TRACI FRITZ, COE

With the distraction created by COVID, many of us have struggled with staff morale. For most of 2020 and 2021, our focus became dedicated to staff safety.

For health and fiscal reasons, some of the casual things that make a fun and light environment were neglected. This is why staff morale is more imperative than ever.

This year, we’ve been working on again having larger social outings together (a kick-off summer party, family picnic, baby/bridal showers) as well as bringing back some successful things we’ve previously done. For example, our team always loves when we have a massage therapist visit each clinic for chair massages. And, yes, we’ve continued to do all the birthday cakes, gifts and recognition at anniversaries, occasional luncheons, and staff appreciation days.

Still, the best morale booster is making sure your staff feel they have the capability of continuing to grow. Employees need support, and they want to work in a group that wants them to succeed in their personal professional goals. So, don’t forget to take the time to mentor your newer staff and continue to build a strong camaraderie with your senior team. OP

LYNN GIRDLESTONE, COA, OSA, OSC

We try to keep it light at our office, and we are of the belief that better control over your daily and overall schedule enhances work/life balance.

For example, we have allowed for increased flexibility with staff workdays and scheduling, which includes:

• The ability to bring (vaccinated) children to the office in case of care shortages. This greatly improves morale for staff when the stress of finding childcare is removed. Sure, it can be a little distracting at times, but our mostly geriatric patient base loves having kids around. It's also a great opportunity to bond with and get to know the staff’s families better, and offers the opportunity for kids to learn more about eyes!
• Flexibility to leave in an emergency. In turn, we also offer additional PTO/sick time for covering another employee's outages.
• Cross-training of clinical and administrative staff to better support the office in times of staff shortages (sickness, vacations, emergencies, etc).
• A mobile shared digital calendar that updates in real time to show everyone's time-off plans, so people can plan their time around what is already scheduled.
• Closing the office for one week during the summer to allow the entire staff to enjoy the good weather during a work week and spend time with family before school starts. (This is particularly important in the Seattle area because most of the year is dark and dreary!) We also close the office twice a year to volunteer as a group.
• Allowing staff to dictate their arrival and departure times based on clinic need. If they leave a couple of hours early one day because there was "no one to see" they can make up those hours in admin time at a later date if they choose.
• Encourage mental health days.

We have also found that increasing the knowledge base of all staff members leads to feeling like they're a useful and valuable part of a larger mission. This includes several efforts, such as:

• Covering the cost for certifications and continuing education to maintain certification
• The ability to travel with the office to seminars/meetings
• Monthly “lunch and learns” where the doctors host an hour of CE on various topics.
• Every other month the staff creates poster boards to serve as education for patients in the waiting area; the person researches their chosen issue and presents it in a staff meeting. This gives staff an opportunity to learn more about their field in a comfortable environment, and also gives the office a chance to keep all information presented to patients consistent. The "home grown feel" greatly contributes to the small practice vibe we wish to nurture!

In addition, we have frequent check-ins with staff: daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annually and annually. During check-ins, we review how things are going, where they are going, and solicit feedback from the boots on the ground. Our daily checks are a 1 minute "How are you doing? Any obstacles I can help you with? Anything to celebrate?” Even a quick check-in with each of your staff each day can really help a lot. OP

HAYLEY BOLING, MBA, COE

At Boling Vision Center, our practice culture truly is EVERYTHING to us. We believe it is the foundation for a thriving, modern-day practice, and the single biggest factor for long-term happiness/engagement and, ultimately, productivity for your entire team, including your docs!

This belief is why I dedicate a great deal of time and effort to cultivating and further developing, nurturing, and continually investing in my practice’s culture. In fact, for the past 12+ years, Boling Vision Center has been incredibly intentional about our practice culture — everything we do is on purpose, for a purpose. And, it has proven to be our “secret sauce.”

First and foremost, we hire based on attitude and train for skill. Then, we make sure team members are in the right seat on the bus (personality, tempo, interests, etc.). We believe in setting people up for success on day one with an official onboarding/orientation process, followed by a deep dive training boot camp, and ongoing continuous education growth/development opportunities to keep our minds sharp.

We also communicate with our staff early, often, and in multiple formats — we meet our team where they are. Part of this includes setting SMART goals and connecting them back to the organizational purpose of the practice.

In addition, we help our team see that they’re a part of something bigger than themselves, which includes:

• Values Committee. We provide community outreach opportunities, charitable giving and volunteer initiatives, theme days, carry-in & party planning, and practice-wide engagement opportunities focused on accomplishing our “work hard, play hard” culture.
• Kindness to Prevent Blindness, which is an internal and external charitable arm of BVC.

Finally, we recognize, reward, inspire, and motivate, which includes:

• Lumiere (Be Our Guest) Award. This is a peer-nominated award for team members who consistently provide an AMAZING guest experience. We recognize one winner per month, then draw an annual winner who gets an all-expenses-paid trip to Walt Disney World for their immediate family.
• Boling Bucks. This is our internal currency and rewards program. Boling Bucks go to team members for a variety of reasons, including: volunteering, going above and beyond, milestones, birthdays, anniversaries, certifications, charitable outreach, growth and education, meeting goals, and performance bonuses. Boling Bucks can be redeemed for cash (1 Boling Buck = $1) on any regularly scheduled payroll cycle, BVC Swag (we have an entire store of swag to choose from), products or services (such as optical, aesthetic services, LASIK or other vision correction procedures, and skincare), extra PTO, or even a condo rental in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. OP

CARRIE JACOBS, COE

Keeping current staff engaged and reducing burn-out has to be a priority. We’ve found that there are key components to staff engagement and retention:

1. Communication. When there is lack of communication, there is lack of connection, which can lead to lack of trust. Regular staff meetings and team meetings keep everyone up to speed on what is going on across all departments of the practice. This includes positive announcements, such as employee anniversaries and certification achievements. Celebrate the wins together, not just the areas of struggle. Couple that with weekly email updates, employee newsletters, and message boards.
2. Employee education. If a new product, technology, or procedure is being implemented, the entire staff should be educated and trained, not just the team members who will directly be utilizing the technology. When everyone is aware of what we offer in the practice — from the call center through the clinic to the billing office — we can better talk to our patients. Prioritizing staff education retreats also creates connection. While it may seem impossible to close the clinic for a day or even a half day, this actually pays off in dividends by retaining engaged employees.
3. Have fun! Create an environment that encourages fun. Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, host an employee-appreciation day, have themed potlucks, barbeques, and food trucks. We have a “Seriously Fun Committee” composed of volunteer employees from different departments who make sure that events are celebrated. OP