If 2/3rds of your team quit, you would not be able to operate. If 2/3rds of your patients left you can still operate albeit with financial pain.
Poor staff morale can destroy any enjoyment that may come from running or being an independent doctor in a practice.
Staff can create ‘bad vibes’ in the office as they are unhappy.
And things are always worse during the silly (winter) season when you are most busy. It becomes chaotic and good staff are hard to find.
But it’s not your fault. You have good intentions. A poor team will kill productivity and leads to significant staff retention problems, recruitment headaches and training issues.
The real problem is that we focus on the symptom not the root cause.
It may not be staffing problem. It may be an attitude problem. And it may work both ways. Doctors to the team and the team to everyone they deal with.
Creating a practice with a good vibe attracts all the good staff you could desire. And good patients too.
Often as business owners we are not taught how to keep a team happy. You were taught how to keep patients happy.
So invest in how to create a great team. It could be the happiest thing you do.
