There's a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and patient satisfaction. Happy staff drives happy patients — and happy patients drive higher profits.
Unhappy workers are 10% less productive than average. Happy workers are 12% more productive than average. (Adecco Staffing, 2017)
Engaged employees also miss less work, are more supportive of change, and are more willing to make change happen (Dr. Donna Lamar & Betsy Laney, Noria). So it's worth asking: doesn't it make sense to build an environment of genuine contentment, if it results in a more productive team, happier patients, and higher profits?
14 Ways to Build or Maintain Staff Satisfaction
- Ensure staff has the tools they need to succeed — training, equipment, managerial support, a clear vision of practice goals, mentorship
- Provide public acknowledgement of achievements — "social currency"
- Develop clear staff career paths
- Encourage employee feedback
- Create employee recognition programs
- Offer monthly or quarterly outings to promote team bonding
- Give additional time off
- Offer paid attendance to a society meeting
- Reserve a special parking space for an Employee of the Month
- Provide a catered lunch or treats for the break room
- Promote fully-paid continuing education
- Foster a platform staff can use to contribute to the practice's overall goals
- Consider an end-of-year trip upon reaching an annual financial goal
- Prepare monetary incentive plans
For financially motivated employees, I particularly like Employee Incentive Plans (EIPs). Crafted correctly, an EIP can be a key driver of financial growth — allowing staff to earn additional compensation by meeting revenue or conversion goals.
Start with the practice's financial goals in mind, and build the incentive around them — begin with the end in mind. The most popular model is reward-over-growth: staff receive a percentage of incoming revenue once an overall goal is met. Because most EIPs are tallied monthly, your team has the chance to earn additional income on an ongoing basis all year — which fosters ongoing motivation for the practice's success.
To your success!