Employee retention is important for any clinic, but some do seem to continually get it wrong. Even the bigger practices – who have no trouble in attracting talent (whether it be reception staff or clinical staff) – fail to have a successful talent management strategy in place. Here are some reasons why clinics could fail to keep hold of their best reception & clinical staff members:

1. They don’t listen to individual needs
In a busy practice where patient needs are a priority, it can be easy to treat employees or contractors as a unit rather than as individuals. Day-to-day practice can tick along under the guise that all employees or contractors are blissfully happy – when actually there are frustrations bubbling underneath. Making time for one-on-one feedback with employees & contractors while listening to/acting on individual’s suggestions and concerns is very important for employee or contractor satisfaction.

2. They can’t work around practice restrictions
Certain policies & procedures in a practice can be a common reason for employees or contractors looking to move on. Most employees or contractors will understand the reasoning behind supposed ‘red tape’ but they may feel disgruntled if they’ve had no say in particular decisions, processes or rules. It’s important to get the ‘buy-in’ of your staff before establishing important protocols.

3. They don’t offer career progression opportunities
Clinics can often mistakenly assume that a strong salary or % renumeration package is enough to engage the best talent. Of course, monetary reward is important, but it’s not the only type of reward sought. Most employees (& to some degree contractors also) will want to know there’s genuine opportunity for career progression and ongoing development in their role. Failure to provide a clear career path with the practice can soon lead to disengagement.

4. They ignore conflict
Conflict can sometimes go unnoticed and unaddressed in small but more so in larger clinics, simply because nobody realises it’s occurring. This could be conflict between clinical colleagues, or an unsuccessful and unproductive relationship between a practice manager & a clinical staff member. Conflict or an unsavoury atmosphere soon begins to chip away at morale and motivation. A regular ‘health-check’ of your entire practice staff is a good way to keep an eye out for any problem hotspots and deal with them promptly. Facilitating anonymous feedback/satisfaction surveys from all staff could be a helpful temperature check.