CATCH THIS.....................AND DO TELL ME HOW IS THIS.............
FIVE WAYS TO RETAIN OUR EMPLOYEES
WITHOUT SPENDING A SINGLE PENNY
Good employees are hard to find, and even harder to replace. How can we keep good employees around when they could be making more money or working an easier schedule elsewhere? Not long ago, we sought to answer that question. Our office manager polled our employees to see what they liked about working in our practice and what kept them here. The most highly rated items weren't decent wages or perks. Instead, the most common responses fell into these categories:
• Positive, caring relationships:
• Recognition of achievement:
• Pride in the organization:
• Opportunities for growth and advancement
1. Talk to your employees. I may go a week and hardly speak to my Store Walla. They could care less, but with employees such behavior is a real mistake. When we see them, address them by name. It's fairly easy to visit with your medical assistant or nurse, but go out of your way to say "hi" to your front-office employees and your business staff. Meet with new employees briefly and find out a little about them. In addition, make sure that office manager is readily available to talk to staff, particularly when they have an issue or new ideas.
2. Recognize good work. When a day runs smoothly, tell your receptionist what a good job they have done - and mean it. When collections are going well, let the billing staff know that you appreciate it. In a bigger office, consider awarding an Employee of the Month, nominated by peers and announced to all employees. Any award will be greatly enhanced if the time to deliver it face-to-face.
3. Get personal. Know when your employees have special events in their lives - good or bad - and discuss it with them. For example, we celebrate staff birthdays and anniversaries of employment, which is a big deal for our employees.
4. Help them succeed. To do well in their jobs, employees need an accurate job description and an annual review that lets them know how they are performing and what they can do to improve. They also need access to an employee handbook so they can understand the expectations of the organization. We should Provide employees with these tools, and as they show signs of readiness, be willing to entrust them with new tasks and greater responsibility.
5. Keep them in the loop. When good or bad things happen to an employee outside the office, be certain to let staff know promptly. Don't drift past them in the office and let them find out some other way. By keeping staff informed, you communicate that you think they are a valuable part of the team and important to patients. In return, most employees will go the extra mile for us over and over again.
What they have in common is that they cost very little, yet can make a good job a great one - one that employees will stick with even if other options arise.