Happy staff means happy patients (and a happy end result)
As physicians, we are trained to put our patients first, to put their well-being above all else. This attitude leads us to provide our patients with the best possible care. At the same time, when we put our patients first, we send a subconscious message to our staff that they are therefore second. It may seem appropriate to put patients first, but when our staff feel second-class they become indifferent to patients.
And, as business guru Keith Cunningham puts it, “Indifferent people provide indifferent service.” Also, as our staff are indifferent to their work, they will have little loyalty to us. If they see a new opportunity elsewhere, they will leave quickly. When they leave, it is disruptive for the rest of the staff and it is costly for you to have to hire and train a new staff member. So how do we treat our staff like the first-class workers that they are and still provide excellent medical care to our patients?
1. Give them responsibilities they can handle. Office staff can often feel that their work is mundane, the same every day. Also, they may feel like they have nothing to contribute, as if the office wouldn’t notice if they left. This feeling will permeate everything you do in the office. To motivate them, find their strengths and then put them in charge of that area. For example, in my own office, we have a receptionist who is excellent at taking patients to their annual physicals. So we often give her a break from reception and have her work on a list, calling patients and bringing them in for their physicals. She prides herself on the fact that she is the best at it.
2. Set milestones for them to target. If a staff member comes in every day, does the same job, and feels like just another cog, they will start to resent your office. So, look for goals to motivate your staff and help them own those goals so they don’t feel like the goal is just one more burden on their shoulders. For example, if you have a staff member who is always the best at booking physicals, let him know: “You are so good at getting patients to have their physicals, I’d like to find a goal for you to do even better. “.
3. Use the right rewards. Of course, goals and milestones only work if there is an adequate reward when they are reached. Personally, I look for non-monetary rewards (our e-book, “How to Double (or Even Triple) Your Income as a Primary Care Physician” has a full section on this). The main point I want to make here is that when your staff only receive monetary rewards, these rewards become cheaper. They feel that the only thing that matters in the office is money. So find a way to reward staff that that person really cares about.
4. Support them when they need it. We often set rules in our practices, such as, “If a patient is more than 15 minutes late for an appointment, they must reschedule.” Then when our staff tries to enforce the rule, we tear them down and make them look bad in front of patients. When this happens in your office, find a way to reinforce what your staff say, while still making the patient feel that they were treated with respect. You can start by reiterating the rule your staff member is applying, and then say to the patient, “Let’s see how we can make this work so that we are all happy.” An even better approach would be to train the staff member to do it on their own.
Put these changes into practice and you will develop a loyal staff. Your patients will feel this loyalty and your practice will grow as patients are naturally drawn to you.
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