Five Tips on how to Increase Employee Longevity
By Ivan Delman, DCAN EXPENSIVE CYCLE Wouldn't it be a pleasure not to periodically have to hire staff replacements? Not only is that process time-consuming but it also is expensive. Plus...Until you get the new hire up to speed, you and your remaining staff will have to help the new hire get up to speed. This will hinder the operations of your practice.
Also, I remember reading a study that (paraphrased) stated, "When you lose an experienced staff member, the monetary loss will eventually equal a year's salary of your lost staffer before the replacement is fully trained and productive."
So, what can you do to keep those valued, experienced employees?
Below are five tips that'll help you to keep valued employees happy and staying with you for the long haul:
TIP ONE, MOTIVATION BY PARTICIPATION Keep your ears open for new ideas from staff members.
For example, say that one of your staff mentions that they haven't seen patient Jones for a while. Take advantage of your staffer's interest. Allow them time, during their normal day, to go through your database and assemble a list of lapsed patients.
Then, with the same staff member, work up a script. Give them time and a place to call those lapsed patients. If your staffer does a good job getting lapsed patients to "Return to the fold" reward him or her for their productive efforts. Make certain that the rest of your staff is aware of that person's efforts.
Many successful companies encourage employees to handle problems encountered on the job by working out the solutions among themselves.
Think about that…We've all done that at one time or another.
For example...Right in the middle of a busy time, the front desk person comes to you with an operational problem. You couldn't handle it immediately. You then suggest to the person with the problem to see another staff member who already had some experience running the front desk. "Perhaps they have some experience with that problem," you advise.
Now...Take the above example and expand on it:
During your staff meetings, note the problems mentioned by people at the meeting. If your staff is large enough, form groups consisting of different departments to brainstorm the problem(s) and to come up with a list of solutions.
Otherwise, take an hour or so out of a typically slow day and have your entire staff meet to discuss problems and possible solutions. In effect, you'll be assigning them some homework.
To keep everyone focused on the task at hand, shut down the telephone and lock the front door.
At the next staff meeting, ask them to report on their findings. You'll be delighted to see some good solutions. On top of that, you'll see employees whose motivation has been increased by participating in the decision-making process.
The management at Cisco Internet Systems calls this "The Empowered Employee." This is a great term since it describes the feeling an employee will develop when they are involved in the operational aspect of your practice.
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TIP TWO, CROSS-TRAINING When training a new employee in their job duties, it's expected that there will be a period of non-productive time while the new person is learning their job duties.
One way to reduce that non-productive time is cross training. That is, you train one of your long-standing employees to take over some important portion of the new person's duties.
While training the new person, have the long-standing employee train the new person in some important portion of their job.
This is a win-win deal because now you have made two members of your staff more valuable. The process may slow down your productivity, however, that's just temporary.
However, this process will pay off later when you start scheduling vacations or in case of staff illness because you now have an existing trained replacement.
TIP THREE, TRADING JOBS When you are performing your Mobile Management routines determine if someone might be able to do better elsewhere.
One day, I was talking to the employee responsible for my billing; I was trying to determine why her stats were down. During our conversation, I got the impression that she wasn't all that happy with the job. To her credit, she always had a great attitude and interacted well with patients.
On the other hand, the person running the front desk, at that time, had only a "Fair" personality. When she was under pressure, she had a tendency to get a little snippy.
After discussions with both people, they agreed to cross-train each other then trade jobs. It worked out very well. Both people not only felt more comfortable in their new jobs, but each performed better in their new assignments.
TIP FOUR, THE PYGMALIAN EFFECT
In essence, it occurs when you have a persistently held belief in a staff member that eventually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This belief can either work for or against your purposes.
As an example, if you believe that one of your staff members is smart, attuned to their job and has potential, then you'll treat that person much different than one that you believe has low or no potential.
The differences are subtle and a proper explanation requires more space than this article allows. Therefore, shortly, there'll be a much longer and detailed article dedicated to this phenomenon and how to apply it to staff members.
To sum up the Pygmalian Effect in a few words...If you truly believe in one or more of your staff members, you will subtly (Or not) transmit this feeling and they will live up to your expectations.
Conversely, if you don't, you will also subtly transmit this feeling and that employee will fail eventually fulfilling the prophecy you had projected for them.
TIP FIVE, WHAT ELSE? There are many more things that can be done to keep your employees happy without giving away the store.
For instance, taking just a few private minutes to tell an employee how much you appreciate their work. If they've recently done something positive that ended up benefiting another area of your practice, tell that person about it in glowing terms.
If an employee did something above and beyond, then give them a 1/2 day off with pay. Tickets for them to take their family to a special event are also a wonderful way to say, "Thank you for a job well done!"
Taking the time and making a strong effort to keep your employees motivated and job-satisfied is an excellent investment in your practice. After you've finished reading this, why not take a minute to pat a staffer on the back and tell 'em how much they are appreciated? It'll brighten their day and yours.
Best Regards, Ivan
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The Business of Chiropractic: How to Prosper After Startup (2nd Edition): Ivan Delman; Paperback
