How Your Veterinary Practice Can Retain Employees Through the Great Resignation
The pandemic ushered in a new era now referred to as the Great Resignation. A record number of American workers quit their jobs in 2021, many of them with no immediate plans to return to the workforce—they’re taking care of family, retiring early, living on savings, or reassessing their professional paths in light of living through a pandemic. The challenge now, for veterinary practice owners, is to halt this trend as it affects the veterinary industry. Read on to learn why workers are leaving, and what you can do to keep valuable employees on staff.
Who is Leaving the Veterinary Industry?
The labor market has seen the most quits among in-person positions as well as jobs with relatively low pay. In veterinary practices this translates to customer service staff and technicians. Low wages, overwork, and additional costs attributed to things like continuing education requirements and license renewal are some of the reasons they are leaving the industry. According to a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, credentialed technicians have a considerable impact on a practice’s gross revenue. Yet the U.S. Department of Labor cites the median hourly pay for a credentialed technician is just $17.43 an hour, which may not be reflective of the monetary value they bring to the practice.
Quitting is About More than Compensation
It’s no secret that living through a worldwide pandemic for the past two years has caused people to reevaluate priorities and question life goals, so it’s no surprise that compensation is not the sole reason people are leaving their jobs. A survey conducted by Gallup last year confirmed that 57% of workers want to update their skills and 48% would contemplate a job switch for the opportunity to do so. In fact, workers across a broad age range consider upskilling a top benefit. It’s worth considering how your veterinary practice values career growth as a key factor in recruiting and keeping valuable employees.
How Your Practice Can Avoid the Great Resignation
Take action. It’s clear that employees greatly value updating their skills, so focus on employee development. Have conversations with employees about specific challenges they might be facing; engage them in conversation about why they choose to stay in the industry, and on the flip side, what variables or circumstances might have them questioning that decision (then take this feedback and cultivate a workplace that emphasizes what’s working and strives to mitigate what’s not). Offer professional growth opportunities through new projects or skillsets that align with their professional goals within the industry.
Finally, turn the questioning on yourself. What new skills, roles, and services could you bring to the table to help facilitate a practice that values bettering the skillset of employees and a more fulfilling workplace?