It would be so simple if practice owners
could open a fortune cookie for each one of their employees and find the method
by which to fairly compensate them.
While there are commonly accepted methods of compensation, their
implementation in veterinary practices varies because different entrepreneurs
have different business goals. Also,
“fairness” is a relative term that introduces variability into an equation that
might otherwise be consistent from practice to practice. This article describes the factors that
practice owners should consider when determining compensation for veterinarians
and paraprofessional staff.
Benchmarks
Below is a table that provides a snapshot of current key indicators available for small animal companion practices. It is not meant to be all-inclusive, but rather to provide some guidelines that enable managers to take the practice’s compensation pulse. They can then determine if the practice is on track for the next year or needs to perform some diagnostics to prevent a fiscal derailment.
Veterinary Compensation
Many periodicals and books discuss
the factors one should consider in establishing a compensation policy for
veterinarians. Of particular importance is the question of whether compensation
should consist of a fixed salary, a percentage of the revenue generated by the
veterinarian and collected by the practice (i.e., commission-based), or a
combination of the two. If a commission-based component is present, it is also
important to consider how the revenue figure will be calculated. Will it be
limited to revenues generated from professional services, or will it include
revenues generated from items like over-the-counter medications and foods? Percentages can also vary in relation to
the magnitude of the revenue number that is generated. Implementing compensation systems in practice
requires attention to the details of production calculation and timing of
payment. The key to remember is there is NO one size fits all when determining
the appropriate compensation for veterinary and non-veterinary staff. There are numerous factors that go into
assessing the actual method used for compensation, which often requires the
assistance of an advisor.
National starting salary
information is generally published annually in the Journal of the AVMA. (See:
Employment, starting salaries, and educational indebtedness of year-2013
graduates of US veterinary medical colleges, October 1, 2013, Vol. 243, No.
7, Pages 983-987; Employment of male and female graduates of US veterinary
medical colleges, JAVMA October 1,
2011, Vol. 239, No. 7, Pages 953-957.) See also the latest biennial edition of
the American Animal Hospital Association’s Compensation and Benefits-An In-Depth
Look and the AVMA’s Economic Report on Veterinarians and Veterinary
Practices (Wise, J., Center for Information Management, AVMA, Shaumberg, IL
(Tel: 847-925-8070). Two
periodicals, Veterinary Economics and Veterinary Hospital Management Association
Newsletter, also regularly publish helpful articles. In addition, Wutchiett
Tumblin and Veterinary Economics published Benchmarks 2019 Well Managed
Practices.
Paraprofessional
Compensation
Paraprofessionals are often compensated on
an hourly basis and the industry has yet to develop widely adopted
performance-based compensation models. Paraprofessionals generally report low job
satisfaction and high turnover rates. In the 2016 NAVTA Demographic Survey, 38%
of veterinary technicians left the practice due to insufficient pay, 20% due to
lack of respect from an employer, 20% from burnout and 14% because of the lack
of benefits. Full time technicians reported a salary between $15-20 per hour,
while part-time technicians reported $14-16 per hour. After taxes, even the
well-paid veterinary technicians are only slightly above what is considered the
poverty line for a family of four in the United States ($24,300).
According to the United States Bureau of
Labor Statistics, the median pay for veterinary technicians was $16.55 per hour
in 2018. By comparison, a JAVMA published study on Jan. 1, 2016 of certified
veterinary technician specialists
reported that the weighted mean pay rate in 2013 was $23.50 per hour.
In AAHA’s 2020 Compensation
& Benefits survey, average veterinary employee turnover was 23%. Turnover was 32.5% for receptionists, 23.4%
for veterinary technicians, 10.3% for managers, 16% for associate veterinarians,
and 32.9% for all other staff. To compare with the national workforce,
Compdata’s Annual Compensation Survey showed that national average turnover was
15.9% in 2010 and 19.3% in 2018. The chart above can be helpful to
calculate a practice’s turnover expenses. Turnover is a pervasive and expensive
problem that can be mitigated by learning how to properly motivate employees.
