Five Tips for Creating a More Effective Work Environment

Many of today’s conversations revolve around enhancing work-life balance and avoiding burnout; this is important not only for your personal well-being, but also to ensure the best patient care and practice management. There’s a saying: “Are you running your business or is your business running you?” After owning my practice for 7 years, and while I was pregnant with my third child, I realized we needed to undergo major restructuring to improve our organization and effectiveness. I always assumed I was delegating effectively, but as with many things in life, there will always be room for improvement, and acknowledging this was the first step for me. I’ve also come to learn that making a change doesn’t mean it will be the best fit forever and that being flexible sets you up for more successful outcomes.

In this article, I share my top five tips for optimizing practice efficiency.

TIP NO. 1: STRUCTURE

Figure out which type of leadership structure works best for you and your team and the most effective way to delegate assignments and tasks. I have two office managers, 11 full-time employees, and one part-time employee. We average 48 doctor-hours per week. Employing two managers may be unconventional, but it has greatly reduced stress in the management position and improved employee satisfaction. Any time an issue arises (eg, a patient’s glasses are delayed or there’s a tiff between coworkers), it’s nice to have two opinions on the matter, and they don’t have to involve me as much. In addition to running the day-to-day operations, both managers now have time to make improvements to our office and team. Having a second opinion and next in charge has made all the difference for me!

We also have a job description for everyone in our office that we revamp at the end of each quarter to best optimize strengths, work on cross-training, and enhance potential growth opportunities.

TIP NO. 2: ORGANIZATION

The two most important organizational tools that my team uses are Google Docs and Slack. We keep all of our checklists, meeting minutes, employee reviews, training documents, ideas, and more in shared documents, and we provide updates and brainstorm via Slack. This ensures we stay organized and on track, and I can access everything on my phone, work computer, and home computer—although I have gotten better about not always checking in or jotting down an idea during my time off.

Each department (eg, front desk, optical, techs/scribes, billing/management) has a daily checklist of things that need to get done.

TIP NO. 3: INVOLVEMENT

My office managers have meetings each week with our lead optician, lead technician, and lead front desk staff. They keep notes in a Google Doc, which I have access to, and notify me of any updates via Slack.

Additionally, my managers and I have weekly meetings, for which I put the agenda together (we recap our to-do lists and notes from the previous week, and jot down any longer-term goals). These meetings are interactive and involved, focusing on praise and productivity. Full office meetings are geared more toward team building and training. Everyone has a role at each meeting, underscoring the importance of delegation and involvement.

TIP NO. 4: EDUCATION

Make sure your team understands the reasoning behind your decision making; if they can see the bigger picture, their own decisions and actions will better align with the office’s goals and values. Equipping your team with educational resources will ensure everyone is on the same page and lead to better patient care and overall satisfaction.

TIP NO. 5: FEEDBACK

Give constructive feedback and praise with clear expectations and guidelines for improvement. Don’t forget to ask for feedback as well; your team will appreciate your humility and consideration. This helps create a more unified team with office pride and job accountability.

STRONGER TOGETHER

You can’t add more hours to the day, but you can maximize your efficiency and productivity with the time you do have. Although delegation and organization may seem daunting at first, having an office that runs more smoothly with a team that feels empowered will by far be the most beneficial for everyone.