Employee engagement is a key to practice success

I recently finished reading Don Lowman’s book “Closing the Engagement Gap,” which is based on a study of 88,000 employees around the globe. Great companies (i.e your medical practice) are built on talented and engaged employees. According to the book, the top drivers of employee engagement, it turns out, are:

1. Senior management interest in employee well-being

2. Improved my skills and capabilities over the last year

3. Organization’s reputation for social responsibility

4. Input into decision making in my department

5. Organization quickly resolves customer concerns

So how do you know someone is “engaged” at your medical practice? According to book, these are the things to look for: An employee is engaged when he/she:

• Sees problems…and offers solutions
• Takes ownership for change…and makes it happen
• Seeks new challenges…and gets frustrated without them
• Helps colleagues and customers…selflessly
• Speaks with pride…about the practice and its stakeholders

I recently saw where a study showed that only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their work–the lowest level it has been at since the study began tracking this metric 22 years ago!

Remember what I’ve always preached – the medical practices that make the most money are the ones that do the best at human resources. How well are you doing?