When deciding whether or
not to terminate an employee, and weighing the pros and cons, you need to
assess the costs and benefits of keeping this employee versus firing him or
her. Consider the following:
the nature of the
behavior or performance issues involved
the seriousness of these
issues
how this employee is
affecting other employees or clients
how easily you can
replace this employee
the costs of recruiting,
hiring, training and retaining a new employee
If this employee is
exposing your practice to significant legal or business risks, then the
decision to terminate the employee will be different from one where, perhaps
with coaching, the employee could potentially contribute to the company.
If the issues are increasing
the workload and responsibility of other employees, then it is important to
also consider the ripple effects that the behavior of one employee is having on
the entire practice.
This article will review the key considerations when
beginning the process of a lawful termination. Start with the question of why you
are considering terminating this employee. It is important that you can determine
the reason before moving forward with the rest of the process.
It may be tempting to
terminate someone’s employment because he or she doesn’t fit well into the
company culture, or isn’t especially likeable.
It’s easy to revert to the notion of at-will employment when that’s the
case. The principle of at-will employment means that an employee can be fired
at any time, for any reason, as long as there is not an illegal reason
involved. Some people may conclude that there shouldn’t be a problem with this termination.
An issue can develop if
you terminate an employee at will, and then that employee states that an
illegal reason was involved. In this case, the employer must prove that this
was not the situation. Unfortunately,
wrongful termination claims are not always easy to disprove. They can also harm
your practice’s reputation, breed mistrust among other employees, and lead to
lawsuits.
Next, we will review the
following:
reasons for wrongful termination
claims
the actual conversation
about termination
information about
high-risk terminations
Throughout this article,
we will also share strategies to protect your practice.
Reasons for Wrongful Termination Claims
One reason for wrongful
termination is employment discrimination. It can include discrimination based
on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. An employer also cannot
discriminate against an employee because of their disability, age or pregnancy.
These are all illegal reasons to fire someone. You also can’t terminate an
employee as a form of retaliation.
An employer has the
legal obligation to honor employment contracts, union or non-union, including
termination clauses. Not doing so is considered breach of contract. There can
also be an implied breach of
contract, when a company implies, either in writing or verbally, that
employment is protected.
This is not intended to
be a complete list of potential wrongful termination claims. Instead, it can be
used to show the flaws in simply firing someone, at will. There is a more
graceful way to go through the process, and when followed, it should prevent the employee from
being surprised that he or she is getting fired. Therefore, the employer is
better protected against claims of wrongful termination.
Poor Performance/Behavior Over Time
It’s important to create
and carefully follow a disciplinary policy for your practice. It may consist of
rules such as providing an employee who has demonstrated a substandard
performance with a verbal warning the first time, a written warning the second,
and probation or termination on the third. In order to have an effective
disciplinary policy, though, you’ll also need to have clear and consistent
policies about employee behavior and performance so that your employees clearly
know the practice’s expectations. The policies must be consistently enforced,
as well.
When a policy is broken,
you should follow your progressive disciplinary procedures in a timely way, and
in a way in which the severity of consequences increases if an employee doesn’t
correct the behavior. In your disciplinary meetings with that employee, you can
then share what policies were broken, why this is problematic, and the
consequences.
Document every time that
you speak to a particular employee about the issue (such as lateness or
gossiping), doing so directly after the meeting and listing the following:
date of the meeting
specific behaviors
discussed
policy broken
consequence for this
behavior
consequences if this
happens again
employee’s responses
date of follow-up meeting
with the employee
It is recommended that
you have another manager at disciplinary meetings. This allows one person from
the practice to conduct the conversation with the employee, and the other to
take notes and serve as a witness. Be sure to have the employee sign relevant disciplinary
documents. Following this procedure gives your employee a chance to improve,
while also protecting you, as an employer, from wrongful termination claims or
lawsuits.
