It is becoming commonplace in veterinary medicine that practices are challenged with identifying and retaining quality employees for multiple roles in their practices. A lot of discussion has also been conducted regarding generational differences in the work force which results in much employee turnover. Data has been provided to detail the different priorities and preferences of millenials compared to older generations. Differences in work ethic, time off preferences, wage and salary desires, and other benefits have been laid out in fine detail. The result has been a lot of discussion about how to change how practices work in order to keep employees happier and hopefully to keep them aboard for longer periods of time.
One fact that hasn't been discussed as much in this scenario is that millenials change jobs frequently. They, as a generation, aren't likely to stay in one job for a lengthy career like their parents did. They like to experience different things, and this applies to their work as well. They will change jobs every few years at most.
So, how do veterinarians manage this? Train for turnover. Make sure that you train multiple people to perform every role in your practice. Cross-train to create redundancy of capabilities. In this manner, you are prepared for more churn in your staff. Your team is trained to handle it, and your business will thrive. This requires acceptance of the fact that not every employee will want to stay for a long period. It's a different mindset, but it's one that many successful businesses have used for years.
Manage churn in your staff by training for turnover!
