Creating an environment in which your employees are happy to work is vital for productivity and morale. When one in four health care professionals have considered leaving their jobs, it is up to you to ensure that your practice is a place where employees want to stay.

This comes down to how you engage and communicate with members of your team. These factors directly impact productivity and employee retention. In turn, it affects how your team interacts with patients. Let’s look at a few tips to help you make your allied health practice a great place to work.

How To Ensure Your Practice Is A Great Place To Work

Impart Company Values and Mission

Every team member in your practice must know the organization’s mission as they go about their daily tasks. Having a shared purpose or goal helps to strengthen the work culture. When each staff member aligns their purpose to the mission of the practice, employee performance is likely to be much better. 

Values are an element that drives the behaviour of each member of your team. It could be useful for you to write out your company’s values and display them as a daily reminder. More than that, provide a clear way for employees to embody these values.  Ultimately, your practice’s values need to resonate with your team so that they carry them into their daily tasks.

Recruit With Care

When you are recruiting new staff members, it is important to ensure that they fit your team well. Find out their long-term goals and determine whether they can reach those goals working for you while simultaneously driving success in your practice.

You must make sure that you are aware of your internal biases as you carry out interviews. As such, it might be helpful to have additional people present at the interview. Finding the right candidates to join your team is integral to your success. 

Set Up Strong Internal Communication Systems

Communication is vital to the success of your practice and a key part of what makes it a great place to work. It is, therefore, essential to hold frequent meetings with your team. In these meetings, you can share how the practice is doing and relay any feedback received from patients. It is valuable for your team to hear about their performance, provided it is done so constructively.

At the same time, these meetings are an excellent platform for your team to provide any feedback or air out any concerns. This can also be an ideal time to discuss how you could improve patient care. It is also valuable for you to occasionally meet one-on-one with individual members of your team, as this can aid in better communication.

Technology can also make internal communication easier. For instance, personal injury claims software can help ease communication between your practice and an employee who has been injured on the job. This software supports the provision of return to work notes and plans so that nothing gets lost in translation. 

Regularly Ask For Feedback From the Team

Getting feedback from your team is key to cultivating an open environment and continuous improvement. Surveys are effective methods for collecting feedback. After conducting one, be sure to communicate the results and whether you will take any action based on this feedback.

Offer Rewards and Recognition

It is essential to recognize the achievements and the hard work of your team. Acknowledging good work makes your employees feel valued in the organization, reinforcing a positive work environment. Any recognition, big or small, can go a long way in boosting morale.

Be an Inclusive Space

Allied health practices encompass a multitude of professions. It is, therefore, important to note how different members of your staff interact with one another. If you observe any unfair treatment or exclusion, it should be addressed, and the practice’s values should be referred to. Make sure that every member of staff is included in team-building activities or after-work functions.

The Bottom Line

It is up to management to ensure that their allied health practice is a great place to work. Emphasize your practice’s values and mission, and always keep this in mind when recruiting new personnel. Keep the lines of communication open, recognize your team’s achievements, and actively work with them to improve on their shortcomings.