Keep in mind that each
time a disciplinary procedure occurs with an employee, the documents that you
create may ultimately end up in court. Be sure to professionally list all
pertinent details. Avoid judging or interpreting an employee’s behavior; for
example, do not comment that while George says he’s late because of traffic, the
real issue is that he’s lazy. Stick to the facts.
If your employee isn’t
breaking policies, but also isn’t meeting expectations, you can create a
performance improvement plan (PIP). This allows you to share goals and
checkpoints, while also offering concrete next steps and support. Be sure to
have the employee sign the PIP. Keep this documentation, whether disciplinary
or PIP, confidential and safely stored.
One-Time Incident
Although documenting behavior
or performance issues over time is best, sometimes it isn’t possible. For
example, if an employee steals money, becomes violent at work, or brings
illegal drugs to the workplace, then the rule that is broken is so severe that the
employee needs to be fired immediately. In that case, what’s important is that
you respond to any future situations of this severity at a comparable level of
discipline.
Conversation about Termination
If the decision to fire
a particular employee has been made, then the next issue to consider is how to
have the conversation with him or her. If you’ve provided that employee with
verbal and written warnings according to your company’s disciplinary policy,
then you have increased your protection. Another option is to consult with your
practice attorney to make sure that the termination is solid. This will prepare
you in case the employee decides to pursue action against the practice.
Once you’re ready to hold
the meeting, be timely about making it happen. However, take into account if
that employee has something significant happening that day that could make your
timing inappropriate.
It can help to have a
termination agenda to keep the meeting on track and provide topics to be covered.
The agenda should also include items to be returned to the employee and a
reminder to get a confirmation of the person’s current address so a final
paycheck can be mailed. Having an agenda can also help to guide all parties
involved through what’s likely to be an emotionally-charged and stressful meeting,
and help to ensure that you cover all necessary items.
Be sure that the
location of the meeting is somewhere private. Then, be direct and clear without
being harsh. Explain to the employee that after meeting with that employee to
discuss behaviors, including the issuance of verbal and written warnings, the
decision was made to separate employment that day. Be transparent and make sure
you state that the decision is not negotiable. If the employee tries to debate
the decision, don’t engage or try to justify yourself, and avoid saying
anything that could be construed as a threat.
Keep the meeting short, lasting
no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. The greater the length of the meeting, the
more potential that something could be said that could expose the practice to a
lawsuit. Close the meeting by thanking the employee for contributions made and extend
to him or her your best wishes for the future.
An important topic to discuss
is the specifics about the physical separation from the workplace. Should the
employee, for example, take his or her belongings now? Or do you plan to meet
him or her after hours to take out belongings when other employees aren’t at
work? In some cases, the employee may have missed too much work, which led to
the termination; in that case, you may want to focus on avoiding a humiliating
situation for the person. If the reason for termination is something such as
embezzlement, then your main focus would be to have the employee leave the
workplace as soon as possible. If the ex-employee has property of someone else’s
at work, or vice versa, arrangements must be made to transfer belongings.
Be prepared to answer
questions that might arise. You can’t predict what they will be, but a common question
is whether you will provide references for that person. Regardless of your
response, make sure to protect your company while also treating the terminated
employee with respect.
Prepare to provide any
relevant information about the employee such as benefits, unused vacation time,
or any severance agreement. Summarize all relevant information in a termination
letter. This dated letter should state that the employee has been terminated,
along with a brief description of why and any other pertinent details.
Afterwards, let other
employees know about the termination without discussing any confidential information
or making negative comments about the former employee. Be straightforward,
sharing information the other employees need to know, reassuring them that the company
isn’t eliminating roles. Acknowledge that, in the short term, other employees
may need to help to manage that person’s workload.
High-Risk Terminations
These are terminations where
employees are likely to sue the employer in connection with the termination. Some
situations in which this is more likely to happen include the following:
employee is a member of
a legally protected class
employee is a difficult
one
employee has a relative
who is an attorney
employee is surprised by
the termination
As far as the first
example, federal law prohibits discrimination on
the basis of age (over 40), race, color, religion, sex, national origin or
disability. In addition, individual states may have laws that are more
stringent. When terminating the employment of someone in a protected class, the
employer may be vulnerable to anti-discrimination claims for any statements
made prior to, during or even after the employee’s tenure. Examples of these
statements are as follows:
I know it must be hard to balance your
job responsibilities with the new baby.
