Self-assessment is a critical first step.

Practices across the country seem to have one thing in common these days — staffing shortages. These shortages may adversely affect the delivery of efficient patient care, potentially affecting satisfaction and outcomes. They have certainly created stressful work cultures that result in burnout and high levels of employee dissatisfaction — which puts the organization at further risk of turnover.

While there are many strategies to recruit, hire and onboard new employees, often a key missed step is the internal assessment of the organization to identify areas that may adversely impact the retention of new and — just as important — existing staff.

Below are tips to help you with self-assessment and to make informed changes.

REVIEW EVERYTHING AND BE CREATIVE

Now, more than ever, you must think differently about how you recruit, hire and retain team members, as well as the experience you create for them. Your competition is no longer simply the practice down the street or the local hospital. Companies such as large tech firms are now offering virtual training and internship programs that provide career pathways, solid compensation and flexible work schedules. Doing the same thing you did in the past to remain competitive in today’s labor market simply won’t work. So, take stock of what you offer employees and consider the following incentives:

• Wage and salary. Conduct a regional wage and salary assessment to determine how you compare against industry benchmarks. Also, take into account non-healthcare industries in your area or virtual businesses that may be pulling potential candidates away from you. Then consider your compensation philosophy and determine if you need to pay well above market/benchmark norms to be the employer of choice.
• Benefits. Review your total package of benefits to determine if you have an opportunity to increase employee perks. An analysis may uncover that it’s more beneficial to increase your cost and lessen employee cost vs what it costs in annual turnover. To the degree possible, offer flexible benefits. Not all employees need or want the “standard package” and may find it helpful to have benefits that fit their specific needs. As always, consult with a human resources expert or legal counsel who specializes in employee relations to determine what may be permissible in your state.
• Flexible scheduling. Evaluate your current staffing models and identify opportunities to create flexible scheduling options for roles that may support remote work. For example, remote scribe roles have become a growing part of many health-care specialties. While some roles are not as conducive to remote work, there may be opportunities to create job sharing that allows for more flexible hours to meet an employee’s needs.
• Miscellaneous perks. Identify other perks that are most important to your team. Instead of a monthly or quarterly lunch, consider a daily meal offering or stipend. At minimum, provide access to nutritious snacks and water throughout the day. It’s an investment in the health and well-being of your team. Another perk to consider may be a retention bonus that is earned over a period of time to incentivize employees to stay. These potential offerings to create a feeling among staff of being valued and cared for by the practice.

CONDUCT ‘STAY’ INTERVIEWS

Flip the script by being proactive and seeking feedback vs waiting until someone resigns to conduct an exit interview. Your current staff can and should play a role in creating a work environment that promotes satisfaction and productivity. Ask what is working well, what may not be working well and for ideas that could contribute to improvement. Seeking feedback does not mean you can adopt all suggested changes, so remember to caveat employee discussions to set realistic expectations. However, when changes are brought forward that can be implemented, take action to ensure your team feels heard.

Questions to consider for these discussions are:

• What most fulfills you about your current role?
• What, if anything, is the most draining about your role?
• What is one idea you might have to improve your role or the current work environment? How can we work together on that solution?
• How well do you feel we recognize your contributions? What recognition or reward is most important to you?
• What can we do to support your professional goals and growth in our organization?
• What, if anything, has made you consider leaving our employment in the past few weeks/months?

INVOLVE ALL PROVIDERS IN IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS

It is especially critical to enlist fellow physician owners. Creating a welcoming and happy work environment is the responsibility of all people in the organization. Physicians are an important part of setting practice culture and must be involved on a daily basis in promoting a work setting where employees feel valued and appreciated. Tangible strategies for physicians to follow include:

• Be present and engaged. There are so many opportunities to interact and be involved with staff. Morning huddles, meal breaks or staff or department meetings are just a few ways physicians can connect better with each employee and bring a feeling of “we’re all in this together.”
• Be punctual. While unforeseen factors that cause clinics to run behind can always arise, this should be the exception, not the rule. Every provider’s commitment to starting and ending clinic on time is essential. Staff are not, and should not, accept chronic late days that impact their family or personal time. If clinics routinely run late, it is important to identify the factors that contribute to delays and correct them immediately.
• Express gratitude and appreciation. Every day, physicians should let the team know that they appreciate their work. Starting the day with a quick “Hello, looking forward to a good day” and ending with a simple, “Thank you for a great day” before leaving can go a long way in expressing gratitude to staff. People want to feel valued and appreciated. It costs nothing to say a few kind words but has a huge return on investment.

FOR A BRIGHTER PRACTICE FUTURE

Physicians, administrative leaders and all team members play a vital role in assessing the practice environment and suggesting changes to create a workplace that new and existing staff desire to be a part of. That starts with an honest self-assessment — a critical step in addressing current and future talent shortages. OM

Laura Baldwin CPC, ELI-MP, RN, is a senior consultant at BSM Consulting with more than 25 years of experience in health care. Her areas of focus include strategic planning, identification and implementation of operational improvements, teaching and training and executive and leadership coaching.