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AAHA AAHA publications NEWStat® 2023-2 How to keep the good ones


HOW TO KEEP THE GOOD ONES

By Jenn Galvin - 2/15/2023

We’ve all been there, heck many of us are in it right now . . . we’re
short-handed and it’s hard to find good employees. Holding onto the ones we
already have has never been more important.


PAY MATTERS . . . BUT IT’S NOT EVERYTHING

Many practice managers and hospital owners think the best way to keep good
employees is to pay them more. They aren’t totally wrong. While I’ve seen raises
and bonuses be used as a Band-aid, which won’t work in the long run, it’s
important to pay people what they are worth.

I recommend looking at several sources for average pay information including
your local VMA and VHMA. These resources will give you an idea of how your
current wages and benefits stack up.

Talk to your CPA as well, especially if they are veterinary-specific, as they
may be able to help you figure out what benefits you can afford, how much you
can pay the support staff, and what it would cost to give out some much-needed
raises.


GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES ARE A MUST

While it’s tempting to keep the technician that’s great at placing catheters in
treatment or the client service rep that always seems to be in a good mood at
check-in forever, it may not help keep those folks employed with your hospital
for the long-term.

Make sure you are creating growth opportunities for employees. Ask them for
their input and what new roles or responsibilities they may be interested in.
Then help them with any training, mentoring, or tools they may need. I’ve
created new positions at my hospital that I didn’t even know I needed by asking
for employee feedback.


A CULTURE OF COMMUNICATION

Openly communicate with your team, ask questions, and then be quiet. Employees
have such valuable information to share with management if we would just ask. It
takes work, but creating a culture where employees can share their ideas,
issues, and criticisms without fear of getting in trouble or being shut down
will keep them engaged and employed with your practice.

To see where you stand, I recommend using an anonymous survey platform, like
Survey Monkey, to see how engaged your employees actually are. Don’t take the
results personally if you don’t score perfectly. Look at it as a chance to grow
a better culture and bond your team together. Keep these surveys simple and
don’t ask more than 10 questions at a time (question fatigue is real). Once you
get results, act on them!


DESIGN YOUR EMPLOYEE-SATISFACTION SURVEY

In my employee-satisfaction surveys, I ask both scored and open-ended questions.
Examples include:

Scored – On a scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) rate the
following:

 * I would recommend working here to others.
 * I can imagine myself still working here in a year.
 * I work harder for this hospital than I would at another hospital doing a
   similar job.
 * I understand what is expected of me.
 * I feel like management cares about me and believes in my goals.
 * I have the tools I need to do a great job.
 * When I go above and beyond, I’m recognized for it.

Open ended – Please answer the following questions:

 * What do you love about our hospital?
 * If you could change one thing about working here, what would it be?
 * What could we be doing better?
 * If you had a magic wand and could make something appear, what would it be?
 * If you had a magic wand and could make something disappear, what would it be?


SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION—BUT ASK FIRST

Most importantly, get to know your team and appreciate the heck out of them. Ask
them what their favorite things are – colors, ice cream flavors, coffees, etc.
Do they enjoy written or verbal praise more? Public or private?

Find out what their love languages are and reward them accordingly. When someone
does something great, tell them and tell others. Share amazing client reviews,
celebrate anniversaries, share wins together, and laugh together. Employees need
to know you see them. Employees need to know you care.

A workplace with reasonable compensation, growth opportunities, and open
communication, and one that truly cares about its people, stands a much better
chance at keeping badass employees for the long haul. There are many reasons why
employees leave; as practice owners, we need to do all we can to prevent our
practice culture being one of them.


Jenn Galvin owns and manages Advanced Animal Care, a companion animal hospital
located in Arizona. She has been in the veterinary industry for over 25 years,
and she is a true nerd at heart, with a passion for staff development,
inventory, and veterinary financials.

Photo credit: © bankrx E+ via Getty Images Plus   

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