Workforce shortages in recent months have had a major impact on nearly every industry, particularly in healthcare. As the number of workers continues to dwindle, facilities are
struggling to provide the services necessary for running a successful business office. Active recruiting, hiring bonuses, and other incentives can help to ease the strain, but increasing the productivity of the workers you already have can also make a big difference. Here are a few quick and inexpensive suggestions for increasing worker productivity.
Reduce Meeting Times
While meetings are often necessary in order to communicate with employees efficiently, they
are also notorious for being a huge waste of time. Consider cutting back on face-to-face
meetings by using email or Zoom as an alternative. If a face-to-face meeting is necessary, set a
time limit and stick to it. Employees who have questions after the meeting can either email you
or meet with you separately, so that others can get down to work.
Be Respectful
Most employees resent being micromanaged. Provide training that is relevant to completing
tasks efficiently, but don’t waste an employee’s time on unnecessary training or training that
creates extra work. If the employee doesn’t benefit from it in some way, then it is not worth
spending time on. Make sure you check in when necessary to offer assistance, but don’t over-
do it. Giving employees some space shows them that you have confidence in their abilities, but
you are there if they need you.
Encourage Teamwork
When employees work together as a team, they bring to the table a greater variety of skills and
strengths than when they work alone. Celebrating small successes together creates a sense of
belonging and camaraderie that makes time spent at the office much more pleasant and
comfortable. Occasionally providing breakfast or lunch can bring a team together too. A little
friendly competition with other teams can also boost productivity.
Create a Positive Environment
A study by Oxford University shows that happy employees are 13% more productive than
unhappy employees. Providing incentives and recognition for a job well done is one way to
show employees that you appreciate their efforts and view them as a valuable member of the
team. Small tokens of appreciation such as cookies or cupcakes in the break room, gift cards for
coffee or ice cream, or even just an all staff email congratulating employees for a job well done,
can all go a long way to boost morale.
At the end of the day, even with your staff being as productive as possible, it may still not be
enough. If that’s the case for your business office, you may want to consider lightening their
burden by outsourcing some of the tasks your team is currently doing in-house. Doing so can
relieve your team, improve patient satisfaction, and increase revenues. Pre-authorization,
scheduling, and insurance verification are just a few of the jobs that can be easily outsourced,
enabling greater overall productivity without causing a disruption to the service provided to your
patients.
