How to Train for Retention so Pharmacists Don’t Leave
The potential government shut down last week made many people affected sweat. With steep federal budget cuts, the issue of having money to hire becomes one to be concerned about. Even if you are not affected by federal funding, budgets is the name of the game in this economy. Having to hire someone new can be costly, so retention is always the first place to look for a solution. Retaining good pharmacists starts from the very beginning-hiring and training.
One of the most common phrases I hear from pharmacy directors/managers is “I don’t want to spend a long time training a new employee.” As a result, training becomes something many pharmacy managers fly through quickly to get a new pharmacist up to speed. Yet it is the most crucial element to your new employee’s long-term success and ultimately the retention of your new hire.
Here are a few tips to implement when you train someone new:
- Set expectations – between both you and your new hire. This means not only you setting expectations for them, but them expressing their expectations and how they prefer to be managed. Determine together what the definition of success in their role would look like.
- Discuss the pharmacy’s values, vision, and mission. This is a step many pharmacy directors skip. But it is an important step for key reasons. One of the main reasons why an employer feels compelled to stay at a job is if values, vision, and mission are in alignment. Things may not be perfect, but an employee is more likely to put up with things they are dissatisfied with if they feel they are aligned with your pharmacy’s values & are empowered by your vision/mission.
Conduct a personality assessment such as the Insights Model, so you recognize not only how they may tend to relate with others, but also their natural strengths. For example, an introvert may not openly share their successes with you, but they may be just as outstanding as an extrovert counterpart. Insights into how your pharmacy staff thinks, acts, and works can give you an edge to managing them smoothly.- Find a way to communicate regularly with your new hire. Set expectations for how they can maintain channels of communication, including as a team (ie, staff meetings) and individually. Include when, how frequently, what can be brought up. For example, you may set the stage early on that when someone brings a problem, they will always come with three potential solutions. This way you don’t get constant complainers.
In an upcoming blog article, you will learn some of the best questions to ask a new hire to see how they are doing during the training period….and how to use that valuable information to retain your pharmacists.
If you have temporary coverage needs between finding out when someone is leaving and training a new hire, explore your options for IHS/tribal-experienced pharmacists to cover in the interim. Don’t waste your money on inconsistent levels of pharmacists who take more than necessary effort to train and manage.
Gossiping & Backstabbing in the Pharmacy
Having problems with gossiping or backstabbing happening in your pharmacy, or someone on your pharmacy staff always arriving late and others getting upset about that person never being called out on it?
Let it be a thing of the past. Create a “code of honor” specifically for the pharmacy to prevent this.
Q: This sounds stuffy. Why go through the trouble?
A: This is something that isn’t routinely talked about in pharmacies, but is in essence the things (said or unsaid) that a team works according to. If there is not an established code of honor for the team, an individual usually goes by his/her own code of honor to make decisions. This is where you can start having problems among your staff.
Q: A Code of Honor-What is it?
A: As defined by Blair Singer’s “The ABC’s of Building a Business Team That Wins” (NOTE: this also applies to pharmacies & hospitals), “a Code of Honor is the physical manifestation of the team’s values, extended into behavior.
Not only is it important to have values, but also knowing how to put behavior into practice that reflect those values. Establishing and agreeing to a code of honor helps everyone achieve their best performance, enjoy their work environment, and see the best results.
Q: Why is it necessary?
A: Blair explains why a Code of Honor is necessary: “By experience and default we all formulate our own sets of guidelines, rules and assumptions. That’s natural. But when we start coming together with other people, organizations and cultures, we sometimes have a tough time figuring out why “those guys” don’t understand, or how they could so blatantly turn their back on our feelings, our way of doing things and our rules. In most respects, “those guys” feel the same way about us. Why? Because we assume that certain basic rules are the same. Bad assumption.”.
Having a strong mission & an established culture is only part of the whole picture. Having a strong code of honor within the pharmacy makes the team stronger and reinforces what the pharmacy stands for.
Mission comes first, the needs of the team second, and the needs of the individual third. Develop the code of honor together as a pharmacy.
Some code of honor examples: “When a team member needs help, we will do whatever it takes to help that team member complete the task.” “Celebrate all wins.” “When someone breaches the code…”call it”!” “Keep agreements.” “Be on time.”
Tips for Implementing Your Pharmacy’s Code of Honor
Discuss the code and make sure everyone is on the same page. For example, there may be different interpretations of what being on time means. Some people view being on time as arriving through the door on time. Others view it as ready at a workstation with a pen to start doing what needs to be done. This is to be discussed so that the team is on the same page and there is no unspoken resentment about different interpretations about the code.
In the absence of rules or “code”, people make up their own rules. One of the biggest challenges about the workplace is that well-meaning people are playing by different sets of rules.
If you want to learn more about how to implement the code of honor in your pharmacy, read Blair Singer’s “Rich Dad’s Advisors®: The ABC’s of Building a Business Team That Wins: The Invisible Code of Honor That Takes Ordinary People and Turns Them Into a Championship Team
Pharmacy Managers: Sometimes You Have to Say, “You’re Fired!”
