With lower reimbursements, higher malpractice premiums, and higher overhead costs, how can a medical practice afford to reward their “star” employees? How can you show your employees that you appreciate them, without breaking the bank? We are hearing this question from a lot of our practices. Below you will find suggestions on how to reward and incentivize your staff while staying within your budget.
Employees should not be rewarded for adequately performing their regular job duties, but instead for exceptional performance. Rewards or incentives should be given to employees who:
- Do an “exceptional” job;
- Are always willing to “go the extra mile” (e.g., stay late, take on extra duties, etc.);
- Show initiative and bring new ideas to the practice management team;
- Take pride and ownership in their duties;
- Are “team players” who motivate other staff members; and, most importantly,
- Give patients outstanding customer service.
Areas to consider when designing an Employee Bonus system include:
- Decreasing or eliminating errors in their work (e.g., entering fee tickets for one month without any errors);
- Collecting a target percentage (90 to 95 percent of all co-pays for one month);
- Collecting all referrals needed in a given month;
- Not missing a day of work for a specified period of time (e.g., for an entire quarter or year);
- Meeting or exceeding collection goals set by the practice manager; and
- Receiving positive feedback from patients.
Financial Incentives
Financial incentives do not have to be large amounts. We have found that even small bonuses show your appreciation and can go a long way to motivate your employees. Below is a list of ideas for financial incentives that may help you motivate your staff:
- Have an “Employee of the Quarter Award.” The winning employee could be given a $50.00 gift certificate for dinner or passes to a movie chain. It’s good to reward employees with personal gifts that they can enjoy themselves and with their families.
- Give a merit bonus based on performance and overall achievement, not just an annual cost-of-living increase or a generic year-end bonus. These bonuses should be tied to a formal, written evaluation and should be based on pre-defined job descriptions and expected performance goals. Many practices fall into the same old habit of giving an across-the-board cost-of-living increase to everyone, so an outstanding employee will be given the same increase as an employee who is just performing their duties adequately.
- One of our favorite reward programs is to take $200 and divide it into segments---two $50 bills, four $20 bills, and two $10 bills. Place each bill in an envelope and place the envelopes in a candy jar. Each week pick the person that has done an outstanding job for your practice and have them pick an envelope from the candy jar. This turns the reward program into a fun game that the entire office can participate in. Your employees will start to work harder and make that extra effort so they can take their “dip” into the candy jar.
- Use the candy jar idea from above, but instead of (or in addition to) cash, try some of the following non-monetary gifts: one week of free parking; an extra half hour for lunch; or permission to leave one hour early on Friday.
If your office is smaller, 10 employees or fewer, you can choose an outstanding employee once a month and customize the ideas above.
Non-monetary Rewards
Non-monetary rewards may be small tokens of appreciation, but can still mean a lot to an employee. Just some simple words could make the difference in an employee giving 75 percent versus 150 percent. Words of gratitude can go a long way and can actually make employees work even harder.
Simple examples are:
- "Thanks for doing a great job this week!"
- "Thanks for helping out while Jane was out sick!"
- "The doctors and I appreciate you staying late to help out with those extra patients."
- "The doctors and I have noticed that you have been working long hours and your dedication is greatly appreciated."
- "You did a great job in handling that difficult situation."
Some other ideas that will not cost the practice:
- Write little notes of “thank you” or “for a job well done” and place them on an employee's workstation when they have done something well.
- Recognize employee accomplishments in staff meetings.
In our tight employment market, showing your staff that you appreciate them is especially important. The most common comment we hear from medical office staff that we interview is that they feel the doctors don't appreciate their hard work. Physicians, especially, should make a conscious effort to address employees by name, say “good morning,” or thank them at the end of the day. We have found that when physicians show these simple gestures of gratitude, the staff will be more likely to treat your patients with the same respect and courtesy and will remain much more loyal to your practice.
Tracey Moran is a Senior Healthcare Consultant with Snyder, Cohn, Collyer, Hamilton & Associates; phone 301-652-6700.
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