Burnout: Causes and Solutions, Part 6
Burnout: All Thing$ Equal
Most practices I’ve been involved in have some sort of hush-hush policy when it comes to employee wages.
In other words, employees are not “allowed” to talk about how much money they, or others, make at the practice. Okay, so they’re not supposed to do it, but we all know they DO. It seems to be human nature. But it’s not a perverse interest in the wealth of others so much as it is an employee desire to ensure they are getting paid what they are worth, in comparison to others on the team.
The problem is that they may not have a clear understanding of the worth of others, or of themselves in fact. They look at a coworker who, in their humble opinion, seems to work less hard and less effectively, and they feel they should make more money than that person, because of course they work harder and better. This all points to proof that those employees want to feel they are being treated fairly in comparison to how others are treated. They want to see equity or equality in how they are treated, and certainly how they are paid.
Respect gets all tied up in this too. If they sense they are not getting treated fairly, then they feel disrespected. In fact if they personally feel a lack of appreciation from the leadership of the practice, they also sense that they are not respected for the work they perform regardless of the pay. Respect seems to go even deeper in fact. A person needs to feel respected as a human being, apart from just the role they play at work. Your employees want to be more than just “work horses” or “robots” following specific systems to get the job done and make the practice money. This is where relationship management takes root, when you look beyond the job title and actually connect with and show appreciation for each person as an individual. When this respect and equality is lacking, morale suffers and the team declines in spirit. Thus we come to the sixth recognized cause of stress and burnout at work, an inequity or lack of respect in the workplace.
Cause #6: Inequity or lack of respect in the workplace
When examining equity of employees, there are a couple of areas to mention. We already touched on pay, and why it’s important to demonstrate equity in this regard. The question is, how is this done? The best way to do this is to have a system whereby everyone’s experience, expertise, and qualifications are treated consistently across the board. It’s best to develop some type of pay scales that take all of these factors into consideration. For example, every credentialed technician is given an additional $2 above the base wage for medical support staff, and those coming in with 5+ years of experience are given an additional $1 to that base wage. Of course, in this day of performance-based pay, there also has to be a way to measure each employee’s expertise, knowledge, and ability. This is done with testing, and everyone takes the same test at the same level. So when I look around at my coworkers, I know that someone who came in with the same type of qualifications as I had, and scored the same on the tests since then, will be paid the same as me. But those without credentials, without experience, and testing lower will certainly be paid less.
All of these factors need to be explained to the team in general terms, so they know what has gone into deciding their wage and the wages of others. Then there is no reason to talk about how much I make versus how much you make, because we fall into the same “fair” and equal system. Employees will also know what it takes to make more money at the practice; they have to become credentialed, gain more experience with the practice, or test better and show they are growing. The one caveat to this system is when the manager or owner has a space to fill, and it needs filled quick! They may be tempted to hire someone in who is asking for more than the standard pay that person would receive according to this wage scale. Although it’s tempting, my advice is DON’T Do It! First of all you are demonstrating to the candidate that you are susceptible to negotiation, before you even know how much their education, experience, and expertise is going to help THIS practice (we all know initials and years don’t always make a good employee for OUR practice!). Plus even if you think it won’t, it WILL get out that you are paying more for this person. And the fallout from the existing team will not be pretty. Stick to your guns, and make that candidate prove where they fall into the scale once they come on board and can demonstrate their expertise.
Quickly, the one other area where consistency is the key to equality is how employees are managed, specifically the human resources functions of the practice. Everyone should receive the same number of evaluations, on the same basic schedule (i.e. annually, but of course more often if needed for a disciplinary issue). Rules need to be followed by everyone, and every employee should be treated the same for infractions of those rules. In other words, if your “average” assistant gets in trouble for coming in late, then your “best” technician better also get in trouble for coming in late! Do not be tempted to treat people unequally just because they are more skilled, have longer seniority, or have a friendship with the practice owner. This type of inconsistent treatment will take a team down in a heartbeat!
When it comes to respect, well, hopefully we are all adult enough to understand what respect looks and feels like, and be able to deliver it to all of our coworkers. Even those people who you think don’t have any, or many, endearing qualities, deserve your respect for some reason, you just may need to look deeper or get to know that person better. It is true that respect is earned, and can certainly be lost…and it’s very difficult to recover! So respect is all about how we treat each other. Again, we respect a person, not their credentials, position title, years at the practice, etc. We have to treat each other with kindness to earn respect, and then treat it as a trusted agreement that must be maintained and nurtured. The leadership of the practice may need to intervene when respect between two employees has dissolved, because it makes for a weak link in the team and difficult people to work with. A conversation may need to be mediated about why this dynamic has occurred, and what can happen in the future to heal the wounds.
The best thing the leadership can do is to always demonstrate appreciation for each employee for the work they do in the practice, but also for the person they are as a whole. Relationship management is all about caring for each employee…not becoming best friends of course, but understanding that there are many elements that make up a person’s personality, some of which have nothing to do with the work they do for you. Show interest in their personal goals, their interests and hobbies, and demonstrate that the practice respects their need for work/life balance. Maybe it’s a sign of age, but respect has become the most important element for me when connecting with another human being. I don’t have to like every one of my coworkers, but I certainly have to respect them. Likewise, as a manager I don’t have to be like by all of my employees, but I will do what it takes to earn and preserve their respect. It’s an essential piece to a relationship that culminates in the best care for patients and the people who love them!
Resource: Compassion Fatigue in the Animal-Care Community by Figley & Roop (Humane Association 2006)
