Dr Mike Pownall and Katie Ardeline presented a full day session during the Oculus Insights 2017 EU Summits in Amsterdam on creating a Human Resource Program for any type of veterinary practice.

1. Building Your HR Program
Katie Ardeline, CPHR
Mike Pownall, DVM, MBA

2. Questions
• What do you like about employee management?
• What do you dislike about employee management?
• How much time do you spend on employee matters?
• What is your biggest business expense

3. Questions
• How do your vets and staff make you money?
• How do your vets and staff cost you money?

4. Culture
Hiring
Training
Coaching
Performance
Management Compensation
Measuring

5. Unhappy Staff = Expensive Staff

6. Employee Turnover
# employees left during year
Average # employees
x 100

7. Employee Turnover
3/9 x 100
33%

8. Cost of Employee Turnover
• 50-75% of salary
• $30,000 salary
• $15,000-22,500 annual cost each
3 = €45,000 - 67,500
http://www.zanebenefits.com/blog/bid/312123/Employee-Retention-The-Real-Cost-of-Losing-an-Employee

9. “Clients do not come first.
Employees come first.
If you take care of your
employees, they will take
care of the clients”
Sir Richard Branson

10. Internal Client

11. Profit Benefits
Disengaged Employees = 0-1%
Highly Engaged = 10-15%

12. Company Culture

13. What is Culture?
Beliefs, values and actions of the collective
work force
It is often not defined, rather it is implied
“Its how we do things here”

15. A Healthy Culture
•Increased sales
•Decreased cost of payroll
•Increased business value

16. 2 Paths to Company Culture
Inherited
Developed

17. Developing Culture
Mission = Who we are
Our Purpose and (Core) Values
Vision – Where we want to go

18. Mission
Purpose = “why are we here?”
“to give our clients peace of mind with the health care
of their pet by helping them make informed
decisions”

19. Core Values
• Support your mission
• Reflect the culture of the company
• Provide guidelines and expectations for behaviour of
staff AND a lens through which decisions should be
made

20. MPES Core Values
• Take Ownership – “Own It”
• Evolve – “Push It”
• Deliver Excellence
• Collaborate

21. Core Competencies – Why?
• Spell out the “action words” that are the tangible
behaviours and skills that embody the Core Values
• Teachable, observable, evaluate

22. Core Competencies
Evolve – “Push It” (Core Value)
• ‘Evolve’ is the idea of continuously moving forward, personally and professionally. It is having the
internal drive to better ourselves at all times without being prompted. It also recognizes that change is
inevitable and required in order to keep the business relevant and successful.
Related Core Competencies:
• Continuous Education - commitment to personal learning and development. Understands own
strengths and weaknesses and independently seeks out opportunities for personal development. Keeps
current - industry trends and advances in medicine and patient care. Recognizes that innovation is
crucial to our business and market climate.
• Ambition - lack of satisfaction with being 'good enough' - always striving to be better tomorrow than
they were today. Focused and goal-oriented. Takes responsibility, seeks out opportunities for growth
and advancement within the company and position.

23. Evolve – “Push It” Continued
• Self-Motivation - able to think for self and recognize what
needs to be done. Doesn't require constant supervision and
direction. Knows where to look for possible answers to
questions before escalating.
• Flexibility and Adaptability - Understands that change is
inevitable, and the nature of our business requires one to be
able to adapt and embrace changing external circumstances
and changes within the company.

24. Vision
Vision = “Where are we going?”
“Our goal is to be a global veterinary business
recognized for leadership & innovation in patient,
client and employee care”

25. Hiring

27. Hire the Smile
Train the Skill

28. Attracting Staff
• How do we make ourselves attractive to candidates?
• What does the next generation want?
• Are we connecting with them properly?

