A medical practice's culture is critical in recruiting and retaining employees. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, are you prioritizing and nurturing a strong, positive culture to thrive in the long term? Tracey Cumberland covers all the benefits.
With everything happening in your practice daily and all you are responsible for overseeing, why is it essential to pay attention to workplace culture? You might already be consumed with the overall strategy for your medical practice, patient satisfaction, regulatory requirements, declining reimbursements, marketing, rising inflation, and the bottom line rather than something "fluffy" like practice culture. Who has time for that anyway, right? The truth is, there is nothing fluffy about workplace culture, and you have to make the time to focus on it for your practice or organization.
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast" is a famous quote from renowned management consultant and educator Peter Drucker. Mr. Drucker didn't mean to say that strategy is unimportant, but that a powerful and meaningful culture is a more reliable path to organizational success. In the healthcare industry, where the stakes are high and the pace is often unrelenting, the culture of a medical practice plays a crucial role in recruiting and retaining employees. The same issues that make it challenging to be a healthcare worker also make it more difficult to find, hire, and keep healthcare workers. Medical practices, whether large or small, need to cultivate a positive, supportive, and inclusive culture to attract top talent and keep their teams motivated, engaged, and committed.
Why is medical practice culture so influential? How does it affect the recruitment and retention of employees?
The Foundation of Medical Practice Culture
Forbes defines workplace culture as "The shared belief systems, attitudes, and assumptions that people in a workplace share." Company culture is your practice's personality. It defines values, how your team interacts with patients and others with whom you do business, and how you present your business to the outside world. There’s a great quote from Mark H. Greenwald, MD, that I find fascinating: "A practice culture develops in one of two ways: by design or by default. It is either by choice or by chance, by intention, or by accident. If you don't know how your culture developed, then you probably have a culture by default". If you and your team don't understand your culture or your intention for it, there will be no standard to help recalibrate when things are not going well. Decide who you want your practice to be – vital elements of culture include communication style, leadership approach, teamwork, and the general office environment. Empathy, trust, and efficiency are essential. Culture is reflected in how decisions are made, how employees interact with each other, and how they engage with patients. Investing in a robust and positive culture is essential for any medical practice's long-term success.
Understanding the Role of Culture in Recruitment
In a competitive job market, healthcare professionals have the luxury of choosing where they want to work, and a strong, positive culture can be a significant differentiator in attracting top talent. Candidates are more likely to be drawn to a practice that is known for its supportive environment, collaborative team, and commitment to employee well-being. During the recruitment process, candidates often look for clues about the practice's culture – this can include the tone of communication during interviews, the interactions they observe between staff members, and the overall atmosphere of the workplace. Practices that can effectively communicate and demonstrate their culture are more likely to attract candidates who are not only qualified but also a good cultural fit.
Medical practices with a strong and positive culture often enjoy a good reputation in the industry. This reputation or employer brand can be a powerful tool in recruitment. By prioritizing culture fit alongside a candidate's experience and skills, you can help build resilient, patient-focused teams that thrive in today's complex environment. When a practice is known for its excellent culture, word spreads, making it easier to attract high-caliber candidates – the ones that you want to employ and keep.
The Role of Culture in Retention
Equally important to finding and hiring talented staff for your practice is having specific strategies to keep the new team members you bring on and the top talent you already have. Holding onto your best employees is more critical than ever and is essential for productivity and staff retention. Existing staff members can quickly seek new employment if they feel dissatisfied or "stuck" in their current jobs. So, make your practice a place where people want to work!
Conversely, a poor culture can lead to high turnover, which not only disrupts patient care but can also severely damage your practice's reputation and bottom line – staff turnover is costly and hurts productivity. The average cost of recruitment for a regular position is between six and nine months of the employee's annual salary. Although compensation is a significant factor for employees leaving, it's not the only reason behind staff turnover. Many employees look for a deeper connection to their work overall. Suppose your practice is the proverbial "revolving door" of employees coming and going, and you don't have a solid and dependable staff to make appointments, see patients, assist providers, pay invoices, etc. Without staff, there would be no need to worry about much of anything else.
Does the talent you want to keep have plenty of reasons to want to come to work every day? If you're going to retain these workers on your payroll, you must give them a reason to stay. A positive and supportive culture is vital in creating a healthy work environment where staff members feel valued, respected, and motivated. As a result, this leads to increased employee satisfaction and engagement, and reduced turnover. Employees are more likely to stay with a practice that offers opportunities for growth and development and has a culture that encourages continuous learning, provides access to training, and supports career advancement.
The Enduring Influence of Culture
Creating a positive and forward-looking culture only happens with effort, communication, and strong leadership. Define a vision for your practice – what do you want it to be known for? Ask yourself, “What is our purpose/mission? What are our values?” Your staff must align with the practice's vision, mission, and values, and it needs to start with leadership. You must “Walk the Talk”!
When you put culture at the top, and your employees are happy and engaged, they’ll be more likely to provide excellent patient care, which can enhance the practice's reputation and attracts more patients and top talent. Over time, this can lead to sustained growth and success for your organization, and better position you to thrive in the long term. And that is no fluff!
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