Managing your staff
By Marc H. Sencer, MD

Whether you operate a multi-specialty group practice with multiple doctors and providers or practice as a solo doctor, your practice's health depends to a great extent on the jobs your staff is doing, as well as how you manage them.

Are you up to the task? Test your knowledge of staff management with today's quiz.

Which of the following statements — if any — is correct?
A. You should pay your office staff at or near the median for your area.
B. An employee manual is a useful training tool, but in a small solo practice you can get by without one.
C. As a practice owner, you should assert your authority with office staff if you see something you don't like, even though it's your office managers' job to implement office policy and procedure.
D. If you pay your employees well, they will most likely be very happy in their job.

This was a trick quiz. All of the answers are false.
"A" is false. People want to feel they are being paid competitively, and a competitive salary means above-average salary.

Don't expect to get good people who will be team players and do quality work if you pay an average or median salary. Most practice-management consultants agree you should pay your staff at the 80-90th percentile and keep increases in line with benchmarks for your region and type of practice.

"B" is also false. An employee manual is essential for every practice, even if you only have one employee, because it is a road map that gives essential boundaries and keeps employees on the right path. It is not fair to ask your employees to do a job for you without setting down in black and white what is acceptable and what is not for that job.

The employee manual can also help protect you against claims of discrimination in the event of a dispute over firing of an employee (provided, of course, that you followed your own procedures).

The employee manual should clearly state the disciplinary policies of the practice. Be sure to have your healthcare attorney review or draft the employee manual. A small mistake in the language could cost you big bucks in the event of a dispute.

"C" is false, too. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in managing your staff is to hire or appoint an office manager and then undermine his or her authority in front of the staff.

This is a certain way to create confusion and lower the morale of both your office manager and the staff he or she is supposed to be managing. It also creates a situation in which the staff can "play" you and your office manger against each other if you give conflicting messages.

If there are situations you feel need correcting, the best policy is to get the information you need from the staff by asking questions, and then discuss the problem with the office manager. If there is a correction or a change in policy, it should come from the office manager.

And "D" is false. A good salary is only part of job satisfaction. Profit sharing and productivity bonuses give employees a sense of belonging that increases performance and longevity.

What's the right way to manage? Take time to talk to your employees about the practice. Make them feel they are part of the practice by attending staff meetings and making yourself available when an employee wants to discuss a problem with you.

Discipline them fairly when they are wrong, but let them know they are important to you and show your appreciation when they do a good job.

When employees make suggestions, listen to them, and if the suggestions make good financial sense, integrate them into your practice.

Remember: A good team can make or break a practice, and a good team needs a good captain!

Marc H. Sencer, MD, is the president and founder of MDs for DCs, which provides intensive one-on-one training, medical staffing, and on-going practice management support to chiropractic integrated practices. He can be reached at 800-916-1462 or www.mdsfordcs.com.