Staff – How to keep them

It doesn’t matter where I travel to, every clinic owner I speak to has the same or similar challenges. Paramount amongst those challenges, is finding and keeping great staff.

It is so common that clinic owners struggle to find enough staff, or perhaps enough good quality staff, but then when they get them, their next challenge is that many of them move on to greener pastures before too long.

The world we live in now, is certainly different than it once was. There was a time when, if you found a job, you did everything you could to hang on to it. Today however, there are so many options, and in healthcare the demand is always high, so it can be quite easy to move into a role, then quickly find a better option somewhere else.
For business owners, this a real challenge, and one that is vitally important to solve.

From my experience in leading my own team here at ACE and in past jobs, but also from speaking to clinic owners who do manage to retain staff long term, it seems there are some common themes that do make a big difference when it comes to keeping or losing staff over time.

Firstly, the stage of career that the staff member is in, will generally play a big part in determining what it is they want from the role.
If the staff member is relatively new to the industry, or at least is not a veteran, the things that will often be more important for their satisfaction and motivation are: Growth – Support – Achievement.

Let’s break these down.

Growth will be achieved by providing ongoing education, development, mentoring or opportunities to develop themselves and their abilities.
We all get into this industry to help people, and feeling like we are constantly getting better at that, goes a long way to fulfilling this need. 
Many clinics will promise mentoring, in-house training etc, but rarely is this delivered effectively or sometimes at all. 
This first point is perhaps the most important, especially for younger staff. This desire to be moving forward and evolving one’s self is often a major piece of the puzzle.

Support comes in many forms, but generally speaking what is needed here is a feeling of connection to the team, a sense of purpose and direction, and clear and open lines of contact.
Being “heard” is always important when it comes to job satisfaction. This extends to the employer or manager taking a staff member’s personal challenges as seriously as they do their professional challenges. None of us want to bring our personal issues into the workplace, but the reality is that our personal life will almost always overflow into our professional life. 
Giving our staff the confidence to know that they will be listened to, that their ideas, input and effort matters, and that we are there to support them through any challenges they need, is crucial.

Achievement is about identifying, moving toward and obtaining goals.
This one is linked to the first point about growth, but specifically relates to the feeling of hitting tangible or measurable targets. 
Just like our patients, they will generally stick to a program better if they get the sense that they are moving forward. This is best done by clearly measuring and identifying milestones. 
Our staff will be inspired by having a clear line of site from where they were, to where they are now, and to where they can get to if they continue on this path.
Achievement is also about receiving recognition for your efforts. This can be through feedback from leadership, from rewarding good performance, or even through providing more responsibility to that person, as a result of the skills and abilities they have developed or demonstrated.
This can be a difficult and time consuming task for the business owner, because sometimes it is not clear about what you should be measuring against, or what achievements the staff member may be attaining. So, this will take some effort, but remember that achievement is a natural human desire, and the best staff will be fuelled by their sense of achievement.

You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned money here.

Rarely, I find, is financial reward the thing that attracts or keeps the best staff. I’ve seen staff being paid quite poorly compared to other clinics or businesses, but they are blissfully happy in their role because the other more intrinsic needs are being met in that workplace.
That is not to say that money doesn’t matter, it does. Everyone has bills to pay and a life to support, so being paid well for the work you do will help to reduce other pressures.
From what I’ve observed, it is generally the more experienced or more senior staff that will focus more on wages than the previously mentioned category. 
In addition to higher pay, they will often also be looking for more autonomy and greater flexibility in the way they work. This may also result in less need for the same level of support and development that was mentioned above.
The more experienced practitioner is often chasing the ability to just do their thing, their way, and to do it in an environment that is positive, encouraging and adaptable.

I have certainly made some large generalisations here, but they are based on many years of observation and also personal experience.
Beyond these points, and even more importantly, it is vitally important that leaders of businesses really invest time and effort into taking a deep dive into their staff’s needs, wants and motivations. Asking real questions about these, and taking the time to unpack them with each team member can give you keen insights into what makes your staff tick, what will have them doing their best work, and ultimately what will keep them on your team for longer.