One day a patient was checking out from their appointment and she said to me, “Every time I come here, I am amazed because everyone who works here is always happy.” I told her there is a reason for that, she was very intrigued as to what I was going to say next. I said, “There are many reasons we are all happy and it has to do with the fact that we choose to be here each day.”
She looked puzzled so I went on. “Everyone who works here wants to be here; we enjoy working together because we make it a priority to support each other and make the best of each day together. If someone was working here and they didn’t want to be here and made things stressful or difficult, they would not be working here. We believe that we need to enjoy what we do and enjoy who we do it with and therefore, we work hard at making our workplace culture and environment one that we all can thrive in not die in. Not every day is a picnic, but we make sure that at the end of the day, we all are okay and ready to come back to serve our patients the next day”
I could tell that she was a little shocked that I had an answer for her, and she could tell what I had said was true. In the practice we all “walk the talk” because we all believe in the mission and vision of our medical practice, which is to create a great workplace for ourselves so we can provide excellent patient care and service for those who come through our practice doors each day.
The big question is, “What does it take to create this type of employee engagement?”
First, it takes commitment on the part of the physician business owner(s) and their management staff to engage, invest in education, personal development which will continually grow the staff that work in the practice with them.
Many times, business owners ask the question, “Is continued employee development worth the investment because they just seem to leave anyway?” The answer is “Yes.” The benefits of employee investment which create employee engagement are 10-fold, but they take an investment of time and effort to bring them to fruition.
Statistics show that more employees now are looking to invest back into their jobs and this trend is on the upswing for people to want to grow with their company, rather than look for new employment.
Gallup found that in early May 2020, after the pandemic hit, the percentage of “engaged” workers in the U.S. — those who are highly involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace — reached 38%. This is the highest since Gallup began tracking the metric in 2000.
The percentage of workers who are “actively disengaged” — those who have miserable work experiences and spread their unhappiness to their colleagues — tied the 2018 and 2019 low of 13%. These findings are based on a random sample of 4,724 full- and part-time U.S. employees working for an employer from April 27 to May 17, 2020.
Below are a few of the well documented benefits to be gained from continuing education and personal development for employees.
Increased job satisfaction and
Increased morale amongst staff members.
Creates a caring and empowering relationship between physician(s) your staff members.
Increased employee self-motivation.
Increased efficiencies in processes resulting in overall financial gain.
Reduced employee turnover, resulting in reduced recruiting and training costs.
Enhanced office image and patient satisfaction and loyalty.
The positive reinforcement of investing in staff creates employees that are willing to go the extra mile.
Today, medical staff in all positions of the practice play a key role in the advancement of the medical practice. Continued training for medical staff is necessary to keep the medical practice standards high and in enhancing quality patient care and a great patient experience with the practice.
The more you invest in the employees that are investing in your business the more loyal they will become, and the end result is loyal employees create loyal customers.
The Gallup poll above closed by stating: The remaining 49% of workers are “not engaged” — they are psychologically unattached to their work and company. These employees put time, but not energy or passion, into their work. Not engaged employees typically show up to work and contribute the minimum effort required. They’re also on the lookout for better employment opportunities and will quickly leave their company for a slightly better offer
As a business owner or medical practice manager what are you investing in? Is it giving you a good return?
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