Most 50-year-olds would have trouble
meeting the physical demands of this job.
Comments such as those are commonly part
of a casual conversation with no discriminatory intent, but could add credence
to a wrongful termination claim.
Other employees are difficult:
argumentative and/or obstinate. They may refuse to take responsibility for
their behavior or performance, becoming defensive and blaming others. Employers
may be reluctant to fire this type of employee, fearing confrontation or retaliation.
The practice can effectively be held hostage to this type of employee and, when
fired, the employee may respond with a lawsuit.
When employees have relatives who are
attorneys, it may make it easier for them to sue. The relative may even make the
suggestion, and if legal services are offered to the disgruntled employee at a
reduced fee, or even for free, there are fewer barriers to suing. Finally,
surprised employees may be so devastated that they legally challenge the
termination. These situations highlight the importance of carefully creating
and following policies as described.
Conclusion
The termination process is almost always uncomfortable, carrying with it a varying degree of legal risk for your practice. Your goal is to make the process as amicable as possible while continuing to minimize risk along the way. The recommendations in this article won’t cover every situation but should provide broad guidelines that you can tailor to your unique circumstances. It is recommended to consult with an employment attorney experienced in the laws for your state.
Originally Published in Today’s Veterinary Business December 2019
Is Bad
Communication Stunting Your Practice’s Growth?
When you look back at your former teachers,
you realize that some people make learning more engaging and can communicate
concepts more efficiently than others. They all might have the same degree of
knowledge, but not everyone has the communication skills needed to effectively
share that knowledge. In the same vein, in a workplace setting, someone can be incredibly
knowledgeable and have transformative ideas, but the information must be effectively
communicated. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many practices lack
proper communication within their team, thus affecting how the practice runs
during a normal day.
Imagine the following situation: Technician A, “Wendy,” and Technician B, “Bill,” have set schedules during
the week. Wendy comes from 8 am to 3 pm and Bill comes in from 1 pm until 8 pm.
On Tuesday, Wendy writes on the posted schedule that she will be switching
hours with Bill for that Friday, as she has a doctor’s appointment that
morning. She does not communicate this to anyone, including Bill.
What Poor Communication Does
Poor communication results in a
disconnect between parties and it is especially important for an employer to
communicate clearly to its employees. When mixed messages are given at a
veterinary practice, employees feel more stressed, which can affect how they
react to one another and how they treat clients. Life is more unpredictable
when misunderstandings occur, especially in ongoing situations. Employees can
carry frustrations home with them. If this is happening at your practice, it’s
not a good sign for your clinic’s growth and overall success.
When Friday rolls around, the
first client has checked in, but there is no technician to prep the room or
initiate the exam. The office manager is trying to call Wendy to see what is
going on, but she is not answering because she has a doctor’s appointment…and
the day starts off in chaos. The doctor isn’t happy, the client isn’t happy,
and the receptionist is on the receiving end of the client’s anger.
When someone communicates poorly at
work, goals aren’t accomplished effectively or in a timely way. At the end of
the day, the clients are the ones who suffer. Additionally, employees may be
forced to pick up the slack, leading to rushed jobs and mistakes. In a business
dedicated to the care and well-being of pets, there are some serious
consequences that can occur.
In this type of environment,
employees may feel insecure about their jobs and feel they never have a moment
to breathe, which may lead them to seek another job. A lack of communication or
poor communication can increase turnover at a practice, which brings with it
all the costs associated with recruiting and training new employees. This slows
office productivity, which affects the remaining employees and, most
importantly, the clients.
Wendy’s co-workers find themselves
in the middle of this situation which they did not create. This causes tension.
