May '06, Questions from the Field

Dear Coaches:
I just had to let go of the second employee this year. They just dont seem motivated to do the work I need them to do. Do you have any suggestions for finding a good employee
Dr. B

Dr. B,
Thanks for the great question. Please know that you’re not the only chiropractor with this problem.
Its vitally important to hire the right person for the right position. People who dont fit into a practice cost time and money and add stress to patients and the team. We have developed a benchmark, a standard to measure an applicant against, for each position in a chiropractic office. We have an assessment that an applicant can respond to online that allows us to measure him/her against the benchmark of the position. We recommend narrowing your applicants down to the final two or three that you like and then assessing each one and seeing who best matches the position. The idea is to find the most qualified applicant who will match the job requirements. Those who match it the best are likely to be happy and fulfilled in the position.

Once youve hired your new employee, its essential to present him/her with a performance agreement and your office hand book. Have them read and sign a copy of each so that they know whats expected of them. Make sure you train them, do not expect another employee to it for you. When you notice something being done that is below the performance you expect, address it immediately. Equally, if not more important, always catch them doing something right and acknowledge them immediately for it. Commenting on an employees positive behavior cant be emphasized enough.

After the first 90 days of employment, bring out the performance agreement and evaluate them against it. Have a meeting around it. Let them evaluate themselves against it too. See where you may differ. There shouldnt be any surprises, because you addressed specific things as they happened.
Follow up with performance evaluations once a year, or as necessary.