Create a Work Culture You Love

The average person spends more than 13 years of their life at work; roughly the equivalent of 90,000 hours.¹ It doesn’t require a mathematical genius to comprehend the sheer scale of this figure. Given this hefty time investment, it is only fair to yourself and your employees to ensure that your time is well spent.

According to the latest figures,² 65% of US employees report being satisfied with their job and only 20% of employees report being passionate about their job.²

HOW TO CREATE A HAPPY WORK CULTURE

We all deserve to be happy and comfortable in the environment in which we spend so much of our life and time. The creation and fostering of a workplace culture that all employees love starts at the top with the practice ownership, but it’s important that all stakeholders are involved. Although no two optometry practices are the same, the path to such a work culture is consistent and replicable to all practices. I personally recommend the following five key pearls that have been successful for both my own practices and those of my clients.

NO. 1: CREATE A TEAM OF SHARED VALUES

One of the greatest books I have ever read is Start with Why by Simon Sinek. The overall message is that most organizations know what they do (ie, what services they offer, what products they sell, etc.) and how they do it (ie, what makes them special or distinct from their competition). However, few organizations know their why, which is not about making money, but rather its purpose, cause, or belief. It is the very reason for the existence of the organization.

It is critical for practice owners to build and maintain a team that shares the “why.” Failure to do so can be catastrophic to the success of the company. If an employee does not align or agree with the practice’s “why,” it is in the practice’s best interest, both short- and long-term, to revise their staff accordingly. It is always better to work short-staffed than to work fully staffed with an employee or employees who are toxic for the environment and antagonistic to the mission and purpose at hand.

NO. 2: PRIORITIZE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

When talking with clients about diversity and inclusion, I often get the response that it’s on their to do list. This decision for a practice to be diverse and inclusive is not like deciding whether or not to stick with the same buying group or to revise the prices of your services and/or products. The opportunity cost of not prioritizing diversity and inclusion is astounding. Many practices lose customers and patients simply because they do not have the knowledge on best practices for different ethnicities, genders, or socioeconomic backgrounds.

As with many things in life, the earlier you start, the better. In other words, prioritizing diversity and inclusion in your practice should start with your employees. However, simply hiring a diverse staff is not sufficient. At my practices, I conduct what I call Real Talk meetings each month with all staff and providers. This renders a “two birds with one stone” effect, which opens the door to increased education for all and makes everyone feel included and welcomed. Voices are heard, and opinions are validated. For example, in many of these sessions, an employee or senior management team member will help the rest of the group see a perspective that would have otherwise gone unlearned. My teams and I use these invaluable lessons daily, and we can see the effect in both our rich, diverse patient demographic and in our new patient growth on a monthly basis.

NO. 3: BEGIN WITH TRUST

One of the worst things a practice owner can do to an employee is micromanage them. Employees must feel safe and comfortable to be themselves, make mistakes, experiment with new ideas, and fail or succeed while trying. The adage, “trust must be earned” is antiquated for most modern employees. Mind you, I wouldn’t advise giving a new employee administrative access to your vendor list, business bank account, etc., but when communicating and delegating tasks and responsibilities, be open and willing to receive ideas and let employees run with them.

NO. 4: MAXIMIZE TRANSPARENCY AND MINIMIZE SILOS

Many practice owners still operate in a “doors closed” fashion. According to research, only 26% of US employees have a clear understanding of how their individual work ties into the performance of the practice or the performance of the business itself.⁴ The research has shown that maximization of business performance transparency results in both increased employee engagement and increased revenue.⁵

As a consultant, I see a surplus of practices conducting siloed practices and procedures. Many teams, or departments within a team, work independent of one another and do not communicate nearly enough. To put this into perspective, this methodology is analogous to the optometrist operating independently of the optometric technician’s workup. It is counterproductive. If the practice is large enough and staff meetings and the occasional emails are not sufficient, there are many project management software programs out there that offer computer- and app-based tracking. I personally use Monday.com for my practices, and it has been a game-changer by streamlining everything. My younger employees love the app, and my veteran employees prefer the computer version.

NO. 5: DISTRIBUTE RESPONSIBILITY WHERE APPROPRIATE

We all deserve to be happy at the place we spend the equivalent of more than 13 years and 90,000 hours of our lives. The creation of a work culture that you love rests in the organizational leaders setting the tone from the top. Delegation of responsibilities, with the exception of those that should remain in the charge of the practice owner, affords limitless dividends.

BE THE JOY, SPREAD THE JOY

The recipe to creating a successful work culture that you love is quite simple: Adopt and foster the guidelines above and always keep a pulse on the momentum. A happy practice owner translates to happy employees, happy customers, and optimal practice performance. You deserve it just as much as anyone else.