and encourage that they discuss it with their staff

Tip #3

Have your team reach out to parents regarding their holiday schedules – this may lend itself to parents rearranging schedules to accommodate staff vacation requests and contract fulfillment

Tip #4 

Discuss with staff their holiday availability – some hourly staff members may want additional hours during the holiday season

Tip #5 

Determine whether you will need to hire seasonal staff to carry you into the New Year

By proactively preparing for the holiday season, staff will be more inclined to participate in gathering necessary information and submitting their requests with more than enough time to plan.

NPAWorks Tip: Maximize your scheduling efforts by reviewing the calendar Holidays & Non-Service Days for your organization.

Help your peers prepare for their holiday scheduling needs. Now that you have these amazing tips, share this story with others! 

7 Ways to Keep the Dangerous Trojan Virus Off Your Computer

by Albert Bustos

As an efficient clinician, the last thing you need are major interruptions. Sure, there are inevitable “quick fix” circumstances that stray you from tasks at hand, but you can deal with that. What you cannot afford is a crippling computer virus that stops your productivity to a grinding halt.  

Enter Trojan, or Trojan Horse -- a malicious computer program that performs actions without your consent or knowledge. These actions can consist of automatically deleting, blocking, modifying and copying data, spreading additional malicious programs and launching an attack on other computers. A Trojan infection is catastrophic to your workflow because it offers multiple ways of damaging your computer. 

How do they get in and how can you protect yourself? 

You're Hired! 3 Tips for an Efficient Hiring Process

By Belen Arredondo

If you provide ABA services through various funding sources, you already know that some funding sources (regional centers) may or may not offer services during the summer. By knowing your hiring needs year round, you avoid fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants recruiting practices. Here are a few things to keep in mind in order to be efficient with your hiring practices:            

TIP #1

Know your demographics – who are my clients, what language(s) do they speak, where do they live, etc. These are things to consider when posting jobs and attending conferences.

TIP #2

Know your funding source(s) requirements – high school diploma with some college, AA degree, Bachelor’s degree, etc. Every funding source allows for different types of skill set to provide a particular service.

TIP #3

Know your staff’s skill set – currently in school, already has an AA, graduating in a couple of months, etc.This information will allow you to maximize your scheduling and proactively begin succession planning.

NPAWorks can help. NPAWorks allows for customized fields to staff/client records displaying languages spoken, location of services, and matching the appropriate staff member to a client (based on requirements). NPAWorks also tracks your staff member’s qualifications based on funding source requirement, streamlining hiring needs.