Many are mad at Wendy for not showing up and creating extra work for them,
forcing them to work twice as hard to get everything done. Some are also angry
with management as they feel a few employees are treated differently than
others and are “allowed to get away with it.” A simple lack of communication
has left the practice divided. This, in turn, directly affects how the client
sees your practice. Staff with bad attitudes? Staff running around at 100 mph?
This doesn’t ease a client’s mind when putting their pets into your staff’s
hands.
If you find an increasing number of
dissatisfied clients, the reason could be poor communication among people in
your practice. The reality is that when the level of communication is
substandard, simply maintaining the status quo can be challenging and achieving
growth is difficult.
Providing Quality Communication
When you think about communication
skills, consider everyone who plays a role at the practice — veterinarians,
managers, technicians, receptionists and office staff.
It may be easy to pass the blame on
Wendy, who should have at least spoken with Bill about switching shifts for the
day. However, can this blame also be placed on the practice for not having a
pre-determined system of communication for such events? Should the disgruntled
employees bring their concerns to management?
Staff Meetings
Having staff meetings to determine
how to stop the cycle of bad communication is imperative. One employee may not
see the issues of a practice the same way as another. Similarly, employees may
not communicate the same way as each other. However, holding an open discussion
to decide on an effective way to communicate with each other is only the first
step.
Create an open-floor format
During team meetings, make the
environment as welcoming as possible. Start off with an open-ended question
like, “How can we communicate more effectively” or “what can we do
differently?” Give examples of how you, as a practice manager, can communicate
better. This will “break the ice” and show vulnerability, which will help
employees feel like it’s a safe place they can share their concerns freely. Try
to prevent employees from blaming one another, as listening shuts off as soon
as tension rises.
Listen, listen, and listen
some more
A big part of effective
communication comes down to actively listening to what the other person has to
say rather than spending time formulating what you’re going to say next — or,
even worse, interrupting the speaker. In today’s world, when people are
rewarded for taking action, spending time listening might feel like a somewhat
passive activity, but it’s necessary for quality communication.
Implementation
After each meeting, determine what
you’ve learned about your practice’s communication strengths and weaknesses,
and figure out the opportunities that exist. Then, create a plan for more
effective communication. What can be fixed relatively easily? What improvements
will create the most positive momentum? What can have financial benefits? Make the
changes steadily, and review the progress regularly.
Let’s say our theoretical practice
decides to implement a procedure that all requests of shift switches must be
approved by the practice manager. Is this to be done through text, email,
one-on-one? Or is there a specific request form that needs to be submitted and
signed by all three parties (both technicians and manager)?
The next step is holding all
employees to the same standard. There should be no “exceptions” to the rule so
other employees do not feel like they are being slighted and “so-and-so” is
being favorited and doesn’t have to follow protocol. A doctor should have to
fill out this request, as does a technician and receptionist. This will
eliminate any tension within the practice due to schedule changes, and thus
will keep your practice running smoothly.
Good communication is a necessity
in running a successful practice. Although it’s hard to look inward at the
problems occurring in the practice, identifying key issues is the first step. Then,
decide as a team what can be done to modify these issues, and follow it
through. Changes may take a while to be implemented, and that’s ok—“A
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Originally Published in Today’s Veterinary Business October 2019
Millennials are often in the news—and they have been for quite some time now–with countless articles discussing their impact in the workforce. But what about Generation Z? This is the group of people born between about 1995 and 2010. They’re also in or entering the workforce, and their perception of the world and their participation in the workplace is definitely different from that of the Millennials who came before them.
Gen Z, as they’re called,
is about 57 million strong in the United States. Other names include
Post-Millennials, Founders, Plurals, the iGeneration, and the Homeland
Generation. This article will describe, overall, what they value and how they
perceive life, with the understanding that not everyone in this generation (or
any other generation, for that matter) ever thinks exactly alike.
