Vet Clinic Employee Engagement Index Questions

The second of a multi episode series focussed on helping vet clinics retain the top performing vets and vet nurses in your clinic and then how to attract more vets and vet nurses just like them.

Employee Attraction

Having new staff join your team is healthy – they bring in fresh ideas and new thinking.

But it’s better for new people to join because of growth, rather than through resignations… sickness… or… worse.

What’s not healthy for any clinic is losing your best vets and / or nurses to a resignation because they’re dissatisfied.   This is because if you’d asked the right questions it means you could have done something to keep them and thus save you, and everyone else on your team, the headaches, heartaches, grief and unnecessary stress.

Employee Engagement Index

If you’ve never undertaken an employment engagement health-checkup at your clinic and you think it’s something you’d like to do, please get in touch, because it’s something we can definitely help you with.

In an employee engagement survey questions are generally broken down into different categories to help determine what you do great and where you could improve upon.

Today’s questions help you determine your clinic’s Employee Engagement Index.

There are many signals that indicate whether your vet clinic’s vets and nurses are engaged.   Or not.  Here are four – of many employee disengagement – metrics to look out for at your clinic.

4 Employee Engagement Index Considerations

#1 – working too much

The first one that’s very relevant today is that the vets and nurses feel like they’re working too much. This could be due to a lack of control over consults, being forced / manipulated / bribed / guilted into working through breaks and/or staying late to do just one more appointment because the client’s been waiting for who-knows-how-long for an appointment.

#2 – low employee morale

The second is employee morale is low. Low morale means there isn’t enough motivation among team members to achieve success.  When low morale affects key players – like vets and nurses – apathy starts to set in and then mistakes happen.

#3 – high absenteeism – Monday-itis

The third is high absenteeism. Monday-itis.   When you’ve got high levels of absence it may suggest that people aren’t feeling valued or appreciated.   Now that Omicron is working its way around the world, expect absenteeism to increase.   Which is going to add increased pressure and stress to those who’re left to pick up the pieces.   Appreciation here is key!

#4 – no breaks

The fourth – and this is a biggie in vet clinics – when people don’t believe it’s okay and/or they don’t have time to take breaks.   I feel a bit like a broken record, but fatigue is cumulative, and breaks allow people to recharge mentally and physically.

Fatigue is cumulative

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for long enough, you may know I’m married to an airline pilot.  My husband’s a captain.   In a way, the responsibilities he has – as a captain – are similar to those of a vet.  First up, all airline captains need to have qualifications additional to “mere” (air quotes) commercial pilots’ qualifications.

These additional qualifications give airline captains the ultimate responsibility for what happens on board their aircraft.   Similar to a vet making sure that what a nurse or tech is doing while on their watch.  The buck stops with them.   If a captain’s first officer screws up, the captain has to assume responsibility for it and it’s his or her neck in the noose as well.

Getting back to breaks – as I said, fatigue is cumulative.   Would you want a tired pilot on the flight deck responsible for your safety?

Would you want a tired ortho surgeon giving you a total knee replacement?

No!  So then protect your breaks so you can be the best and sharpest veterinary professional you can be by taking breaks so you’re refreshed and focussed.

If the clinic culture is gung-ho “breaks don’t matter” I’d say you have a bigger problem on your hands than tired vets and nurses.    A much bigger problem!

But let’s get back to the first of five employee engagement questions you can start asking at your vet clinic to see where your clinic’s engagement health is at.

Employee Engagement Index questions – the 5-Ps

These first five questions are the “State of the Nation” questions.   Employee engagement isn’t just a one question yes/no answer.   As you’re about to find out, it takes more than one question to get a handle on what the state of the nation is like at your vet clinic.

The 5 Ps stand for:

Pride – or proud – your team takes pride in working at your clinic

Place – your clinic – proud to work at their place of employment

Possibility – they’re not considering other possibilities

Permanency – they see themselves a permanent fixture for the next two or so years

Propel – or propulsion – they’re personally propelled – internally motivated – to give their best

Now, let’s look at each of those a bit deeper, how the employee engagement question is framed and what benchmark level indicates smooth sailing or there are a few potholes that need to be dealt to.

P #1 – PRIDE

1. “I’m PROUD to work for or at [vet clinic name]”

As you can guess, this question focuses on your employee’s pride in your clinic.

