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Veterinary clinic labor strategies

By Nels Lindberg

Secrets to thoughtfully retaining and growing talent
vets in strategy meeting

We must evaluate our team members for their ability — and desire — to accomplish future elevated responsibilities, rather than their ability to execute what they are currently accomplishing.

In today’s world, ensuring enough team members are on board to get the work done is at a feverish pitch, regardless of industry. We’ve all seen situations so extreme that some restaurants can’t even open their doors to conduct business. Many veterinary clinics are facing these same labor challenges.

If we can’t get people to apply for work, the next direct action is to work very hard at keeping those who are currently under our care and leadership. We all have current rock stars who may leave us if we don’t take care of them because all businesses are hungry for help and are willing to step up to the plate to attract the best veterinary technician you have.

Talent retention does matter


It is widely known that the greatest intangible cost to any veterinary clinic is turnover of associates or staff. As leaders of veterinary operations, we must be intentional on how we retain our existing talented team members. Your ability to be a great leader is predicated by your ability to put the right people in the right spot.

Case in point: Bill Belichick’s win-loss record was 5-11 his first year as head coach of the New England Patriots. In 2001, he was winless until Tom Brady became the starting quarterback. With Brady, his teams had a record of 136-39; without Brady, he’s 51-65.

Applied to a veterinary hospital setting, if a receptionist (director of first impressions) or a veterinary technician leaves because he or she didn’t feel valued, it can cost the veterinary clinic some wins in the operational flow from first impressions to surgical efficiency to first impressions. Great institutional veterinary operations pick up the pieces and move on after a key person leaves, but it may sting for a bit. We need to be open in our all-around communication with team members about their career, family, life, and success. Like Tom Brady, valued team members are tough to replace.

As we work to retain talent, keep in mind these three things. All humans are given:

  1. Talent — what we do well
  2. Passion — what we love
  3. A mission — something we want to accomplish, give to the world, and be a part of

As leaders of our veterinary operations, we must work very hard to communicate to our team members what they do well, have real conversations with them about what they love, and routinely reiterate our purpose and why what we do each day matters.

Strategies to help retain talent


  1. Develop intentionally. Most people have a desire to be better — it’s up to their leaders to lead caringly enough to fire up their inward passion. These are action items to consider for both leaders and team members:
    • Put into place a self-improvement reading plan, offering topics such as personal finance, leadership growth, etc.
    • Provide continual feedback on a team member’s work or growth as an individual.
    • Send team members to conferences that grow them both personally and professionally. The fact is that we — leaders included — all have a need for continued learning and growth. Let’s invest in our people to help them succeed beyond the technical aspects of the job.
  2. Recognize intentionally. Our team members desire and crave recognition. For those of us who are Gen Xers and baby boomers, however, recognizing any kind of win, big or small, isn’t natural. When we grew up, we weren’t recognized individually for our wins at work or home. The key is to get better at recognizing people who are doing things right and then acknowledge them for it. The human soul thrives off a pat on the back in front of peers.
  3. Reward. Studies have shown that people would rather be publicly recognized and rewarded than get a raise.1 But, beyond pay, how can we reward team members for their long hours of hard work? One easy action item is a handwritten letter or note of appreciation. This simple gesture has the power to generate loyalty to team leaders as well as leadership.
  4. Promote. Some team members desire an opportunity to grow, but this doesn’t mean the associate will eventually “take your job.” It means that we, as leaders, need to simply help our people grow professionally and personally, while also recognizing their potential to achieve higher levels within an organization. If, as leaders, we believe our associates don’t have a desire to grow and get better at life and work, we should likely look in the mirror.
  5. Keep in their sweet spot. Sometimes team members fail in positions or at higher levels of responsibility. We must evaluate our team members for their ability — and desire — to accomplish future elevated responsibilities, rather than their ability to execute what they are currently accomplishing.

Some team members have what it takes to work at the next level, while others may not have the ability, nor do they want to be pushed there. Our job as leaders is to help team members understand their sweet spot and keep them there, so they can be the best version of themselves.

It is our job to engage our associates in order to retain them in our veterinary hospitals. We must help grow our talent to win at work and across all aspects of life.

Reference

1. Employee Recognition: Low Cost, High Impact (gallup.com), https://bit.ly/3qBGtrU


About The Author

Nels Lindberg
DVM
Animal Medical Center
View Bio