5 Surefire Ways to Lose Your Best Employees
When it comes to staffing your veterinary clinic, you obviously want to hire the best of the best. The problem with hiring top talent, however, is that the most qualified individuals also happen to be the most sought after. Not only does this apply when recruiting, but also in terms of retention. So, what can you do to ensure that your best employees don’t jump ship at the first external opportunity that comes along? Well, you can start by NOT doing the following five things.
Overworking Them
Will there be days when everyone has to pull a little more than their own weight? Sure. But if your team is expected to do more than their fair share of work on a regular basis or for an extended period of time, you can expect them to start looking for a way out. For instance, if your current schedule is negatively impacting your staff’s ability to have a fulfilling life outside of work, you are at a particularly high risk of losing your top talent. The best employees may tend to be hard workers, but don’t take advantage. Make sure you are properly staffed and offer a fair schedule that promotes work-life balance.
Not Providing Growth Opportunities
Top workers typically want to know that they’re going somewhere with their employer. Sure, they may be content for the time being, but chances are they’re going to look for opportunities to grow, whether it’s to increase their skills through continuing education or advance their career. Understand that your best employees have goals. If you aren’t actively acknowledging, supporting and nurturing that ambition, don’t be surprised when they move on to an employer that will. Find out what your employees want for their future and then take the steps necessary to help make those desires a reality.
Failing to Recognize Them
Despite the fact that most ‘A-player’ employees are intrinsically motivated, it’s still important to give credit where credit is due. This is especially true of millennials, who tend to thrive off of recognition and rewards – even if it’s just a pat on the back. Not only will appreciating your employees make them work harder, but it’ll also make them more loyal. Make sure your team knows you care about them and that their hard work and extra effort doesn’t go unnoticed.
Exhibiting Weak or Poor Leadership
The strongest employees prefer to follow the strongest leaders. Specifically, they like to work for people who inspire them to perform at their best. What they don’t want is someone who is wishy washy, offering a lot of talk but not much of substance to back up their words. Having a vision for your practice and exhibiting strong leadership skills will help your best workers feel like they are striving toward something bigger and better. This will keep them engaged and invested in the future of your practice.
Fostering a Culture of Distrust
Trust can be tied to each of the four things listed above. In other words, your employees must:
- Trust that you won’t overwork them
- Trust that there’s a future for them with your practice
- Trust that they will be recognized for their accomplishments and appreciated for their contributions
- Trust that the practice is managed through strong, positive leadership with a clear vision
If your team doesn’t feel a sense of trust in any of these four key areas, the chances of losing them to your competition will increase tenfold. Conversely, your top performers also want to feel that you have trust in them as well. If there’s any lack on either side, it’s time to make some serious changes.
Do you struggle with retention issues? In addition to avoiding the five common mistakes listed above, enlisting the help of a professional veterinary recruiter can do wonders. Our Dream Team Builders will not only help you hire the best employees, but also keep them on for the long haul. Contact us today to learn more or to get started!
