Introduction

Employee turnover is a puzzle and nobody seems to know how to solve it!

Employee turnover is a matter of grave concern because it’s a costly affair to hire a new employee compared to retaining the old ones.

Imagine the cost of advertising for the vacancies in the newspaper, sparing time and energy for interviews!

If you add to this the efforts required in terms of onboarding and training, you will realize that it is much more worrisome than you think.

Hence, the old wisdom is more right than ever- prevention is better than cure.

Instead of trying to get into damage control mode when employees start leaving you, it’s better to employ preventive measures.

To help you retain your employees, we have compiled 9 sure-fire ways to ensure that your employees stay with you for a long, long time.

1. Create Ownership and Autonomy

• Employees follow instructions and obey orders. Hence, they don’t innovate as much. If you create ownership of the clinic and its growth, they will come up with innovative ideas. In turn, they would love to work here.
• Moreover, employees also get sick and tired of taking approval for every decision from somebody higher up in administration. They don’t like their part which is mechanical. They like the part of decision-making which involves creative and innovative problem solving.
• So simplify the process of approval and give them sufficient free hand to make their decisions, come up with their own solutions and lead from the front.
• Employees leave because there is no freedom to work. If you create ownership and autonomy, they will enjoy working with you. Hence, they will never leave you!

Also Read :

NOT ACCOUNTABILITY, OWNERSHIP IS THE KEY TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT!

2. Minimize the Rules

• While top administration likes to churn out new rules, employees get fed up of new directives being implemented every now and then. Too much of rules and fuss about how things should be done restricts creativity of your employees.
• Employees like the freedom to conceptualize their own way of achieving their goals. The numerous rules that you keep setting suffocates their creativity.
• So minimize the rules. Give them broad guidelines and clear goals but that’s it. Don’t micromanage and don’t create too many rules that curtail their freedom to think and act. 
• Once they get the space for their creativity and innovation, they would want to continue working at such a great workplace. In other words, they would never leave!

3. Let them Work Like Entrepreneurs

• Employees don’t enjoy working when they are micromanaged. They would like to express their creative ideas and work in a way that gives them job satisfaction.
• Therefore, let them work like they are entrepreneurs. You know how entrepreneurs are creative individuals, striving to create new products and processes. Imagine for a moment how wonderful it would be if your employees also start conceptualizing new ideas like entrepreneurs! 
• So give them the opportunity to work like entrepreneurs. Let them come up with bold ideas and progressive solutions. Let them make a few mistakes as well since it’s also a part of learning and growing.
• In short, if they get an opportunity to work like entrepreneurs, they will stay with you forever and ever!

4. Create a Robust Employee Recognition Program

• Employees across the world constantly complain about the lack of recognition for their work. They put in extra efforts, work harder, go the extra mile but none of that ever gets noticed and appreciated.
• Many employees leave because of lack of appreciation and recognition for their work. Therefore, you should create a robust employee recognition program at your clinic.
• You should try and recognize every single act of creativity, innovation or proactive approach. This will encourage them to continue doing great work. 
• Once they are motivated to do their work, they will want to continue working with you. In short, they will never leave you!

Also Read: 

TOP 3 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION IDEAS THAT REALLY WORK

5. Ensure Constant Two-way Communication

• At times, employees don’t know what is happening and it annoys them. They would like to share and receive information on a continuous basis. But unfortunately, many dermatologists don’t encourage too much communication.
• If at all, communication is a one-way process at many clinics. Some dermatologists convey instructions and that’s it. Employees never get to discuss anything or share their concerns.
• This de-motivates them and makes them disengaged. Therefore, you should ensure that there’s constant two-way communication.
• Take the case of how you conduct staff meetings. Let there be more regular meetings. Next, let it be more interactive and let them share their ideas more freely in these meetings.
• The same is true about one-on-one meetings. Do conduct such one-on-one meetings on a regular basis. Convey what you think and listen to them as well. This strengthens their bond with you. 
• In all, communication helps employees align themselves to the clinic and enables them to perform better. In turn, it helps them remain motivated for their work. If they are motivated enough, will they ever quit?

6. Create a Culture of Questioning

• Most of the workplaces discourage employees from asking questions. On the contrary, you should encourage employees to ask and raise questions about anything and everything.
• Somebody asking pinpointed questions can create focus on aspects which you may have overlooked. It will give you an opportunity to improve your processes further. So create a culture of questioning at your clinic.
• When you conduct meetings, start your meetings with a thought-provoking question. Moreover, let them ask any questions that they may have. Allow the space and freedom to ask questions. 
• Start a Wiki page and let them post a question regarding marketing or patient satisfaction. Let them share their queries regarding each every policy and practice of the clinic.
• If you have enrolled them in Teamspire, you can post a question of the day under the section of “Today’s Discussion”.

7. Foster Transparency

• Employees at times get frustrated by the way they are kept in the dark about decisions taken. They also wonder why and how a particular practice has been initiated without consulting them. For instance, they keep wondering how appraisal is done because most of the employers do it in a secretive way.
• It happens because a lack of transparency. Employees would like to know “why” and “how” about everything. If you don’t keep things transparent, they have no way but to guess and imagine all kinds of negative reasons. It leads to lack of trust between you and your employees.
• Hence, you should foster trust and encourage transparency at every level. There should be no room for guessing or speculation regarding anything that you do at your clinic.
• They should have the freedom to ask you anything and you should honestly explain to them whatever the answer may be. This will create mutual trust and bonding. This creates a sense of belongingness and hence, they will stay with longer than you can imagine!

8. Have an Open Door Policy

• A lot of employers like to maintain their distance and discourage any kind of communication with their employees. This leads to a lot of misunderstanding and results in lack of trust.
• Let employees have the freedom to approach you anytime they want for anything. Have an open door policy. Let them come to you any time they want anything. 
• This fosters communication and bonding. It allows you to understand them and their concerns better. It gives them opportunity to interact with you and share their inputs and feedback.
• When they share their inputs and you share yours, you will arrive at a mutual understanding vital for working as a team for a long, long time!

9. Be the Change You Want to See

• Finally, leadership has to come from the top. Whatever you expect them to do, you should practice it first.
• For instance, if you want them to go the extra mile, show and demonstrate that you are also willing to be there for them and stand by them in their extra efforts. 
• If you want them to leverage technology in whatever they do, make sure you also follow a tech-savvy way of functioning. Then, it will percolate easily.
• Employees get frustrated when they are asked to something that their employer does not follow. Therefore, it’s necessary that you provide and set the example for the change that you want to see.
• This encourages them to do their work well and remain motivated. Once they are motivated and engaged, why would they want to leave you???

Conclusion

Employee turnover is a serious issue and needs to be addressed in an urgent but systematic manner.

You need to implement measures that lead to higher motivation and engagement so that employees would never think of leaving you.

The more they see that you stand for their welfare and professional development, the more convinced they will become about staying with you longer.

So implement these proven measures listed in this blog and ensure that your employees never leave you!

Read Related Blog: 

3 PROVEN WAYS TO HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES LOVE THEIR JOBS

Parting Note

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Infographics – 9 Ways of Ensuring Employees Never Leave