Hiring the right team to work at your independent community pharmacy is key to long-term success. And, once you find those one-of-a-kind employees—the ones who make your life easier and who your patients adore—it’s your job to keep them satisfied, motivated and productive.
When employees are fully engaged and committed to moving your pharmacy forward, it makes them happy, which improves their health and wellness. And if they genuinely enjoy their time at work, you’ll likely see more efficiency and more productivity.
Happy employees and a happy bottom line go hand in hand. Motivated employees work harder to ensure that your pharmacy is profitable, patients are happy and the business is successful.
Here are some ideas to inspire your employees to grow your business.
Reward productivity
If your employees don’t feel appreciated, they may look elsewhere for a job, or they may start to slack on their duties. Show them that you care!
All employees appreciate being rewarded for a job well done. Incentivize your employees to do their best and continue to work hard with rewards.
The rewards don’t have to be monetary, but employees will definitely appreciate them. Incentivize employees by giving a yearly bonus to the highest performers. Or, award an extra paid day off to an employee who went the extra mile for a patient. When you reward your employees for their hard work, they’ll do their best to make sure your patients are happy and your business is successful.
Set goals
Not only does your business need strategic, long-term goals, your employees do too.
When your employees know exactly what you expect from them, they can do what it takes to meet those expectations.
For example, if your business is struggling with front-end sales, set a target monthly goal and give your employees tips to meet that goal, such as cross selling a probiotic with an antibiotic prescription.
Make them happy
Maintaining your employees’ job satisfaction is key to employee retention.
You can help boost employees’ sense of fulfillment by encouraging a positive work environment. Promoting a team-like atmosphere will help make your pharmacy a more comfortable place to work. If your employees are feeling stressed or overworked, encourage them to take a short break. Just a few minutes of downtime can reenergize employees, making them eager to get back to work.
Lead well
Being an effective leader will speak volumes to your employees.
Provide proper guidance and make yourself available to help employees when they need it. For example, if a pharmacy tech is feeling overburdened with tasks, be there to find a way to ease his or her workload.
Simply putting in the minimal effort required to manage your pharmacy will keep it running, but learning what it takes to become an effective leader will keep your employees excited to come to work every day, and ready to help out.
Plus, when employees are happy they may be more inclined to take on those jobs that need completing, such as finally cleaning out the stock room or overhauling your prescription organizing system.
Become an even better leader at your pharmacy. Discover 10 effective pharmacy management tips.
