Practice Managers Australia

From our recent conversations with Practice Managers, we are hearing stories of the devastating consequences of staff burnout, leading to brilliant receptionists/administrators and secretaries leaving the medical industry for work that is ‘less demanding’. On top of everything else, this pattern extends to Practice Managers who are also feeling frazzled. Juggling all of the competing priorities of a medical or dental practice can be demanding at the best of times. While there will always be challenges to face when you are in a leadership role, the last 12 - 18 months have tested even the toughest, most resilient Practice Managers. How do you keep your sanity, your staff and continued business success? 1. Establish open communication and an environment of trust Open, early and regular communication will demonstrate to your staff that you care about them. Of course, you don’t need to share all of the nitty gritty details, but practising transparency helps cultivate those relationships. Staff also know when something is up, so it may have the added benefit of mitigating the rumour mill cycle. It’s simple and it works. That relationship also goes both ways. By embracing open communication from staff, they will appreciate that their voices are heard and that you value their important contributions to the business. 2. Allow yourself and other leaders in the business to show vulnerability If the pandemic has shown us anything it is that we are all humans, complete with shared human feelings, emotions and challenges. We may not know all the answers, or have all of the puzzle pieces yet, but in acknowledging this, it can help everyone feel like they are ‘in this together’. As staff look to their leaders for guidance, it will be a powerful message if you share vulnerabilities with empathy, a dose of positivity and hope. 3. Provide access to external counselling and support services - on top of the support you can offer internally If you haven’t already, consider partnering with an external Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider. EAP is a work-based intervention program designed to enhance the emotional, mental and general psychological well being of all employees and help to identify and resolve problems that may adversely affect performance. Employee Assistance Professional Association of Australasia (EAPAA) is the Peak Australian Body representing EAP providers; and can help you identify a provider that may be suitable for your business to partner with. 4. Celebrate wins and acknowledge shared difficulties The longer the adversity, the greater the risk for emotional fatigue which can lead to burn out and other nasty side effects. Even through times of hardship and challenge, there will always be something wonderful to celebrate. Give credit to staff who have gone above and beyond; consider tokens of appreciation; and above all, don’t forget to say thank you to each of them, even if it’s not about something specific but to acknowledge their consistent effort. 5. Look after your own mental/physical health and wellbeing It may seem obvious, but when you’re busy thinking about everyone else’s wellbeing, it can be easy to forget about your own. As the saying goes, you can’t fill from an empty cup. 6. Reward your staff and show real appreciation If you have the ability to recognise staff effort and ability through a salary review, that is wonderful. However, especially given the financial challenges for many small businesses, the ‘rewards’ don’t have to cost much, if anything at all. Can you offer them a bonus ‘Mental Health’ day off? A longer lunch break here and there? Can you provide a team lunch or even hand write everyone personalised thank you notes? There are many ways to show appreciation of your staff, and if you haven't already, now is as good a time as any to start. Company culture is increasingly one of the key factors in retaining your valued staff. Everyone is responsible for contributing to the culture but it starts from the top. 7. Don’t forget to remind your staff of how incredibly important and impactful their work is One of the reasons why people might be interested in working in the healthcare industry has already been mentioned in this sentence - they care. Each role within a healthcare business is so important because everyday, you and your staff are taking care of people when they may be feeling scared, and vulnerable; or they may have received difficult news about themselves or a loved one. Whatever the case is, the positive impact that you and your staff can have on patients cannot be understated! Remind your staff of this by getting back to basics and help them feel a renewed sense of purpose and focus. Follow our LinkedIn and Facebook pages for more information and practice management tips.