Tired of Looking for Staff
Who Won’t Stay?
By Ashley Elliott, CVT
In a time when it can be so difficult to find and hire qualified, quality staff, now is the time to think outside the box on ways to attract applicants and keep them long term. What sets your hospital apart from other hospitals in your area? What can you put in your employment ad that will make your hospital more attractive than the next? Remember that your ad is their first impression, so make it reflective of the most attractive attributes of your hospital and/or staff. Consider listing all the benefits you offer, including the intangible, but equally as important, ones. Maybe you’re offering a large sign-on bonus or a shorter work week. In a time when there is a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing, be sure to show your applicants how much you value your staff both inside and outside of the hospital by adopting a strong work-life balance and a companyprovided EAP (employee assistance program). When interviewing, be sure to exemplify your company’s culture. Discuss your entire benefits package, leaving no stone unturned. Think of the things that will make your hospital and team stand out in a good way, like your brand new digital dental radiography machine or your monthly off-site happy hours. From my experience, applicants are interested in a lot more than just their wage. They want to know about the culture of the team, how the hospital shows the staff that they are appreciated, potential growth opportunities, and how they will be able to be utilized and contribute. Training new employees can be a challenge in a fast-paced and likely short-staffed environment. I have found premade notecards and checklists to be very helpful for learning new skills and assessing progression. Utilize your already trained staff to help show your newbie the ropes. This will actually kill two birds with one stone: Train your new employee faster and with a well-rounded approach, while also allowing the more senior employees to feel important and show off their skills.
14 | Keystone Veterinarian
So how do you retain your new staff? It’s important to establish an open line of communication with your new employee. I like to meet with new employees every 30 days for at least the first 90 days. This allows the opportunity for the new employee to share any concerns or ask questions in a private setting. It also allows you to provide constructive, real-time feedback. Provide the employee with some positives or areas that you see as strengths, areas you’d like to see improvement, and some goals for them to achieve over the next 30 days. This will keep the employee engaged and hopefully make them feel like they can share feedback with you too. These one-on-one interactions are vital because it’s when you are most likely to receive honest feedback. Regular, genuine interaction is so important for employee engagement. Your staff, like you, want to feel valued and appreciated and like you are in it with them, not towering above them. Take an interest in getting to know them and the job that they do. This will connect you to them and they will likely respect and value your input more. I want to say this loud so the people in the back can hear it: • Publicly praise them and privately coach them on the negative stuff as much as possible. • Put yourself in their shoes before reacting when possible. • Stick to your words from the interview. If you said you have a good culture, show that by continuing to cultivate it. • Let your staff know how valuable they are to you and to the team often and regularly with both your actions and words. • Listen to their concerns and address them within a reasonable amount of time.
