Turnover's not a given; try these tips from an expert
Turnover’s not a given; try these tips from an expert
Timely evaluations mean a lot
When patient access managers get together to seek advice and trade information, there’s a recurring conversational theme: How do you retain good employees and keep staff morale high? There’s no simple answer, but health care consultant Roseann Christophersen, MBA, says she’s made some observations about successful tactics for keeping employees that may help and surprise you.
For example, she constantly hears complaints from front-line employees that their performance appraisals are done late a situation that managers often don’t consider crucial, but that apparently can be incredibly frustrating to staff. Even though the employee hears from her manager that she’s doing a great job, a late performance appraisal sends a mixed signal.
"If a manager gets a late appraisal, she tolerates it more, but line staff interpret it as just one more straw," says Christophersen, who is president of Christophersen Consulting, a health care consulting firm that recently relocated from Illinois to New Port Richey, FL. "The employee thinks, Why can’t I have a one-on-one evaluation on time?’ They may not show it, but they’re upset about it, and if someone else gets an appraisal on time, that’s even worse. It often manifests itself in [a poor] attitude."
When such employees leave, she points out, managers may say, "Well, she had a bad attitude," but they should be asking, "What made the bad attitude?"
To avoid such instances of mixed signals, performance evaluations should be scheduled in advance, giving the employee time to get her thoughts together, Christophersen emphasizes. They should not be arranged with a casual, "Come on into my office," as the employee walks in to work one morning.
A fair, honest performance appraisal can be done in as little time as 20 minutes if both manager and employee are prepared. But if the manager is poorly prepared, even an hour-long session can be an insult to all involved. To keep things professional and efficient, the manager should refrain from taking phone calls during the meeting, she adds.
The continuing trend toward downsizing presents another challenge when it comes to keeping staff satisfied and happy. Many managers’ staff sizes have increased from a dozen or so to up to three times that number a situation that now demands quicker response time and faster decision making, she points out. With so many more employees there is no longer time for long deliberations. This may lead to beleaguered managers giving short shrift to interviews, and hiring a new employee according to a gut feeling such as liking the way they dress, or their pleasant demeanor, Christophersen says. "You get them in, get them hired, and then dump the training on someone."
This is not a scenario destined to promote job longevity, she notes. Instead, take a hard look at your performance appraisal and your hiring appraisal. Don’t just ask the applicant how she handles pressure and accept the answer which obviously will be that she handles it well but ask her to tell you about a stressful episode and how she dealt with it. Ask what the toughest part of a job is, and if the applicant says "dealing with difficult people," ask what she means by a difficult person.
"Take the interview out of job jargon and put it in real language," Christophersen says. "Use situational interviewing What would you do in this scenario?’" By hiring the right person to begin with, you’ll reduce the chance of her becoming dissatisfied with the job.
Access managers also should find out if anyone is using employee exit interviews to track reasons for turnover. Human resources (HR) personnel, she suggests, should ask employees why they’re leaving, and without the manager or supervisor present.
"When the person says it’s for a better job with more opportunity, don’t just leave it at that," Christophersen adds. "The HR person should say, If you were given more money and more responsibility here, would you stay?’ Many times, the person would say no. I guarantee a pattern will develop if you ask that question." Listen to what exiting employees are saying, pay attention to signs of recruiting problems and the cycle won’t repeat itself, she adds.
When an employee quits, immediately express your regret and ask if there’s something you or "we" if that feels more comfortable could have done differently, she says. Maybe you disliked the employee intensely and are glad she’s leaving, but this is still the appropriate thing to say, Christophersen adds. You may not get an answer the employee may not want to burn any bridges but at least ask, she advises.
Meanwhile, other staff members should be told right away. If someone is leaving, other employees should hear it from the manager. You could say something like, "We’re sorry to lose Mary, but glad she’s going on to a new opportunity." Mary can tell them the news herself and many managers let the news get out that way but they also need to hear it from the boss, Christophersen says, which is a more professional, proactive approach to the situation.
Even with the standard two-week notice, there’s bound to be a period when you’re shorthanded after an employee leaves, she points out. That’s a good time for the manager to pitch in to show team spirit and create a bond with staff.
"When’s the last time the manager sat down and really helped out?" Christophersen asks. One of the major complaints she says she hears from front-line staff is that the manager is always in meetings, or in his or her office with the door closed, Christophersen says. "The manager has got to be able not to do everything but to know when to pitch in and help."
Many managers adopt the attitude that if you can’t pay more, you have to accept turnover that it’s now the American way, an inevitable side effect of downsizing, she notes. But "you don’t have to accept anything," Christophersen argues. Instead, she advises, go to HR and ask which departments don’t have turnover. Then go to that department’s manager, buy him or her a cup of coffee, and ask why turnover is low there.
Another solution to high turnover may lie in how new employees are trained, Christophersen says, adding that many of the front-line staffers she interviews say the training’s just not there.
"They’re getting yelled at by the patient, by the doctor, for something they didn’t know they were supposed to do," she notes. "Go back and confirm that the person was trained or is getting trained. There’s nothing worse than an adult feeling stupid, or that they can’t do something. And remember that just because someone’s good at the job doesn’t mean she’s a good trainer."
[For more information, contact: Roseann Christophersen, MBA, president, Christophersen Consulting, 7906 Woburn St., New Port Richey, FL 34653. Telephone: (813) 372-2913.]
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