Core
Values & Behaviors
An in-depth survey of
this generation conducted by McKinsey & Company determined that Gen Z has
several core behaviors in common, each of which center on their search for
truth. They avoid labeling; opting to focus more on individuality, honesty and
competence of people. Thus, making them more willing to understand different
types of people; enabling them to differences of opinion and interact with
organizations that don’t match their personal values. They want to spend their
energy on causes that matter, such as homelessness, poverty, world hunger,
identity, human rights, and gender equality. They want brands to behave in
ethical ways, being transparent, and having actions match what company
officials say.
As such, it makes sense
that diversity is considered the norm by this generation, to the degree that
Gen Z often don’t readily think about the demographics of a group, whether that
means racially, or religious preferences or sexual orientation. To put this
into perspective, Business Insider and Axios predicts that by 2045, the United
States will be majority minority; meaning, this may be the last generation
where the majority of people in the United States identify as white and, for
much of Gen Zs’ lives, the president identified as a black man.
Additionally, Gen Z
expresses a desire to be financial stable; this, combined with their
aforementioned appreciation for diversity and the changing demographics in the
United States, likely attributes to their overall mix of beliefs and can
include fiscally conservative points of view combined with socially liberal
ones.
Overall, Gen Z can be
considered pragmatic, practical, and analytical; believing that most conflicts,
including global issues, can be solved through effective uses of communication.
Through simple conversations, they are able to learn, strategically gather
information, and make highly informed decisions about what their next step(s)
should be.
Workplace
Values
About 36 percent of Gen Z
will be in the workforce by the year 2020. According to statistics quoted by HR Magazine in November/December 2018,
58 percent of them hope to own a business someday (and 14 percent of them
already do).
When looking for
employment, here’s what matters to Gen Z:
Good salary: 35%
Enjoyable work environment:
26%
Flexible schedule: 14%
Opportunity to create new
products: 11%
Chance to learn new skills: 8%
Community focus: 7%
Most have been exposed to
the internet and social media their entire lives, making Gen Z very comfortable
with the virtual world and with seamlessly crossing from online to “offline”
experiences. This ease will certainly have an impact on how technology will
continue to evolve in the workplace.
More specifically, Gen Z
have always lived in a world where information comes at them, fast and furious:
they’ve learned to rapidly process information but may not have long attention
spans. They multi-task, shifting from one activity to another, often in a way
that people from previous generations may find distracting.
Transforming
the Workplace
Millennials have done an
excellent job of shedding light on the high costs of higher education plus the student
loan debt incurred from the pursuit thereof. From this observation, many from
Gen Z may choose to not pursue traditional educational pathways. People of Gen
Z may, instead, opt to go straight into the workforce, attend classes online, pursue
entrepreneurship, or choose paths that vastly differ from the paths ventured by
previous generations.
Assuredly, Gen Z will
have a significant impact on the development of workforce, as companies need to
manage complex, multi-generational teams consisting of younger Baby Boomers,
Gen Xs, Millennials, and Gen Zs. Each generation has different values, workplace
expectations, life goals, and more. For example, people of Gen Z have a strong
desire for work-life balance and appreciate developing personal, and
maintaining, technological connections. In fact, AdWeek recently reported that
Gen Z are 1.3 times more likely to buy products if their favorite celebrity
advertises it on social media. This is important for companies, as company
branding and marketing primarily occur on social media and, as such, if your
company has no social media footprint, then your chances of reaching Gen Z
diminishes; this represents a significant shift from strategies enacted by past
generations’.
In light of this,
companies must find strategic ways to take advantage of the human resources
they currently have. For instance, employ a strategy that combines mentoring
and reverse mentoring; where those who are from Gen Z can educate those from
other, older generations and vice versa. Thereby preventing, and potentially
wholly avoiding, generational gaps and conflicts that damage productivity,
efficiency, and workers’ value.
Alternatively, you can
cater to Gen Z’s interest in forming a personal connection. When they work for
a company, Gen Z has been shown to prefer regular, in-person feedback from
their supervisors; this feedback can be short and sweet, as long as it’s prompt
and regular. They also want to interact directly with managers often, even
multiple times daily. This shouldn’t be surprising, given that they are used to
texting, conversing on social media, and so forth, which can be considered real-time
conversations.