If you tuned in last week, you’ll remember me asking how your team would answer the “what to you do?” question at a weekend BBQ of people who didn’t necessarily know each other.

This “I’m proud to work for [vet clinic name]” is colloquially therefore, called the “barbecue test” – as in, would an employee be proud to tell someone where they worked if asked at a barbecue?

The scores on this question reflect levels of clinic brand and clinic mission affiliation and can help give insight into how your external vet clinic employer brand is viewed by people internally.

What you’re looking for here are answers of > 80-90% agreement, which is quite high.

Because this is almost a litmus test question, the scores for this question should be high.

If your overall answer is anything below 70% treat it as a red flag that there may be some internal concerns about your clinic’s brand.

P #2 – PLACE

“I would recommend [vet clinic name] as a great PLACE to work”

If you’re familiar with Net Promoter Scores – or NPSs – this is the Employer Brand question equivalent of that.

This is known in employer brand marketing circles as the e-NPS.   The e-NPS is a reasonably mature teenager, having been around since the early 2000s.

You want this in your engagement index.

Although it’s a pretty serious question, it can’t be used in isolation.   You can’t really have a one-and-done question when it comes to employee engagement questions.

In the case of the e-NPS score, someone could recommend your clinic as a great place to work but still be planning to leave themselves.  For example, they could be staying purely because of the perks for them – perhaps the CPD allowance is impressive or the toys they get to play with each day gives them a high.    Neither of these aspects are unique, they can be replicated by other clinics – especially the one down the road.

The benchmark for this is around the 80-90% score for this question. 

This indicates your team generally enjoys the experience of working at your clinic.

Anything below 60% and you could have day-to-day discontent concerning people’s roles or overall issues with the clinic workplace environment.

Regard these unknowns – that is, the below benchmark scores – exactly like you would a wound.  What caused the wound?   As you know, if you only treat the symptom, and not the cause, you could have another flare-up on your hands.

P #3 – POSSIBILITY or PRESENT

“I rarely think about looking for a job at another clinic”

Other job POSSIBILITIES aren’t on your team’s radar.

This question looks at your team’s PRESENT commitment to your clinic.

When people are truly engaged in their clinic and their job, the thought of looking for another job doesn’t even cross their minds.  It’s not even on their radars.

These are the people who get pissed off when someone tries to poach them – perhaps another clinic will get someone who knows them to give them a call … or maybe someone they’ve never even heard of will cold-call them.

These are the vets and vet nurses who’ve got better things to do with their time that talking to people who want to know whether they’re looking for another job.

Remember, the question is “I rarely think about looking for another job” – so it’s the vets and nurses who’re sometimes or oftentimes looking for another job you need to be aware of.

The benchmark for this question is around the 55=60% mark. 

Anything above 70% is considered a very high score, indicating your team is strong and looking likely to stay.

Scores below 40% either indicate you’re about to have a bit of an exodus or will already match your high churn rate.   And churn is expensive.   Last week I talked about how expensive.

If possible, look to see if there’s a particular subgroup at your clinic that, overall, scored lower than 40%.   For example, do most of your vets or most of your nurses, tend one way or the other.   Analysing this will help you treat that metaphorically infected wound I referred to earlier.

P #4 – PERMANENCE

“I see myself still working at [vet clinic] in two years’ time”

How much of a PERMANENT fixture does your team see itself at your vet clinic?

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This is the same as question (3) but with a bit more depth to it.   If anyone’s looking to move – or stay – what kind of timeframe are they thinking about?

Just because a vet or a nurse isn’t currently looking for a job at another clinic isn’t necessarily an employee who intends to stay for another two years.

These two last questions ““I rarely think about looking for a job at another clinic” and “I see myself still working at [vet clinic] in two years’ time” help give a picture of present and future commitment.

Overall future commitment then forms part of the calculation for your overall Retention Index.

Again, you’re looking to benchmark in the 60-65% range.

If your score is higher on this question than the previous one – I rarely think about looking for a job at another clinic – you can somewhat discount concerns about retention.

However, these two questions tend to move together and are usually a fair measure of retention.

P #5 – PROPEL or PROPULSION

This is where each of your team is personally propelled – internally motivated – to give his or her best.   The question is worded:

“[This Vet clinic] motivates me to go beyond what I would in a similar role elsewhere”

Motivation is an internal thing.

