Human Resources 101 Tips for hiring and retaining good employees

by Shellie Pruden, DCMS director of medical practice relations

In a recent meeting a physician group administrator shared a story about interviewing a pastry chef to fill a receptionist position. When she offered the woman the job, she learned that this candidate had accepted a similar position, outside of medicine, for $4 more an hour than she could offer. Others in the group shared similar stories, and the discussion moved to the challenge of attracting and keeping good employees.

With the unemployment rate less than 3 percent, the well of qualified candidates appears to have run dry. How do you attract and retain good employees? DCMS has three suggestions: Offer competitive salaries and benefits, hire the right people for the right job, and create a supportive and pleasant work environment.

Offer competitive salaries and benefits
Salaries and benefits are one of the largest expenses to a physician's practice, so the thought of paying higher wages may be difficult. But paying higher-than-market salaries doesn't necessarily equate to attracting the best employees.

You can strike a balance by combining a competitive salary with an appealing benefits package. All it takes is a little imagination. Reasonable or flexible hours, cross training, continuing education, and assistance with dependent insurance coverage can go a long way to attract and keep good employees. A good benefits package shows that you are willing to invest in your employees.

If you have trouble filling a position, the salary and benefits you offer may be below market. Purchase a salary survey from the Medical Group Management Association by calling 888-608-5602. This survey outlines wages and benefits available to employees in similar positions. Competitive salaries pertain to your current employees, too. It's good to check the market to find out if your current salaries and benefits are competitive. Receptionists really do leave a job for 50 cents more an hour.

Hire the right people for the right job
I know of a physician who hired a maid to become his billing clerk. She cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars because she had no background in health care and didn't understand the difference between re-filing and appealing Medicaid claims. He cost himself a lot of money by saving a little on wages. Yet this same employee had a great work ethic and dealt well with people. She was a valuable employee but could have better served him in another capacity in the office, such as receptionist or front desk clerk.

To avoid this situation, before your first interview, make sure you write a job description with a defined skill set. The right hire will have skills that match the job description. The closer the match, the lower your training costs.

Better yet, if someone on your staff has the aptitude to learn new skills, then promote from within to eliminate having to train someone who isn't familiar with your practice and health care in general.

If you have poor-performing employees, consider shifting their responsibilities. They may be better suited to another position and thrive in a different role. Be sure your current positions also have job descriptions, and compare them with the people who fill those positions. Swap duties, cross train employees, or add or delete functions as necessary.

But if a poor-performing employee doesn't improve under different work conditions, don't be afraid to let him go. "Many physicians are too soft hearted and hold on to the wrong employees," says Jan Harris, president of J. Harris Co., Inc., personnel services. "Get rid of poor performers. Although it's an emotional process, you'll be glad when it's done."

And if an employee puts in a notice to terminate, avoid trying to salvage his position. Statistics show he will leave within six months anyway, and it sends a message to your other employees that giving notice is a bargaining tool.

Create a supportive and pleasant work environment
With stiff competition for good employees, a key to retention is a pleasant work environment. The acid test is simply to listen. Do you hear laughter? People don't laugh with those they dislike. Create an environment that is supportive and pleasant. Health care has become an industry of frustration and stress. By taking genuine interest in your employees, you can build a team. Here's how:

• Set measurable work goals with your -employees. Setting up employees to achieve is a great confidence-builder. Consider offering bonuses attached to achieving those goals, creating new office efficiencies, or improving business practices.
• Appreciate your employees. Appreciation is the least expensive and most rewarding benefit you can offer. "Employers gain respect if they remember to praise in public and criticize in private," Ms Harris says. "Medicine is a difficult business; tell your employees when they've done a good job."
• Encourage open communication. If you truly are listening, employees will share with you what will keep them satisfied. It's not always money. Open communication will keep the good employees from feeling they have no choice but to leave.

Hiring and retaining the right staff is one of the most difficult aspects of running any business. By sticking to these basic principles, you can decrease turnover in your office, reduce your stress, and have peace of mind that your practice is operating in the right hands.