BEST PRACTICES FOR STAFF RETENTION
Unprecedented times cause irrational behavior and unexpected actions.- Dr. Diksha Batra
As clinicians, we are only as strong as our teams, and running a good practice involves depending on well-trained staff members. The growing uncertainty in the economic aftermath of the pandemic has led to many teams shrinking. Despite the turbulence, we see we can navigate back to clear skies if we just remind ourselves of basic human connection and values.
If our employees are leaving then maybe it’s a good time to reflect on the reasons that make them stay. Some of the keys to success when it comes to consistency in the patient experience and growth in the practice despite tough times will be reducing employee attrition and keeping up a great work culture!
Here are some of the ways you can keep your team happy and allow your practice to thereby flourish.
Self-control
The foremost reason in employee attrition has been a loss of self-respect for most people while they can keep up with low wages and long hours it’s the constant erosion of self-worth that people are not willing to tolerate. The dental clinic environment can sometimes be very hectic especially with a disorganized practice lacking systems. The hectic pace of work can cause unregulated emotional outbursts from us as the heads of the practice whose name is at stake. Being self-aware and managing our emotions such that they do not cause our employees to leave is a primary responsibility.
Appreciation
One of the most underutilized techniques of communication is appreciation. We tend to
- forget
- take it for granted
- think that it’s obvious
- or we are just too busy
- the worse of them all is if we can’t see anything good in our employees
make appreciation a part of your daily conversation. Applaud your team members in front of each other and reprimand them alone. A compliment is something that is music to everyone’s ears and fulfills a primary need of saying they are special and worth it. This over sustained periods creates a feeling of reassurance.
Genuine care
There is no other glue to make your team stick together than that of genuine care. This cannot be faked and must be consistent. Our job as the leader or owner should be to be that listening ear or the shoulder of support that our staff needs. Ask yourself if you fit that role for everyone in your practice. If the answer is yes most likely your team is not going anywhere.
Care can be in the form of concern on their health, their goals, their problems at work or even home it must come from within.
Work satisfaction
I read somewhere that “Success is the pursuit and the realization of a worthy ideal”. Just the way we want our day to be fulfilling so does our staff. Give them goals and celebrate when they achieve those goals. Satisfaction is like a drug we constantly need it to keep boosting our happiness quotient.
Learning
Going to work can be a mere means to an end if we do the same thing over and over again. If what you do for majority of your day doesn’t employ your mental faculties anymore it can allow you to consider other options. Every role and position especially in the medical profession requires that we learn and upgrade. We must inculcate a learning culture into the organization. Formal learning and training is one aspect but the other more important aspect is the learning mindset which requires us to learn new things from everyday experiences. Our assistants and associates must be made aware of the daily opportunities of learning and document the things that they learnt by experience, innovation or applying their knowledge and solving a problem or successfully tackling a unique situation.
Growth & progress- Teaching
A long term employee especially one who shows exceptional enthusiasm and growth reaches a sense of stagnation once he knows enough and has been there for awhile. Now the next part of keeping this employee engaged will be for them to transition to teaching and learning from that experience. When they pass on their experience and put it to test by teaching someone it can create a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Have that conversation with your long term employees and see if they would like to take on this new role under observation.
Prompt remuneration
Money means different things to people for some its survival and for others it’s a tag on their worth both of which are vital to human existence. Just like we hate to receive our dues from patients later than agreed upon so do our staff. Getting paid is a one time reward for the entire month and must not be delayed or procrastinated. The basic tenets of professionalism direct us to pay on or even before time!
While money shouldn’t be the only reason your staff works for you it definitely should be tackled professionally from not only salaries but also appraisals and bonuses.
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