7 Ways to Build a Positive Workplace Climate at Your Practice

In any medical practice, your office staff is the foundation for the services you provide. Your team’s happiness at work correlates directly to their job performance as well as to your clients’ overall experience. Of course, money is a factor—hopefully you are able to pay your employees fairly for the services they provide. However, there are many other factors that make or break the employment experience for office administrators and assistants. 

When your employees are happy, they are more productive. You will see less absenteeism and staff turnover, and the overall atmosphere of your practice will be more positive. Consider these ten ways you might be able to enhance the workplace experience for your medical practice team.

Recognize Staff for Great Work

It is important to reward employees who have done excellent work. Whether the gesture is small, like a gift card or a thoughtful note, or more significant, like extra paid time off or a bonus, find ways to make sure your staff knows that individual efforts are appreciated. A thank you is worth its weight in gold, and often pays itself forward. When an employee feels like their work is valued, they are more likely to demonstrate that they value other employees’ contributions. The snowball effect leads to a more positive workplace environment.

Involve Staff in Creating Job Descriptions

Any manager should understand the work that their employees do, but it’s common that employees will take on new responsibilities during busy or stressful times. Efficient office staff members will take initiative to solve problems and modify their workflows as needed. Periodically, ask your staff members to review and revise their own job descriptions. Make this an occasion to listen to employees and problem-solve frustrations before they boil over.

Automate Processes With Updated Software

When you review your employees’ job responsibilities, pay careful attention to possibilities for automation. Software and applications are constantly evolving. Although updating systems and training employees on the updates might mean an initial investment, the reward may be employees who are less tied down with boring, repetitive tasks. If an application can transform hours-long data entry tasks into full service medical billing, your staff members will have more time for positive customer service and creative problem-solving.

Supplement Continuing Education

It is often less expensive to retain an employee than it is to hire and train a new one. In order to retain your staff, provide plenty of opportunities for professional growth. Whether ongoing training involves in-house programs or tuition reimbursement for classes that support their job roles, you demonstrate that you are invested in the people who keep your practice going when you support their continuing education.

Support Flexible Schedules

When employees feel overworked, the workplace climate can feel heavy and toxic. Overwork can also result in stress-related health issues like high blood pressure, headaches, and poor sleep schedules, and none of these are conducive to a positive climate at the office. If it is possible, allow staff to catch up on email or paperwork from home occasionally. When the workload is light, look for opportunities to let staff go home early. Support flexibility in your staff’s working hours and calendar schedules, and listen to what your employees need.

Allow For Fun

Consider some ways to break up the monthly calendar with simple opportunities for fun. Could your staff volunteer as a team for the day at a cause that matters to your practice? What about a basic and inexpensive office makeover, with new colors and plants? Could your next staff meeting take place outdoors in the sun over a picnic lunch? How about a trivia game with prizes, or a scavenger hunt over social media? It takes some planning to integrate fun activities into a busy schedule, but the change of pace reaps dividends for morale.

Implement Rotation

If possible, find ways to let employees rotate to related positions in the practice. This approach has plenty of benefits beyond breaking up the monotony. Employees learn how their job tasks are interconnected and develop greater respect for the work of others on the team. They may also uncover creative and strategic ways to improve efficiency. Finally, you will have a team that is better able to cover the overall workflow when someone is absent.

Above all, listen carefully to your employees and be responsive to whatever needs you can reasonably meet. The overall climate of your practice matters to both the staff who work there and to the clients you serve.