Practice Pearls

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follow targeted directions. but if you must use them, be sure to Best practice is to eliminate pesticides, plants. the winter. Sow pollinator-friendly many native pollinators stay during flower beds in the fall. This is where yard. Leave stems and leaf debris in and other flowers come up in the a lawn. Mow less. Let the dandelions Be a lazy gardener. Have a yard not year round. manage it on a weekly basis, unless you really know how to Do not get a honey bee hive

Bees the Practice Pearls By PVMA Partner, FocusHRO Let’s talk about it. The ugly “Great Resignation.” American companies are facing the issue of how to retain employees and remain an attractive employer to today’s modern workforce. It’s a problem for all industries, and veterinary practices are certainly among those being affected. The average turnover for veterinarians is twice as high as it is for physicians in medical practice. And veterinary technicians have one of the highest turnovers of all health care positions. According to the Society of Practicing Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS), 52.3% of veterinary businesses are short of veterinary surgeons, and the veterinary profession has also seen a rise in vets leaving the industry entirely, with around 9.5% citing that they planned to jump Save ship soon. You don’t need any more scary statistics, because as a veterinarian – you’re living it. We’re preaching to the choir here, so let’s just get down to it and talk solutions. How do you go about boosting employee retention? Your HR department (in many cases, you) should be developing solutions to help retain and attract employees. The two most actionable items for you are company culture and employee benefits.

Company Culture:

Use the issue at hand to talk to your employees about what they want out of their work. What are their needs, what is missing, what can be better? Have an open door communication policy that encourages new ideas. Perhaps develop an Employee Attitude Survey that addresses topics like: • Employee Satisfaction • Workplace Environment • Employee Compensation - Is it competitive with market data? • Communication • Mentoring • Teamwork • Professional development opportunities (promotions) • Training opportunities • Benefits • Workplace • Flexibility • Employee’s career plan • Source of employee’s stress This gives you a place to start. Identify

2some potential issues within your company culture, and make changes that create an environment that employees want to work in. Answers and solutions could vary greatly, don’t be afraid to get creative!

Employee Benefits:

The biggest benefit you offer your employees is their pay, and many vets feel there is a discrepancy between the demands of the job and the compensation offered. According to the BVA, around 33.8% of vets were considering leaving their job because of this discrepancy. Unless practices can create a better work-benefit balance, this is sure to be a persistent problem in the future. The obvious solution is to raise wages — doing so would certainly help counter inflation, but there are other opportunities to explore. Considering the financial strain of raising wages, you may consider taking a look at the other

Turn the Great Resignation into the Greatest Retention! benefits you offer. Employee Benefits are a function of your HR department, and there are ways to be creative here too (without breaking the bank)! Consider these options to combat the work-benefit issues you and your employees may be facing: Voluntary • Benefits (Vision, Dental, Life, Long/ Short term disability insurance) • Health Insurance • 401K and Retirement Opportunities • Paid Parental Leave • Flexible Workweek • Employee Assistance Programs • Signing Bonuses • Tuition Coverage • Prepaid Child Care • Streaming Service • Subscriptions • Grocery Perks • Tickets to local events Like your company culture, there is no ‘single solution’ for your benefits package. But even on the tightest budget there are options you can explore to increase employee retention and attract the best employees. It’s one of our specialties at FocusHRO, and we’ve teamed up with PVMA as their preferred HR partner. Our experienced team will take the time to learn about the issues you face and the resources you have to solve them – developing and offering solutions you may not have known about, or didn’t think possible! We’re here to assist you with all things HR. Visit FocusHRO.com/PVMA to get started. About FocusHRO: Your PVMA Membership gives you and your practice access to FocusHRO’s best programs and pricing. They’ve created “Business in a Box,” which takes the guess work out of running your veterinary practice and lets FocusHRO handle all your insurance, HR/compliance, accounting, and web/IT needs. These services help keep your veterinary practice running smoothly. Visit FocusHRO.com/PVMA or call 717.980.3330 to get more information.

By PVMA Partner, FocusHRO