Chapter 4 Overview
Training and development are critical to employee retention in the veterinary practice. Many times, practice leadership is quick to hire (often hiring warm bodies instead of the right person) and slow to fire (keeping toxic employees for the sake of having employees). When the practice is in a vicious cycle of high employee turnover, training and development often occur for only the first week of the team members’ employment. The new team member is then “turned loose” to figure things out independently – often setting them up for failure. While this model worked several decades ago, today’s employees are unwilling to experience the turmoil and will leave within several weeks of starting their role.
Start reversing this trend with:
Intentional hiring (hire the right person for the right seat on your bus)
Intentional training (develop a program that holds the practice and the new employee accountable)
Leveling programs that allow career progression
Intentional feedback that enables employees to thrive in your veterinary practice.
When implementing all features in this chapter, a practice can expect to:
Decrease the employee turnover rate
Increase the emotional ownership that employees have of the business
Increase the client and patient care experience
Decrease the cost per employee with increased efficiency and capacity
Did you know
The people in the practice are often the largest asset, closely, if not tied, with the Cost of Goods. Investing in the team through growth and development on the first day of employment increases employee retention and will decrease the cost per employee over time.