As Canada continues to navigate the impact of Covid-19 and the ‘Great Resignation’—the mass resignation of employees across the system—staff retention remains a top priority for practice owners and managers.

But ensuring that your staff is supported, engaged, and retained is not that simple. Burnout and resignation are becoming increasingly common in health professional.

So, how to increase employee satisfaction and retention in health and wellness practices?

One of the most important tool you could use is a practice management software, which helps adapting to the ever-changing demands of the health and wellness industry.

In this article, we will discuss how to leverage practice management software to cultivate an engaged and enthusiastic workforce.

1. Why is Employee Retention important?

If the response to this question is not clear to you, it is important that you understand what staff retention is and what it means for your practice.

Employee retention refers to a practice’s ability to keep its employees during a certain period of time, either voluntarily or involuntarily. It is a critical factor in the success of any health practice because it indicates whether employees are dedicated and loyal to their employers.

A practice’s staff members are the backbone of its operations, providing the knowledge, skill, and expertise needed to ensure quality patient care. However, as health practices face increasing competition and cost pressures, retaining top talent is becoming increasingly difficult.

Employee retention is key to remain competitive and successful. Investing in retention efforts can yield significant returns, including improved staff morale and engagement, better care, and lower turnover costs.

The cost of employee turnover can be significant. The costs of hiring and training new employees can add up quickly. But retaining staff is not only important for financial reasons. When staff retention is high, staff members are more likely to build relationships with the practice’s clients, which leads to better reputation and improved patient satisfaction.

2. Understanding why Employees Leave their Jobs.

To better understand the determinants of employee retention, it is useful to first examine the main reasons behind employee resignations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on health care workers, with the great majority reporting increased stress levels, workplace conflicts, and workloads, including overtime hours.

Additionally, many practitioners had to transition to virtual care, through either phone, video, email, or instant messaging. But this transition was not that easy. It required additional practitioners’ time to make technology investments and to learn how to use new virtual platforms and/or tools.

It is the accumulation of these factors that motivated resignations among healthcare workers, including allied health professionals. Results from the Survey on Health Care Workers’ Experiences During the Pandemic (2022) indicated that about 33.4% of healthcare professionals intended to leave their jobs in the next three years, regardless of their work experience levels.

The most common reason why healthcare workers intended to leave their jobs was related to job stress or burnout (61.7%). The second most common complaint was about concerns regarding mental health and well-being (51.5%), followed by lack of job satisfaction (47.2%).

These results reflect the need for employees to be taken care of. Employees are complex human beings whose needs must be met for them to feel fulfilled. As a practice owner or manager, you must check on your employees to ensure that they’re feeling well, have a great work-life balance, and are satisfied at work. This would greatly contribute towards fostering a positive work environment and increasing employee retention. 

3. How Practice Management Software Benefits Employee Retention?

One of the biggest challenges facing healthcare practices today is employee retention. With the recent changes in health workforce, it can be difficult to maintain a stable and dedicated team. However, implementing a practice management system can have a positive impact on employee retention and help you keep your best employees.

Here are a few ways that practice management software can benefit employee retention:

1. Streamlined Processes: By automating manual tasks, such as data entry, report generation, and appointment scheduling; practice management software reduces the administrative burden for employees. This allows staff to focus on direct patient care, which can improve job satisfaction and reduce burnout.

2. Increased Efficiency: Practice management software can improve the overall efficiency of your practice, allowing employees to complete tasks faster and more accurately and to leave on time. This can reduce stress levels and improve work-life balance, thereby creating a positive work environment that encourages employees to stay with your practice long-term.

3. Improved Communication: Practice management software can also improve communication between employees, helping to reduce misunderstandings and improve collaboration. This can lead to a more positive work environment and increase employee engagement.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making: With practice management software, you can track and analyze key performance metrics, allowing you to identify areas for improvement. By making data-driven decisions, you can create a work environment that supports employee growth and development, leading to increased job satisfaction and employee retention.

Investing in the right practice management solution allows you to create a supportive work environment that encourages employees to stay with your practice and contribute to its success.

4. Strategies to Maximize the Impact of Practice Management Software on Employee Retention.

While practice management software has the potential to greatly improve employee retention, there are additional steps that you can take to further maximize its benefits. Here are a few suggestions:

Provide Employee Training

Make sure your employees are trained on the practice management software and understand how to use it effectively. By providing comprehensive training and support, you can reduce frustration and increase adoption, leading to improved job satisfaction and greater loyalty.

Encourage Work-Life Balance

Use the software to streamline processes and reduce workload, freeing up time for your employees to balance their work and personal life. This can help reduce stress levels and increase job satisfaction, leading to improved employee retention.

Provide Opportunities for Professional Development

Encourage employees to take advantage of training and development opportunities offered by the practice management software provider. By investing in your employees, you can improve job satisfaction and reduce the likelihood of employees leaving your practice.

Implement Feedback

Encourage employees to provide feedback on the software and share their ideas for improvement. By taking their feedback into consideration, you can create a solution that works well for everyone and fosters a positive work environment, as well as increasing employee engagement.

Monitor Performance

Use the data provided by the practice management software to monitor performance metrics and identify areas for improvement. This can help you identify areas where additional training may be needed.

Provide Recognition and Rewards

Use the software to track employee performance and provide recognition and rewards for a job well done. This can increase job satisfaction and motivate employees to stay with your practice long-term.

Regularly Evaluate and Refine

Regularly evaluate the impact of the software on employee retention and make changes as needed. This can help ensure that the software continues to meet the needs of your practice and to support employee retention.

Taking these additional steps allows you to create a supportive work environment while enhancing the effects of practice management software on employee retention.

Ready to Increase Employee Retention?

If you’re interested in using a practice management software to boost employee retention, we highly recommend a free 30-day Colib trial.

Colib is a practice management software that allows you to streamline your workflows, greatly reduce admin time, and deliver great client experiences. It is both user-friendly and affordable.

If you'd like to learn more about how Colib can help your practice, feel free to schedule a meeting with us.