Take the Poll: How long after hiring a new pharmacist do you know whether or not he or she will work out for the long run?
Q: What is the best way to address and remove a bad hire?
Determine whether to say goodbye. Determine if you’ve made a bad hire, or whether underperformance may be due to other factors such as your lack of strategic direction or leadership, or inability to foster your hire to perform to his/her highest capacity. If you determine your hiring mistake is irreparable, remove your bad pharmacist hire quickly, because he/she can drain the energy and morale of your good hires (not to mention taking up a lot of your management time).
The firing. Have compassion and respect for your bad hire when you are doing your firing. Come from the perspective of discussing how it is no longer a fit for both parties, rather than making your discussion focused on the areas in which they are underperforming. Usually when you are at the point of having the “letting go” conversation, you have already made attempts at making things work. One example of discussing it from the place of it being no longer a mutual fit could be saying that the vision/ strategic direction or values you have for the pharmacy isn’t in alignment with the way he/she is currently performing.
Anticipate that you may receive different reactions. Some pharmacists react by being defensive. Others may be surprised. Some may even feel a sense of relief because they have felt for some time that it’s not a good fit and you’ve finally validated it for them. Be prepared for the range of human emotion.
What to do about the reaction. Be present — give them your attention. Acknowledge their reaction. Allow the person to share their perspective and acknowledge them for sharing. Then come back to how it is not a fit and that you feel they would thrive in a different environment. Wish them luck in their next endeavor. It doesn’t have to be a long discussion, but have compassion and respect for the pharmacist you are firing.
Ready to hire right the first time so you don’t have to fire someone? Read the 4 secret ways to attract good pharmacists.
Misunderstood Expectations, to a Pharmacy Everyone Wants to Work For
One of the main reasons why pharmacists leave their jobs is because they have an unsupportive team environment. Pharmacy managers & HR managers, here is one solution to that:
Create a Code of Honor. Create a “code of honor” specifically for the pharmacy. This is something that isn’t talked about a lot, but is in essence the things (said or unsaid) that a team works according to. If there is not an established code of honor for the team, an individual usually goes by his/her own code of honor to make decisions. This is where you can start having problems. Read more on why it matters, what examples of a code of honor are, and how to create a team environment everyone wants to be a part of. Read more
I Hate Pulling Other People’s Weight
Have you ever worked in a pharmacy where you felt like you had to pull other people’s weight? That other pharmacists didn’t have the same view as you regarding workflow?
I was just having a conversation with a pharmacist who is experiencing this: prescriptions piling up to be handed out while another pharmacist he works with seems to prioritize differently & may spend more time reviewing patient records than noticing that prescriptions are piling up to be handed out. And that this person doesn’t necessarily do it intentionally, but is perhaps one-track minded & unaware when he gets deep into reviewing patient records.
I have observed this myself while practicing in a pharmacy, noticing pharmacists have different viewpoints about what is acceptable workflow priority and speed. I have seen pharmacy staff become frustrated with each other at varying levels. It comes from the belief that a particular priority is the right one & in being upset that someone else isn’t matching up to how you feel priorities should lie.
With my experience in practice, this is a conclusion that I’ve come to–that just like a spouse or a family member, you have no control over what someone else perceives & chooses to do. What you do have control over is influencing someone. As a leader too, you also don’t ever really have control over anyone; you can inspire others to do as you request & there may be consequences to them perhaps not meeting your expectations, but no person can be controlled.
What you do have control over is stepping up & encourage others. You have the ability to use your leadership skills even if you are not the designated leader, by asking them to help you out where you feel the workflow priorities are, if they appear oblivious. Do the best that you can in your role and in your encouragement of others; then let go of the rest. Otherwise, it can only create frustration in you.
If it is to the point where you feel that another pharmacist’s workflow priorities are impacting your workflow substantially, approach your pharmacy director or direct manager and have a conversation about how they feel the workflow priorities are to be.
Pharmacy managers, consider setting clear cut workflow priorities that are both verbally expressed to the whole group and written, so it becomes a standard and there are no questions about what expectations are for everyone.
What is your advice when you’ve encountered this situation? What has worked or hasn’t worked for you?
I Had Management Experience 5 yrs Ago- How to Convey Experience to Get an Interview?
Chen, Should a resume have an objective or just start with job experience? A recruiter told me that employers scan resumes, looking mostly at the past 5 years experience. I have had management experience about 5 years ago, but purposely stepped down to a staff position to accomodate school work. Now that I have my PharmD degree, I would like a management position, but the last 2 jobs do not reflect management experience…what is the best way to convey this information so I can at least get an initial interview? Thank you.
A: Definitely have an objective in your resume. It is a place where you can boldy express that you want to get back into management. Example, “Seeking to re-engage in a management role in XXX setting after completing my external PharmD cum laude.” This can be refined more, depending on your specific talents & skill sets, but this is a start.
Also, convey your management experience in the body of your resume, even though it was over 5 yrs ago. It is useful to have a concise resume; at the same time, in your specific situation, I would recommend that you include the management experience you had 5 years ago in your resume and to elaborate on it.