How do you motivate your independent community pharmacy’s employees?
If you couldn’t find an answer to that question, it may be time to reevaluate the way you support and inspire your pharmacy team.
When employees lack motivation, it can lead to a decline in morale, low productivity and increased conflict.
It’s important to know the difference between the right—and wrong—ways to motivate your pharmacy team.
Here are the do’s and don’ts to motivate your pharmacy team.
Do these things to motivate your pharmacy team
Honor individuality
Get to know each of your employees individually so you can understand what makes him or her unique. Recognize employees’ individual talents and show them the value they each add to your pharmacy.
Be nice
You’ve heard it before. Treat others the way you want to be treated. This also applies to your employees.
If you’re unkind to your employees, they won’t have the motivation to do their best on the job.
Communicate
When you communicate with your employees, you let them know what’s expected of them and demonstrate the important role they play in the success of your pharmacy business.
Make an effort to constantly communicate with your pharmacy team to keep them driven.
Offer incentives
One of the most successful ways to motivate your pharmacy team is to offer incentives.
Show appreciation for your employees’ hard work. Highlight an employee of the month or reward your team with a catered lunch when you notice an improvement in your pharmacy’s performance.
Don’t do these things if you want to motivate your pharmacy team
Lead through fear
If employees follow your lead because they’re afraid of you, they’ll never enjoy the work they do.
Instead, lead by example.
Show employees how hard work pays off, and foster a positive work environment people truly want to be a part of.
Focus on negatives
Focusing on the negatives creates a sense of fear and often makes employees hesitant to perform their jobs.
Instead, focus on the positives. Let employees know when they do things right, so they can continue to do those things and improve your pharmacy business.
Act closed-off
When you act closed-off from other perspectives, you stifle creativity and individuality among employees, which can hinder your pharmacy’s growth.
Instead, be open-minded and embrace the ideas and opinions your pharmacy team brings to the table. They’ll be more inspired to come up with ways to help advance your business.
Be reactive
Being reactive can lead to a decline in morale and an increase in conflict since you’re constantly dealing with problems.
Instead, be proactive and motivate your pharmacy team to solve problems before they occur.
Now, you’ll have no trouble answering the question, “How do you motivate your independent community pharmacy’s employees?”
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
