You got into business because you love interviewing people right? Wrong. Most private practice owners admit that hiring is one of their least favorite tasks as a business owner.
However, your team is one of the most important parts to the success of your practice. Here are a few simple tips to improve staff motivation and ultimately retain quality teams!
1. Hire well from the beginning. There’s a lot to be said for the gut factor, or the unexplainable impression that someone leaves on you. Sometimes you can put this into words, but often times you can’t articulate why someone would be a perfect fit.
However, if they have the “it” factor that makes you know that they’ll be a good fit, don’t stress too much over skills and technical knowledge. While some roles require certain licenses, many skills and personal preferences for your office can be taught. Personality is much harder to train.
2. Express gratitude. Perhaps the best thing you can do for any staff member, whether they’ve been with you for 20 years or 20 minutes, is express gratitude. The more appreciated and needed they feel, the less likely they are to get frustrated, complain or look for greener grass somewhere else.
3. Be clear in your expectations. Take the time to create policies and clear explanations for specific tasks. If your staff does not know what the expectations are, there are no clear guidelines for them to measure their performance.
4. Do annual reviews. If you want to get serious and call them performance reviews, go for it. The most important thing is that you provide your staff an opportunity to be praised, be encouraged in areas of weakness and be heard if they have concerns of their own.
Most practice owners do not make this a priority and therefore never do them. Yes, a patient sitting in your chair is revenue in your pocket, but ongoing staff turnover from bad management will cost you even more money in the long run!
5. Surprise your staff. Surprise bonuses, rewards and gifts are a nice way to let your staff know they are appreciated. The surprise part is what is great because the team members never know when it’s coming. It lets them know that their boss sees what they do, even when it’s just an ordinary day or week. Staff members have higher motivation to perform well all the time because they don’t know what normal day might bring a fun surprise bonus.
Staffing is hard and there are always unique reasons why one staff member might be more motivated than another. However, cultivating a culture of motivation within your team is one of the most important things you can do for the long-term health of your practice.