When
Recruiting
When your practice is
recruiting new employees, it can help to think of it as a brand, and then
demonstrate your brand visually to attract Gen Z job candidates. Think about
what makes your practice unique, what makes it interesting. How can the
candidate you’re interviewing contribute to your practice? Make that clear.
People
of Gen Z typically read online reviews about companies before they interview
with them, and they are attracted to reviews that show how the workplace can be
a fun place to be, even when working hard at the job. Flexible schedules and
paid time off are attractive to many Gen Zs.
Young adults from this
generation often make great employees; especially because Gen Z has the ability
to adapt to change in the way that would make most people from older
generations uncomfortable. You can consider them to be “radically inclusive”;
wherein they value individual expression and don’t readily distinguish their
online and offline experiences in the way that other generations do. They don’t
differentiate between their friends in the physical world and those they’ve
only known online. This is likely true, at least in part, because of the
rapidly changing technology that’s always been part of their lives which likely
contributes to their ability to quickly learn, their comfort levels with
technology, and how much they can contribute to a company’s bottom line.
Although they bring
strengths to the workplace, they may need guidance and training on soft skills
that previous generations possessed so readily possessed. These are skills like
how to handle clients calling your practice and how to respond to them via
email, to name a couple. You’ll have to think of other ways to truly address
these areas that caters to their inherent abilities like instructional videos,
role-plays with co-workers, or even one-on-one training could be appreciated by
this tech-savvy generation.
Does the
phrase OSHA violations cause you to shudder in fright? OSHA, the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, should not be a scary monster – it exists to
ensure you and your employees stay safe in the workplace. Slay the monster with
some of these low-cost fixes to common violations.
Maintain easily accessible safety
data sheets on all chemicals.
Did you know that your distribution representative has electronic copies of all
safety data sheets for products they sell? Take five minutes to ask them to
email those over, then put the sheet in a folder on every computer’s desktop.
Required Posters
All required
posters can be obtained for free from OSHA! Make sure you check what other
posters are required in your state and see if those posters are also provided
free of charge. You can find the OSHA posters at this link: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/poster.html
Drink Station
At your
next employee meeting, ask the staff to decide on a safe location for drinks.
It should be convenient but as far away from animal and laboratory areas as
possible. Then, purchase some stylish washi paper tape or fun paint and have a
teambuilding activity to define the new space.
Secondary Labels
Containers
of chemicals that you or your staff refills from the manufacturer’s container
must be labelled. Once you have your safety data sheets, it will only take a
few minutes to make a label. Consider using waterproof printable labels, a
laminated piece of paper, or purchased pre-printed labels specific to your
chemicals. It can seem daunting to find and label every bottle of alcohol or
jar of scrub, but why not try turning it into a game of scavenger hunt bingo
with the staff? Many hands make light work.
Some OSHA
fixes are easier, cheaper, and faster than others. If you need to establish or
rejuvenate your training and reporting programs, we are here to help. Just get
in touch with our human resources gurus to find the right solution for you!
It
doesn’t take long to find articles that share why you should hire for culture fit. You might be employed by or have
worked for companies that stressed how crucial this is. In fact, it’s gotten to
where “hire for culture fit” is something that “everybody knows,” which can serve
as a red flag.
First,
what does “hire for culture fit” really mean? It’s often defined as recruiting
people who, in theory, should be able to join your team and mesh with employees
quickly because of their behavior and belief systems. Ideally, they would quickly
add value to your veterinary practice, too, without causing conflict. Hiring
for culture fit also can be described as a way to look at a job candidate as a
whole, not just as a list of his or her qualifications and experiences. The
person would be chosen in part based upon personality traits and how those
traits match up with those of current employees.
At a high
level, this makes sense. After all, you’ll want, for example, honest team
members who desire to contribute to a workplace that genuinely provides quality
animal care. And so, if you interview someone who fits those parameters, that’s
a plus.
