As a practice owner, you want your employees to give 100% to their jobs, yet we all have days when we are just trying to make it through. Life happens and our motivation for our jobs can wane from time to time. Yet apathy or low morale in a medical practice can result in poor patient care, which can put your practice at legal and financial risk. You need to quickly address employee performance issues in a way that’s best for your patients, practice and staff. Find out what underperformance looks like, why employees underperform and tips for keeping your staff motivated.
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What Underperformance Looks Like
Underperformance can take many forms. An underperforming employee may arrive at work late, leave early or take a longer lunch. They may leave tasks undone or make lots of mistakes. Their customer service scores may be low. Staff and patients may complain about the performance of these employees. Conversely, underperformance can also look like a very friendly and popular employee who spends more time chatting then getting their work done.
Underperformance, in essence, comes down to not fulfilling the duties of the job, which is why it’s important to have detailed job descriptions for every position in your practice. You can refer to these descriptions when recognizing underperformance in your employees.
Underperformance in Employees: Why it Happens
Employees underperform for a variety of reasons. At the most basic level, underperformance can signal an employee who is not well suited for the job. Perhaps they do not have the right skill set or experience. While you can address some of these issues with additional training, it may simply be that this employee is not the right fit for this role and you need to let the employee go.
However, especially in cases where employee performance has only recently suffered, underperformance could result from other reasons. Personal issues outside the workplace, including major life events, stress or mental health concerns, can all impact performance. Issues inside the workplace can affect performance as well, including practice stress and burnout. Underperformance can also be due to a lack of challenges or growth opportunities.
How to Stimulate Employee Performance
It’s important to know how to prevent underperformance before it starts. Here are five tips to keep your staff engaged and positioned for success:
Tip #1: Hold regular dialogue
Don’t wait for yearly performance evaluations. Conduct regular, consistent one-on-one meetings with your employees. While these meetings are a way to give them feedback in their job, they are also a way for you to receive feedback on their satisfaction in the role and what to improve.
Tip #2: Improve training
Make sure each of your employees has adequate training in knowing how to do their job well. This may mean additional training in how to perform a task or even training in interpersonal skills such as handling difficult patients or getting along with colleagues.
Tip #3: Cast a vision
Help each employee see their job as more than just a paycheck. Cast a vision for their role and what it means to others. Make sure every employee knows the mission they have each day.
Tip #4: Don’t take a cookie cutter approach
Bosses and employees alike can be frustrated if the boss’s management style doesn’t click with the employee. Some of your best and most valuable employees may need a different approach. Consider what each employee needs from you as practice owner to be successful.
Tip #5: Consider a position change
Sometimes employees are undermotivated in their roles because the roles are not the right fit for them. An extroverted employee may not enjoy working in a behind-the-scenes role. Consider not only their training and skill sets but also their personalities. Be open to moving employees to new roles or creating roles that might be a better fit.
If you do encounter situations of underperformance, open a dialogue with the employee early on. Ask questions. Find out what’s happening in their personal or professional lives that may negatively influence their work. While you may need to let some underperforming employees go, others need support to return to their successful professional lives.
