“There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” – Jack Welch, former CEO of GE

The numbers don’t lie. There are key benefits of engaging your employees, many helping to create a thriving culture that will reduce turnover and increase patient satisfaction.

If your employees aren’t happy, your patients won’t be either. More than 80% of patients state that customer service is the single most decisive factor besides the quality of care in determining their loyalty to any physician.

Inside your office, patients spend as little as 25% of their time with the physician, so that means everyone else better have on their biggest smile if you want to improve on those patient retention and online review scores.

Below we’ll break down why employee engagement matters to your practice’s bottom line and how you can ramp it up with some quick and easy tips.

Why Employee Engagement Matters

Employees can be the biggest expense for your practice; and they can also represent the greatest headache, asset or opportunity at your disposal.

We hear it from our clients all the time – employee retention is a big issue, especially when it comes to front desk and medical assistant positions. With the unemployment rate under 4%, good people are jumping ship for literally a few cents more an hour in their paycheck. Replacing and retraining a team member is expensive and costs between 50-75% of an employee’s annual salary.

Long story short: it’s a big headache.

However, 93% of employees say they will stay longer at those companies who invest in their careers. With only 33% of employees nationwide actually engaged in their work, you’ve got every reason to start spending a little time and energy on employee engagement.

Engaged employees mean:

• Greater productivity
• Increased profitability
• Reduced turnover
• A more positive company culture

Ideas for Boosting Employee Engagement

In the words of Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”

You want your employees to contribute, not be concerned with their next quarterly raise.

With almost a third of your practice expenses (32%) devoted to salary, training, and providing benefits to your employees, it makes good sense for you to invest in making them as happy as can be. Remember, your employees are the reason you’re able to open your doors every day. Celebrate them and their contributions and they, in turn, will celebrate their happiness among your patients.  

Independent practices have an inherent advantage over larger hospital systems because everybody already knows each other fairly intimately. Use that to your advantage and implement these tried and true ideas to make a change and improve employee engagement.

Throw a Party

Nothing breaks up the office routine like a good party. Even if it happens during the lunch hour, consider it an investment in employee happiness and engagement.

Birthdays are a great opportunity to have some cake, present gift cards, and have the whole staff appreciate that special employee. Holiday parties are a great way to bond, have one-on-one conversations, and enjoy photos and videos from both inside and outside of work. You can throw referral parties, raffle off random gifts, or just throw a good ‘ole white elephant gift swap. You can also reward your staff for what they have delivered during the festivities.

Have a Contest

Organize a contest each week during a specific period (The Friday After Lunch Challenge) and use a different theme every week. Some popular themes we’ve recommended to clients include:

• Department costume contests – the department with the most engagement on social media wins
• Team scavenger hunt around the office – the winning team gets a free meal or PTO
• Pumpkin carving/painting in the fall – patients vote for the winner

Organize a Potluck

Potluck parties are a great way to come together in a relaxed setting and create connections. You can organize a potluck meal at the office and plan a theme monthly. Invite your employees to bring a dish or dessert representing their cultural background and even turn some of the days into contests (Chili cook-off, anyone?)

Give Back

Sharing a common vision to give something back to the community can foster a sense of unity among your team. Here are some great ways make it happen:

• Raise money by wearing ‘Casual for Charity’ buttons on Fridays (or whatever casual day you decide on)
• Your staff can bring in sample toiletries or other goods to donate to a local homeless shelter
• Compile the recipes from your potluck days into an employee cookbook and sell the cookbook to your patients (and at other special events) with proceeds going to charity

Be sure once these events happen to highlight all your employees’ community successes on social media, in your practice newsletter, and on your website.

Ready to Dive Deeper?

More than 75% of your patient interactions are with your support staff and not a physician. Therefore, your front-line employees’ are critical components in the customer service you provide. Establishing regular customer service training for your team can be the difference between satisfied patients and dissatisfied ones. A joyful staff will give and do their best for your patients.

How can you get your employees to recognize that they are an integral part of your marketing efforts and an essential reflection of your brand?

Our sister company, Insight Training Solutions, is a powerful toolbox to help your office train, retain and engage employees – from millennials to boomers – without adding more work to your already full plate.

If you’re ready to:

• Increase Employee Engagement
• Develop Patient Service Mindsets
• Improve Your Practice’s Reputation
• Strengthen Employee Retention

Then give us a call. We’ll be happy to chat about how our employee engagement and training platform works and how it can make your team more successful without adding to your already full plate.