Staffing

When we think of human resources (HR), we tend to think about employment laws, insurance benefits, and hiring and firing. But so much of HR is staff management and if successful, staff engagement and retention. One might argue this is the most difficult part of HR. Here are five guiding principles to keep in mind that will help manage, motivate, and retain your staff.

Define success

Each practice’s definition of success will look different, so it is important to define what it means to be successful for your practice. Not only that, success will be different for each role. Your staff and team must share collective goals and collaborate to achieve success.

Clarify expectations

Communicating clear expectations contributes to success by supporting measurable progress toward your goals. Staff should know when they have met job expectations, fallen short, or exceeded them. Even when goals are ambitious, knowing what is expected will reduce staff anxiety. Document these expectations and ensure staff have access to these written expectations. On an individual level, staff should have their job-specific expectations communicated and documented at least annually during a performance appraisal.

Be consistent and fair

This may seem obvious but it can be difficult to implement. It is important for staff to consider you impartial in applying policies. The perception of favorites or outsiders, even if based on false assumptions, could become toxic. Being fair and consistent encourages the same attitude in staff. Here are things you can do to support the effort:

• Train staff (especially leadership/managers) on the laws and the practice’s policies and expectations.

• Document policies as well as all incidents when they occur (such as workplace conflicts).

• Handle incidents in person rather than electronically.

• Refer to the practice policies and implement them consistently in each situation.

• Investigate and follow up on all complaints.

• Treat every employee with dignity and respect, always.

Being consistent and fair is not only good for you practice’s culture and reputation, but it can also save you from unwelcome lawsuits.

Keep open communication

HR can be associated with a top-down approach, but it does not have to be that way. And open communication does not just mean having an “open door policy” where employees feel they can come to share complaints. Open communication means there is as much transparency as possible, within the bounds of what is legal and appropriate. Staff should feel “in the know” about the practice. They should be proactively solicited for feedback, especially when there is a change. Controversies should be addressed openly when possible, but always promptly and appropriately. Build a culture of honesty, with a sense of mutual respect. Cultivate personal relationships, encourage self-awareness, and champion diversity of opinion. Hold regular staff meetings, informal gatherings to celebrate accomplishments, and outings away from the office to support open communication.

Reward excellence

There is a difference between doing your job and doing your job well, so there should be a difference in the rewards for those who meet the mark versus those that outperform. Not having ways to recognize employees that are going above and beyond can contribute to staff burnout. After all, it takes more effort to excel, and that effort should be recognized and awarded. Set aside resources to recognize employee excellence. These can range from raises, bonuses, extra paid vacation, or sometimes even just a celebration of a job well done with the whole practice. Additionally, observe your staff to understand and identify different motivators, so you can tailor rewards to what your employees most value. This will not only help with keep staff energized but will also help minimize staff turnover.

Managing staff can sometimes be daunting for dermatologists who want to focus on patient care. But the return on investment includes better patient care, financial success, and happier staff.

Additional Academy resources