This question measures discretionary effort and internal motivation.   It’s intended to assess whether your clinic environment motivates your team to do their very best.

This is generally a tough question to score high for many non-technical industries because it’s somewhat subjective.

However, having said that, vets and nurses are generally highly innately motivated professionals and a low score on this means your clinic is seriously in trouble.

Why?   Because if you can’t get a group of people who’re mostly naturally motivated to do their best – that’s why they’re vets and vet nurses – they want to do their best to help their patients – then things must be pretty dire.

Benchmark responses are typically in the 70-75% range.

Scores below 55% can indicate your vets and/or nurses feel disconnected from your clinic’s mission or vision and don’t feel enabled or empowered to get things done.

Start developing your Vet Clinic Employer Brand

Also, consider developing your Employer Brand – it’s part of your Retention Investment Fund I just suggested you start.   Employer Branding is something that has to be started today because it’s always a work in progress and it takes time – like a good cheese or wine – to mature.

Remember back to the 30% turnover example I used earlier where the clinic had given everyone a $5kpa pay rise and there was still $31 left over?   Well invest some of that $31k into developing your Employer Brand.

When people leave – because they will – you’ll be in a much more powerful position to find your next Dream Team Members – recruitment will be a comparative breeze then, compared to how it is now.

Give me a call – we can implement it in easy bite-size pieces inside your clinic – you can contact by calling 0800 483 869 in New Zealand or emailing me.

OTHER EPISODE LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE

Last week’s episode – 064 – the cost of employee turnover

Tova O’Brien Restraint of Trade Employment Relations Authority ruling

If you’ve been listening to PCWN for a while you’ll have heard me comment quite a few times that Restraint of Trade clauses can stand up in a court of law provided they’re worded correctly… just this week there was a high-profile case with a journalist who made the headlines – Tova O’Brien.

Restraints of Trade are enforceable in court

O’Brien took the dispute to the ERA – the Employment Relations Authority – which involved a three-day hearing – after mediation failed.

She lost her ERA case with her former workplace – and was ordered to pay $2,000.

O’Brien contested a restraint of trade clause in her contract with Discovery, would prevent her from launching her new breakfast talk radio show at MediaWorks for three months.

She argued to the ERA that her soon-to-be role as a breakfast radio host is not similar to her role as political editor on TV3.

The contractual clause is based on the notion that O’Brien is teaming up with a direct competitor of Discovery’s Newshub.

O’Brien ordered to pay $2,000 to her former employer

The ERA ordered O’Brien to comply with modified terms of restraint of trade and to pay $2000 for “breaches of her employment agreement”.

The ERA said evidence established that in her role with MediaWorks radio as the host of the new Today FM show, O’Brien “will be working in competition with Discovery”.

“Given the restraints as modified are reasonable and enforceable if Ms O’Brien commenced work with [MediaWorks Radio] on 25 January 2022, she will be in breach,” the ERA said.

“Standing back, looking at that figure, including in comparison to other cases, I conclude that a fair penalty is $2,000. Ms O’Brien is ordered to pay a penalty to Discovery of $2,000 to compensate it for the inconvenience and resources expended in pursuing this matter. The penalty is to be paid within 21 days of the date of this determination,” the ERA said.

Prima Facie Conflict of Interest determined

The determination found O’Brien had been involved in MediaWorks’ business before her employment with Discovery ended.

The ERA was “satisfied there was a prima facie conflict of interest in her involvement in both activities” because O’Brien approved a quote for inclusion in a press release announcing her appointment … along with the launch of a new talk radio brand and allowed her image to be videoed for the purposes of promotional video for that new brand.

The $2,000 penalty which O’Brien has been ordered to pay was to compensate Discovery “for the inconvenience and resources expended in pursuing this matter”.

Getting involved in a restraint of trade legal wrangle is a huge distraction.   If you’re leaving a clinic that’s got the resources to pursue you could find yourself on the back foot.   The best way is to avoid being in that situation in the first place and, if there’s a restraint of trade clause in your new agreement you don’t like, negotiate on it at the front end, not the back.

NZHerald article

Recruitment Agency or Employment Lawyer can save you grief (and dollars)

This is where using an employment agency – which costs you nothing, or an employment lawyer which will probably cost you something – pays off in the long run.