Practice Management Alert

Don’t wait for the employee to quit before stepping in.

During these challenging economic times, many practices have whittled down their employees to only critical staff. So, now more than ever, losing even one can wreak havoc on a practice. 

An unsatisfied employee can negatively affect productivity, undermine morale, and bring down the practice’s reputation. Learn to identify growing discontent before it does damage.

Identify the Reason 

Replacing the older workforce is “a generation of employees who feel entitled to employee satisfaction,” writes Susan M. Heathfield in an About.com article entitled “Keys to Employee Satisfaction.” She cites a TNS survey conducted for The Conference Board, which highlights a decline in employee satisfaction, especially in the under-25 age group.

Warning: “It isn’t easy to identify unsatisfied employees just by looking at them,” writes Maria Christensen in a Houston Chronicle article entitled “Signs of Unsatisfied Employees.” 

But you can learn to recognize the subtle signs of mounting trouble. She advises that you keep an eye out for the following: 

1. Attendance problems: High absenteeism, regular tardiness, and long lunch breaks are common among dissatisfied employees. 

2. Falling standard of work: Low productivity, regular errors, and poor work quality indicate an employee’s loss of interest in his work. 

3. Rising complaints: An increase in complaints by patients or co-workers can highlight a problem with a specific employee or group of employees on your team.

4. Bad attitude: Failing to follow instructions or refusing a supervisor’s requests indicates a high level of dissatisfaction in an employee. “Resolve the issues underlying poor attitude immediately before it spreads in the company,” warns Christensen.

5. People leaving in droves: Too many people leaving the organization quickly or a resignation by a senior executive are warning signs you must watch out for. Try conducting exit interviews to identify the cause for disgruntlement.

6. Behavior pattern: A highly frustrated employee may exhibit extreme behavior such as threats, violence, or property destruction.

Do this: It is most important to understand and address the underlying causes of any dissatisfaction you find creeping into your team. Once you have established that an employee is disappointed, find out why and then work quickly toward a remedy.