How to Get Your Best Employees to Stick Around

Learning how to effectively hire a high-quality staff is only half the battle to build and maintain a productive and successful medical practice. Engaging team members in such a way that they stay with the practice for the long haul is the true key to success.

The cost to recruit, train, and onboard replacements for top-performing employees is significantly higher than that of many effective engagement strategies. Additionally, studies have shown that engaged employees are more likely to stay with their current employer.

According to Gallup’s study on the State of the American Workplace, more than one third of active workers changed jobs within the last three years. Furthermore, a record 47 percent of American employees say that now is a good time to find a quality job, and more than half are either actively searching for a new position or watching for potential openings.

Why Do They Leave?

Most workers approach a role and a company with a highly defined set of expectations. They want their work to have meaning and purpose and to make a difference. They also want to use their talents and strengths to do what they do best every day while they continue to learn and develop.

Those who feel actively disengaged from their role often exhibit poor performance, a low level of responsibility, and can be a drain on the energy level of the larger team. In order to maintain engagement and retain top-performing staff members, it’s important to understand the reasons why many choose to leave in the first place:

1. Unrealistic expectations: Potential new hires need to receive an honest and realistic job preview during the recruitment process. When employees find that the position they accepted is different from their original expectations, they may decide to seek employment elsewhere.
2. High levels of stress: Overworking good employees can cause mental, physical, and emotional burnout. Workers who feel they have an unhealthy work-life balance may begin to look for new opportunities that offer greater flexibility and less stress.
3. Toxic coworkers: When workplace disputes or negative interpersonal environments are not addressed by management, employees will often seek a new, more positive workplace.

How Can Practice Leaders Build Opportunities for Engagement?

Employee engagement reduces turnover rate; improves productivity, quality, and safety; and, improves customer service. In order to foster a positive environment, employers should strive to provide staff with meaningful work, trustworthy management, development opportunities, and strong leadership.

Taking the time to proactively develop an organization-wide engagement strategy can be paramount to a practice’s success. When developing such a strategy, practice leaders should consider including the following:

1. Check employee engagement via yearly pulse surveys
2. Create post-survey action plans and focus on controllable items
3. Make specific recognition and praise a visible part of the practice culture
4. Ensure that Employee Development Plans (EDPs) are regularly utilized