By Elizabeth M. Miller bio
Employees’ attitudes have changed over the years. Good, loyal employees want more than a paycheck and health benefits. Studies have shown that compensation does not even rate in the top 5 of what makes an employee happy with their job.
I believe happy employees are productive employees and anyone who believes otherwise is overlooking the effects that office morale has on efficiency and productivity. I can just hear someone now mumbling, They get paid, don’t they? Isn’t that enough? The short answer—No. It isn’t.
With many practices operating under the philosophy of “doing more with less,” it is more important than ever that there be a team spirit in the office that draws the staff together to work as a cohesive team.
Medical offices are very busy and the goal is providing quality service to the patient. HR “tricks” that work in other companies might not work in a medical practice. The environment is different and time is scarce.
But there are things that you can do that will not break the budget or interfere with the productivity of the office that will go a long way to boosting morale and laying a foundation for a cohesive team:
- Provide breakfast once a week or once a month on Fridays. It’s the end of the week; everyone has worked hard and, while there is still one more day ahead of them, a few minutes to grab a bagel and a cup of coffee will jump-start everyone before leaving for the weekend.
- Have a staff lunch once a month. Order some pizzas or sandwiches or organize a potluck. Everyone has to eat lunch anyway. Sit down with everyone and socialize with your staff. It takes the edge off and humanizes everyone.
- In the kitchen getting a cup of coffee? Bring your assistant or receptionist one. Sound silly? Maybe to you. But you may be surprised how much it will be appreciated and noticed that the boss brought a staff member a cup of coffee. Don’t be surprised if employees start paying it forward.
- Employee did a really good job on a project? Leave a sticky note on their computer thanking them for their hard work.
- Send your staff a motivational email in the morning. It takes less than one minute to do this, but people do notice and appreciate it. For example, I had gotten in the habit of doing this, but one day I was busy and simply forgot. The senior partner sent me an email asking me where my inspirational email for the day was. (One favorite is, “We take care of our employees so they take care of our patients.”)
I believe that managing staff is all about relationship management and good people skills. I could make an endless list of the gestures that cost little or no money but go a very long way.
Every practice I work with I encourage a culture of team-building and good morale. I really believe that it is the backbone to a solid organization in which everyone works together for a common goal—to provide outstanding service to the client.
I am sure someone reading this is shaking their head and thinking I do not have to stroke my employees’ egos, encourage them, or do more for them than give them a paycheck and the benefits that I agreed to provide. Remember, you give what you get—and the reality is that employees want to do a good job and be appreciated and the return will trickle down to outstanding service to your patients.
Still not convinced? I will leave you with one final thought: How did you feel the last time a patient went the extra mile with a heartfelt thank you for doing a good job—the job you got paid to do?
Share your stories: Do you have a favorite motivational message you like to send your employees? Or a simple but effective way to boost morale? Send a note to catherine@plainlanguagemedia.com and we’ll share your tips with your colleagues.
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