What’s the Story That You Want Told?

What is the story you want them to tell about how they can learn and grow in your practice? Do you offer encouragement and financial support for credential-driven training? Do you set aside time for internal training? Can you point to specific individuals who are examples of the opportunity to learn and grow? It can’t hurt to reinforce these points at least a couple of times a year. When you tout the accomplishments of individuals, you’ll need to make the point that while these employees are examples, the same opportunity for growth and learning is available to anyone who takes advantage of it.

What is the story you want told about your company culture? Are the rules laid out in an employee handbook, or manual, and applied consistently and fairly? Do you regularly acknowledge, or maybe even reward, extra effort? When a team member asks for leniency or special consideration for a family matter, are you inclined to be generous? And do you balance that generosity with clear expectations that work performance cannot be allowed to fall?

What is the story you want told about compensation? Do you have a written compensation philosophy that explains to employees what elements (base pay, bonuses, employee benefits, education, and training support,) that you consider as compensation? Do you encourage them to take a holistic view of compensation whenever they start drawing comparisons to other practices?

You have more control than you might think about the story that current and former employees tell about what it’s like to work at your practice. Make sure you’re doing what you need to do, so you are creating the foundation for that story.