How to reduce turnover in your clinic with Ninsaúde Apolo

Have you ever heard of the term turnover? In the Human Resources area, it is used to refer to a company's employee turnover rate. In general, it is used to count employees who leave an organization in a specific period (usually one year), and because several factors influence the increase in this rate, it is important to pay attention to these numbers in your clinic as well.

Employee turnover within a company should not be seen as something extremely negative, can be considered healthy to a certain extent. However, one must take into account how high this turnover is and its reasons, as this may indicate that there are problems within the organization.

Before we continue, we need to ask: Do you already know our system Ninsaúde Apolo for health clinics? The health software Ninsaúde Apolo has an agile and complete schedule, personalized electronic medical records for each specialty, and with legal validity, teleconsultation, financial control, and much more. Schedule a demo or try the Ninsaúde Apolo clinic's software right now!

Internal conflicts often generate emotional exhaustion in employees, and in the case of clinics, as they are environments that deal directly with people's health, it is also important to pay attention not only to the health of the clients but also that of the employees themselves. After all, no one wants to continue working in a toxic or challenging environment whose salary is not compatible with their role. These factors added to poor management and lack of infrastructure can cause professional demotivation and thus generate high turnover.

For some people, when we talk about clinics, we think of health professionals attending to patients, performing tests, and prescribing medication. The fact is that, as in other organizations, a clinic is made up of several other collaborators: secretaries, receptionists, nursing assistants, billers, and general services, among others. Knowing this, it is easy to understand that in a clinic there can be challenges regarding your hiring, just like anywhere else, that's why it's so important to pay attention to the details that generate turnover.

Types of turnover

Several causes can lead a clinic to have a high turnover rate. These causes are not always related to the attitudes of employees and may be the result of the actions of the company itself. Turnover can be classified as voluntary and involuntary, and the volunteer is subdivided into functional and dysfunctional. Dysfunctional turnover, in turn, can be avoidable or inevitable.

Voluntary - Initiated by the employee himself, who decides to terminate their activities in the company. Receiving a better offer from another company, feeling undervalued, A bad work environment, gossip, bad management, and the absence of a career plan can lead the employee to resign.

Functional - In many cases, the employee is no longer performing well, and when he requests the termination, for the company there is at least the advantage of being exempt from paying various charges. Imagine a receptionist who puts patients on the wrong schedules or billers who forget to post receipts, this ends up creating a disorder for the clinic. Therefore, with the departure of this employee, it is easy to find another person more qualified for the vacancy.

Dysfunctional - This is a case where the company is the loser because, with the departure of an employee who has not only the ideal profile for his position but also a good performance, there will be a big gap left by him in his departure. Having to get someone else to replace you and train that new person can take time, and yet replacement may not be a guarantee of success.

Preventable - When the company can interfere in the termination of an employee, it can be said that this shutdown is avoidable. For example, a great employee who is dissatisfied with his salary may stay in his position if a salary adjustment is made, thus preventing him from looking for another company. Likewise, dissatisfaction may be linked to the employee's position, so reassigning him to another role may be ideal to avoid losing him to the team.

Inevitable - Some situations may be difficult or even impossible for the organization to control, therefore they fit into the inevitable turnover. This is the case, for example, when the employee needs to leave work due to personal or health problems (which were not originated by your position in the company).

Involuntary - When the employee's departure comes from the company's initiative, this action fits into an involuntary turnover. In this case, most of the time some indicators justify the dismissal of the employee, such as below-average performance, unethical attitudes, financial difficulties of the company, etc.

Why is it important to reduce the turnover rate?

The high turnover of employees can generate problems in several aspects, and this can impact even the service of those who attend to the environment. For example, a psychology clinic treats people who return to the site with some frequency, this is because they often attend therapy sessions. Imagine if every month the patient comes back, a different receptionist attends to him. You may even think that the most important thing is from the health professional's door inwards, but the truth is that a patient's relationship with the clinic starts right at the reception. So, with so many staff changes, there is no time to bond with patients.

