CUT THE LEARNING CURVE WITH THESE ALTERNATIVES TO COMMON MISTAKES

LET’S FACE it. In optometry school, no one teaches you how to hire, train, motivate and discipline staff. Most practice owners learn by their mistakes. But, perhaps, you can sidestep these common ones:

1 SKILL OVER ATTITUDE

Many optometrists focus exclusively on hiring someone as fast as possible to fill a vacant position. This is a mistake because, in doing so, they are always in dire need of finding someone quickly. As such, managers concentrate on skills vs. attitude and fit of the individual. Instead, focus on questions in the interview that uncover attitude such as, “What would your friends say about you?”

2 NO ORIENTATION

A thorough orientation for a new employee sets a great foundation of knowledge, expectations and non-negotiable practices within the office, and, therefore, provides set guidelines that are adhered to from the beginning.

3 LACK OF TRAINING

Most employees don’t receive enough training in the beginning of employment and rarely receive ongoing training after that. Successful companies provide ongoing, consistent and structured training designed to build and grow skill sets.

4 NO EMPLOYEE POLICY GUIDE

If you want people to do things a certain way, it needs to be in writing. Write a complete employee policy guide; outline specific guidelines for office hours, sick leave, dress code, etc. Then, ask for signed consent that each employee read and understands it.

5 BAD EMPLOYEES

We know it is not working out, but we keep pressing forward with an employee who continually pushes boundaries or causes conflict. We keep him or her around for all sorts of reasons and give the employee second, third and fourth chances. If the behavior is bad, it is likely going to stay bad…cut the cord.

6 POOR PERFORMANCE

Maybe you have an employee who is very nice, a joy to be around, staff love her, but actual performance and results are terrible. You need to deal with it. Set expectations, confront the employee, set new expectations, measure, revisit, and discipline, if your expectations are not met.

7 ABSENTEEISM/TARDINESS

Absenteeism and tardiness can have a significant negative impact on the practice and other employees. (See the Dec. 2016 column.) Just like bad performance, it can’t be ignored; it must be dealt with immediately.

8 CONFLICT

Conflict breeds tension, lack of productivity and affects the entire team. Left to fester, it can eventually blow up and cause you to lose a staff member (usually the best one). You can deal with conflict in numerous ways; start by sitting with the individuals, with you as mediator, and try to sort through the problem. But deal with it, you must.

9 NOT SETTING AN EXAMPLE

Leaders must emulate what they wish to see. Act friendly and professionally; arrive 10 minutes before your first scheduled appointment; do whatever you expect of your employees. Walk the talk.

10 NO DOWN TIME

Let your guard down. Take staff members out, and do something fun. Doing so builds team work and cohesiveness. It will pay for itself. OM

MS. CHAREST is the co-founder of 4ECPs, a practice management resource company for eye care professionals. 4ECPs has six divisions, including eye care jobs, marketing, social media, payments, events and training. Visit www.4ecps.com , or email trudi@4ecps.com.