Issue 6 - May 2004

Team Tips By Susan Hoy
Keeping your staff happy — and well paid

Chiropractors are always struggling with the question of staff compensation. “How much should I pay?” “What will keep employees from leaving?” “Should I have full time or part-time employees?” “Should I institute a bonus plan?” “How can I keep my employees happy and enthusiastic?”

Here are some things I have learned over the years about keeping employees happy and compensated to their satisfaction:

• Invest in your employees first, then in technology. Your staff is your greatest asset and can make the difference between ordinary and extraordinary. Hire employees who can become practice specialists, not just a warm body that sits behind your front desk. Most importantly, hire for attitude, you can train them to do everything else.

• Make them feel valued. Money is not the most important thing. Your staff wants to feel important, involved, educated and appreciated.

• Educate them. Once you find an employee who will be an asset to your practice, begin the educational process.

Your employees need to know more than just how to do a task; they need to know why you do things. Educating your staff begins with practice procedures which include scripting for every scenario, a job description and an office policy. As part of that educational process, in addition to talking with you, take them to appropriate seminars to help them to gain insight into chiropractic concepts.

• Train them on office procedures. Compensating your staff adequately depends on having funds to do so. They have to be well trained on basic procedures concerning handling new patients from the time they first contact your office, making sure they have an appointment, verifying insurance benefits, discussing financial considerations, billing for your services within the first 48 hours and collecting what is due.

• Reinforce staff roles. All staff members must understand their responsibilities to the practice and how their work affects the profitability of the practice. Not only should they keep statistics but also they must understand how their actions can make a difference in the statistic. For example: The front desk CA is responsible for daily patient visits, missed appointments, cancellations and cash collections, all of which affect cash flow and the ability to compensate employees.

• Consider an incentive compensation program. Compensation can be in the way of an incentive structure predicated on monthly collections. When the practice reaches predetermined goals — such as for acquiring new patients, improving the number of patient visits, reducing missed appointments and cancellations and improving collections — reward the staff, according to a formula you have developed.

• Give bonuses. You may also consider giving instant bonuses as a way to say thank you. Some examples include dinner for two, massage at the spa, a morning (or day) off, gift certificates, etc.

We all want to be compensated for the job that we do, however, it is important for the employees to understand that their actions directly contribute to the ability to compensate adequately. Every staff member, including the chiropractor, has a responsibility to the success of the practice. When everyone works together as a team with a common goal, there should be no limit to the success that follows.

Susan Hoy is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She can be reached at 215-674-0130; suzzhoy@aol.com; or through her Web site at www.beefitup.net.