Another important detail regarding the service at the reception is the agility in filling out registration data and dealing with patient documents. When an employee leaves, the person who will replace him or her needs to learn to perform all the tasks performed throughout the day. Even if the new contractor already has the experience, each organization has its particularities, and until certain details are learned, this can delay all other activities in the clinic, in addition to the fact that the pressure of being in a new environment can end up generating errors.

When it comes to clinics, we can't help but talk about health professionals. Clinics with multi-professional schedules can lose patients when a healthcare professional leaves to serve elsewhere, because often what takes the patient to the clinic is the care of a specific professional. Another important point is that today it is common for professionals to use management software to assist patients, and whenever you make staff changes, new doctors need to learn how to use the system used in the clinic. Although medical software provides training, video classes, and technical support to help with questions (as is the case of Ninsaúde Apolo), it is undeniable that every beginning is tiring and generates many doubts. This is something that can influence the performance of the health professional, who may feel frustrated.

Despite seeming just silly details, it is these small details that make all the difference in the success of your clinic. Below are some tips on how to reduce the turnover rate in the healthcare sector.

How to decrease the turnover rate?

A high turnover rate can be reduced by avoiding certain actions and implementing others. These actions must come from the administration, but the result is a consequence of joint actions. Check out some tips below.

What to AVOID

A hostile environment with toxic relationships - gossip, disrespect between colleagues, and demands made in an exacerbated way are some examples of attitudes that make the environment heavy and end up discouraging employees, which leads many to look for another job.

Differentiated treatment among employees - ideally, everyone should be treated the same, and if an industry rule applies to one person, it means it has to apply to everyone. Privileges directed at a specific person or group may affect outsiders, making them feel not only unmotivated but also unappreciated, which becomes a good reason to leave the company.

Work overload - one of the reasons for the overload may be poor management, because in the search for a labor economy to profit more, end up delegating many tasks to just one employee, which, in turn, will suffer not only physical but emotional wear and tear.

Inadequate salaries - this item is a complement to the previous one, as the employee often performs so many tasks that the salary ends up not being compatible with his/her function. In some cases, the workload is also a problem, because you work a lot and earn little.

Lack of recognition and opportunities - Valuing an employee is the least you should do to show how important he is in the company. If he stands out, is proactive, and doesn't usually disappoint, don't treat him like he's "just doing his job". If a promotion doesn't fit the moment, small prizes or even a simple compliment can make a difference.

What should be DONE

Do a good onboarding - Onboarding is the process of onboarding a new employee. Whenever someone new joins the company, it is important to explain in detail how your new routine will work and show the organization's culture. This is important so that the person does not feel "lost", but rather welcomed and safe to perform their duties.

Offer training and qualifications - there are certain things that no one is born knowing, and even when there is knowledge about a subject, It's always good to improve. In this sense, and taking into account what has been said about onboarding, it is important that there is a commitment on the part of the employee, yes, so that their work is well performed, but the company must also provide the necessary support and take appropriate measures to make this happen in the best possible way.

Collect feedback frequently - some clinics have the habit of sending satisfaction surveys to their patients, just like other companies also do with their customers. How about doing something similar with your employees? Collecting feedback is necessary to know the needs and feelings of those who work with you, thus assisting in their decision-making in changes that aim to improve the work environment.

Create stimuli - as mentioned before, lack of recognition and opportunities can be a problem. Few people prefer complacency, and when that happens, know that such an attitude is also a hindrance. But for the employee to be motivated, it is often necessary to give a little push. For example, if you perform Botox procedures and need to prospect patients and sell packages, Offer a prize to whoever gets the most sales for the month.

You can also check our blogs about satisfaction surveys if you are interested:

• The importance of applying patient satisfaction surveys
• How to apply satisfaction surveys in the clinic with Ninsaúde Apolo

So, did you like this article? Share with friends and keep following the blog for more content like this. Do you own a clinic but still don't use management software? Meet the Ninsaúde Apolo.