Management Review

The Employee Is 
(Almost) Always Right

I’ve always believed in the old adage, "The customer is always right." This is the essence of marketing, and it’s a philosophy that works well in optometric practices. It’s the cornerstone of any success I’ve had. Any O.D. who cares about patient satisfaction believes in it.

What’s not so well known is that this same mentality is also important in managing employees. For me, a counterpart rule for staff is, "The employee is [almost] always right." As an employer, you should listen to and care about the wants and needs of employees. This may seem basic, but it’s a philosophy that is sorely lacking in many small businesses. It’s often the reason for high staff turnover.

The whole idea of pleasing the employee is one that really takes hold during times of low unemployment and a tight job market. But we can’t forget it during less prosperous times either. There is actually a specialty in human resource management that studies why people like their jobs. 

Why should your receptionist, who earns $8 an hour, smile all day? Why do technicians develop an "attitude" with patients or coworkers? How damaging is this behavior to the image of your practice? If you simply ban this behavior, will it stop?

Analyze the factors in your practice that affect job satisfaction. Certainly money is important, but for many it’s not necessarily the biggest factor. Other important issues are employee benefits, scheduled work hours, whether the office usually closes on time, the office environment, lunch-hour policies and flexibility for time off. 

A huge factor in job satisfaction is the practice culture, the unwritten workings of your practice. Does an employee feel he or she can make a difference in office policy? Is there good teamwork between departments? Is there good camaraderie among coworkers? Do they really care about each other? Is it a fun place to work? A good practice culture can make all the difference.

Caring about employees’ wants and needs is a matter of marketing your practice to your staff. It’s every bit as important as marketing to patients. Think of your employees as internal customers. Giving them serious input, listening to their opinions, and giving in to their wishes when possible are part of being a good boss. A boss who makes decisions in a dictatorial way is doomed to high turnover. Of course, it takes hard work and considerable time to insure job satisfaction. But the payoff is big in practice growth and financial success. One good way to start is to plan some employee morale-boosting events (see 'Employee Morale Boosters').

Ask yourself: "Why should an employee choose to work for me over the other eye care and non-eye care employers in my area?" If the answers don’t come easily, it could be time to improve your job-satisfaction quotient. 

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