When it comes to employee retention, one concept that is frequently left out of the conversation is the idea of forgiveness. Yet forgiveness is a key ingredient of a healthy corporate culture, explained David K. Williams, chief executive officer of software company Fishbowl, in a recent post for Forbes.
"Within the fabric of our culture is the innate ability to forgive. It cascades through everything we do and is recognized by those who work with us and first-time visitors," he wrote. "We believe one of the reasons our people stay at our company is that they know that when they make mistakes, we will help them overcome and learn new skills to avoid making the same mistake again."
But like any other business, medical practices are vulnerable to the consequences of a more punitive approach. A common example occurs when analysis of a practice's denial reports from insurance companies reveal that an employee has been making a recurrent error (e.g., incorrect demographic information, using an incompatible coding combination) causing the claims to be sent back, Owen Dahl, M.B.A., F.A.C.H.E., principal of Owen Dahl Consulting in The Woodlands, Texas, told FiercePracticeManagement. In a recent blog post, he added, "use the time as a teachable moment, and things will improve."
Finally, even though small businesses like medical offices need to take seriously the risk of employee lawsuits, it may behoove them to expend less time and resources maintaining various disciplinary forms, according to Williams, and invest in financial incentives for employees instead.
To learn more:
- read the post from Forbes
- see the post from Owen Dahl