Good Intentions Go
Astray
The
danger occurs when you take the culture fit concept too far, narrowing what
you’re looking for in a new employee. Culture fit can, quite unintentionally,
become a catchphrase that means you want to hire people who think like you do,
who perform their job duties like you do and who otherwise are just like you.
Doing this can
lead to:
Lack of diversity among team members.
A dearth of viewpoints, creating a “me too” culture that inhibits growth.
Overlooking potential employees who would have plenty to contribute.
A practice that
rejects candidates who fail to fit into a precise, preconceived mold despite
their qualifications and despite what they can contribute is putting its
efforts into maintaining the status quo rather than hiring to expand the possibilities.
More Than Culture
Instead
of focusing on finding the right culture fit, what can make more sense is adding
to your practice culture in strategic ways to increase what you have to offer
clients.
Let’s say
your practice team tends to come to a consensus quickly, which you’ve perceived
as a good thing. But if you look around the room, you might notice that
everyone is from the same generation, perhaps older Gen Xers.
If you
added, say, a millennial to the mix, what would happen? There might not be as
much consensus anymore, but you might receive a wealth of information about new
technology, and this can add a new level of service to the practice, streamline
communication and much more. Diversity isn’t just generational. It can involve
making the practice more gender equal or evolve the racial-ethnic demographic.
Creating
a more diverse workforce can benefit you in numerous ways. But to make that
happen, make sure that a desire for culture fit doesn’t turn into a demand for
consensus.
Hiring for Value
Fit
Making
sure that new employees fit in well so that you can pursue goals together is
important. But for a new perspective, aim for value matching instead of
focusing on culture fit.
For example, if
your practice strongly believes in providing empathetic service to clients and
their pets, then recruit and hire people who can live out that value. When you
hire for a value fit, you look for candidates who share the same sense of
purpose that others do at the practice. You still allow for, and even embrace,
diverse points of view on how to achieve the goals.
This might
sound like splitting hairs, but when companies carefully analyze their culture
and define what they value, and then create a hiring structure based on those
factors — and ensure the process isn’t really a path to a lack of diversity — then
how the process is phrased might be a matter of linguistics. Unfortunately, not
enough companies take the time to do a deep dive into what they value, and even
fewer then interview and hire based on the intelligence gleaned. Too often,
culture fit still means that those in charge of hiring make subjective
decisions based on gut feelings about job candidates.
How can
you tell the difference between hiring for culture and hiring for values? In
the November/December 2018 issue of HR
Magazine, a good example was given. Saying you want to hire friendly
people who have a good attitude is an example of hiring for culture fit in a
way that can hinder innovation. If, though, your practice places significant
value on high autonomy in the workplace and you’ve discovered how to interview
and hire for it, this can become a value fit hiring process.
The HR Magazine article also recommends
that scorecards be used for candidate assessment. The example used is that a
practice decides that relationship-building skills are valued. Without using a
carefully created scorecard, a quieter candidate who has stellar relationship-building
abilities can be overlooked.
Job Candidate
Preferences
What can be
helpful is to talk to job candidates about the environments that allow them to
thrive. Some people, for example, work especially well within a significant
structure while others prefer to have wiggle room and space to breathe.
Open-ended questions can give you additional insight into these candidates. If
you feel uncomfortable about an answer, decide whether the answer is “wrong”
for your practice or whether it’s an opportunity to open yourself to new ideas
that would add value to the workplace.
If you
end up hiring someone and it doesn’t work out well, you have an excellent chance
to decipher why if failed. Did the employee’s values not mesh with yours? If
so, do your interview notes reveal any missed red flags? What can you learn
from the review?
When the
notion of hiring for culture fit was first developed, it was a significant step
in the right direction, focusing hiring managers on looking beyond mere lines
on a resume. Including a cultural-fit component in your hiring practices can
still be useful if your recruiting structure is well thought out, you’re strongly
focused on values and you acknowledgement the importance of diversity.
