PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Summer 2020 - 26

p ractice p earls continued from page 25

An easy way to get employees involved more is to involve them
more. Take employee surveys (anonymous is fine) and find out
what they would like to see from the place they give so much
of their life for each week. Maybe it's a stocked snack bar in the
break room, or a spring water dispenser. Maybe they're yearning
to learn more but there is no structured learning management
system - they don't know what they don't know, and if you're
not showing them how to improve as employees they may not
know where to find the materials themselves. Create a plan for
self-improvement for every employee and help them follow
through so that they can help you build a better product.

So how does this relate to your business and practice? Well,
your team is much like the marching band made up of different
people to create an experience for your clients, who see
everything from the very minute they walk into your practice for
the first time, and we want you to radiate. Here are a few things
to consider when comparing your practice to peak performance:
Shoes Shined: Is the outside and inside of your building clean?
Does a client feel a sense of relaxation, or do they feel uneasy?
What is the cleanliness of the parking lot? Do you have a nice
lawn for the animals to run outside, or has the grass been
worked to dirt patches? Are their holes in the walls or ceilings?
Would you take your animal there?
I can tell you that order and cleanliness are important to
clients. They would prefer to see a well-maintained lawn and a
parking lot free from trash. They would like to see well rested
employees behind the counter, with pressed scrubs and clean,
tidy, organized counters. The easiest way to fix this is to assign
someone from your staff to be your "appearance specialist" and
start a checklist of important, first impression items, and have
them begin to address any concerns. Just remember, the little
things speak volumes.
Know Your Music: What are your employees doing to sharpen
their skills? Are they involved in any type of continuing
education, soft-skills training, or community organizations? Have
they begun to appreciate the culture that has been created,
and put more into it than they take from it? Do your employees
help one another do their jobs better, or does everyone fend for
themselves?

26 | Keystone Veterinarian

Game Face: Why do employees show up for work? We could go
over several studies that show why people quit, but why do they
stay? You'll find that employees stay for more than the paycheck.
Instead, they do it because they love what they do. They stay
because they like the people with whom they work. They stay
because they fit into the culture. There are two surefire ways
to help improve employee culture and morale - team-building
events and employee reward systems. The team building is a
great way for your team to learn how to work with one another,
what makes them tick, and what doesn't. And, when the entire
team comes together to solve a problem, it brings everyone
a little closer together. Recently our team did an escape room
together. I'm sorry to say we didn't escape on time, but we had
a really great time trying. Afterwards we enjoyed lunch as a
team and joked about the experience. We have also seen that
an employee reward system goes a long way. There are several
variations, but in one veterinary practice we work with has a box
with note cards, and when an employee sees another employee
do something exceptional, they write a small note and place it in
the box. At the end of the month the cards are pulled together,
tallied up, and the employee with the most notes gets an award
and recognition. Meanwhile, all the other employees with notes
are recognized, too, and the reason they were appreciated.
The simple act of perfectly practicing some of these items will go
a long way for your own practice and your clients. The outside
and inside of your building will always be show ready, your team
will be outfitted, continuing to learn, and committed to their
vocation. And most importantly, your team will become part of a
culture where it is encouraged to appreciate one another and be
appreciated.
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Summer 2020

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