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Practice Management Alert

Develop a Top-Notch Staff With Positive Reinforcement

Published on Tue Apr 01, 2003

Teams don't become champions overnight. Success takes preparation, training and top-notch coaching. If your managerial staff doesn't have a positive attitude and training plan, your team is going nowhere.

Your billing office needs a manager whose positive and constructive instruction gives staff every incentive to work hard. And that manager needs to require the same attitude from every employee. Here are eight pointers for reinforcing an upbeat, considerate and motivated work environment that separates excellent offices from decent ones, provided by Bo Ng, CHSP, EFPM, a healthcare consultant for nine years.

  • Build a team. Encourage each set of employees to work with those assigned to different tasks. There's nothing worse than the excuse "It's not my job." Ateam-like approach will allow your staff to work efficiently even during vacations and sick time.
  • Be open-minded to suggestions. In fact, encourage staff to suggest how they can accomplish their job responsibilities more efficiently.
  • Give praise. This advice goes along with another rule of thumb: Don't take workers for granted. Let your staff know how integral they are to the practice, Ng says.

    Offer praise to those who deserve it. Fine-tune that praise for the type of employee you're complimenting, because everyone reacts differently to it. Some people accept praise graciously, while others shift the credit to others. Prepare for and expect these reactions.

  • Reward hard work and dedication with literal rewards. "Employee recognition is extremely important," says Victoria Jackson, administrator and chief executive officer of Southern Orange County Pediatric Associates in southern California. "We tend to forget that the employees do things to make the practice very profitable." Little things, such as a card or gift certificate, offer a deserved thank you, she adds. Say thank you at the end of the day or the end of the week, and point out particularly good work, she says. You could set a goal for your staff, and if they meet it, give a monetary reward, movie tickets, a relaxing massage from a health spa, or continuing education, such as a trip to a conference, Ng says.
  • Offer motivation. Find out what motivates your staff and capitalize on that. Your staff may find incentive in a well-run practice and working with congenial, friendly staff. Work on shaping that environment. Wages and benefits will also motivate your staff. Pay better wages if you can, Jackson says, or at least make them competitive. Give raises and bonuses based on performance.
  • Hold efficient and effective staff meetings. Hold group meetings monthly, if not weekly, with your staff. Come to the meeting with an agenda. Allow employees to take turns keeping notes and presenting them at the next meeting. Encourage open and respectful discussions that address problems among staff. Remember to follow up on unfinished agendas and challenges.
  • Define the culture and job positions in your practice and adhere to them. "Don't just put them in the notebook and leave them," Ng says. Although there's no right or wrong culture, one that "focuses on people and develops a strong staff" is usually more desirable than a "loosely run organization," she adds.
  • Practice and teach time-management skills. In your actions and instruction, distinguish between time-wasters and time-savers. Time-wasters occur because of disorganization, tunnel vision (inflexibility and lack of creativity), and the inability to manage deadlines. Encourage prioritizing work duties, which you can do effectively with to-do lists. For new employees, prioritize their duties during orientation in the order of importance.

     

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