29. Unhappy Staff = Expensive
Staff

30. Hiring – Process
• Resumes and cover letters
• Phone Screening Interview
• In-Person Interview
• Working Interview

31. Phone Screening Interview
Why?
• Time
• Assess communication skills easily
• Judge enthusiasm
How?
• 10 – 15 minutes
• Consistent set of questions

32. Phone Screening Process
•Go over interview process
•What attracted you to apply for this
role?
•What are you looking for in a position?
•How much do you know about the
company?
•Wage expectations/start date

33. In Person Interview Structure
• Introductions
• Housekeeping
• What do they know about you?
• Describe the position + company
• Ask about the resume/past experience
• Behavioural/Situational questions
• Applicant questions?
• Wrap up

34. Behavioral Questions
• The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior
• “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a
client who was irate. What was the outcome?”

35. Behavioral
• (Take Ownership – Emotional Intelligence and
Self-Awareness) Have you ever had to work
with someone with whom you didn't like or
just couldn't get along with? How did you
cope with this situation?
• (Take Ownership - Accountability) Tell me
about a time when you made a mistake in the
workplace. How did you deal with it? What
steps did you take to ensure that it didn't
happen again?

36. Situational Questions
• “What would you do if you had to deal with a client
who was upset, but in this instance you knew for sure
they were in the wrong?”
• See how applicant really thinks – can’t use rehearsed
answers

37. Situational
• (Take Ownership – Integrity and Honesty)
“What would you do if a client asked you to
change their horse’s medical records before
sending them to the insurance company?”
• (Collaborate – Team Focus) “What would
you do if you saw that one of your
colleagues was struggling with their
workload?”

38. Curve Balls
• Who inspires you? Why?
• What would your friends or family say is the biggest
misperception someone might have about you when they
first meet you?
• What book are you reading? Tell me what you like about it.
• If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be?
• What has been your biggest disappointment/regret in life?

39. Working Interview

40. Employee Training

41. Let’s Discuss…
How do you train new staff at your practice?

42. Why Have Structured Training?
• Better adjustment to the workplace
• Structure increases chances for success
• Consistency
• Clear Expectations
• Increased Self-Confidence
• Increased engagement.
• Alan M. Saks, Jamie A. Gruman, (2011) "Getting newcomers engaged: the role of socialization tactics", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 26 Iss: 5, pp.383 - 402

43. MPES Training
GENERAL ORIENTATION - CSR TRAINING
1. First Day/Week General Orientation
History of ABC Equine Clinic
Vision Statement
Core Values
2. General Office Administration
Policies and Procedures Manual
Phone List, Positions and Contacts
Time Sheet/Absence Request forms
Personal Expense Report
Meetings Overview
Clinic Information (Keys, Alarm, Open/Close Procedures, Etc)

44. Vet Training and Mentorship
• Mentoring Guidelines
• Define roles and support system
• Regular meetings and follow-up
• Training/Skill Set Outline

45. The Biggest Challenge?
COMMUNICATION

46. Ideal Communication
• Verbal & non-verbal process of exchanging
information within organization
• Effective communication removes the barriers that
may impede progress
• Staff at all levels feel comfortable communicating
directly with anyone in the organization – even about
difficult/uncomfortable subjects

47. Emotional Intelligence = Self Awareness
• Recognizing our emotions as well as others’
• Empathizing
• Understanding WHY you react the way you do to
certain situations/types of communication
• Trigger avoidance
• Managing personal emotions depending on the
situation and stimuli

48. Difficult Conversations
What is a Difficult Conversation? Why do we have them?
• Purpose: To tell someone something they may not want to hear,
in a way they can take it, so that a change can happen.
• Stakes are high
• Emotions run strong
• Opinions and perceptions on the topic vary and can be hard to
pinpoint

49. Success is saying…
•The right thing
•To the right person
•At the right time
•In the right way
•For the right reason

50. Reflection Prior to the Conversation
• What is my purpose for having this conversation? What do I want
to accomplish? What does the ideal outcome look like?
• What is my part in this situation? Own it.
• Be careful with assumptions about the other person - impact
doesn’t indicate intent!
• What buttons of mine are being pushed?
• Is my attitude influencing how I look at this situation?
• Be prepared to control your reactions – focus on the purpose and
desired outcome

51. Reflection Prior to the Conversation
• Think of you and the other person as partners instead of
opponents.
• Relinquish Ego

52. During the Meeting
Inquiry - Fact Finding Mission:
• Outline what your concerns are up front – use careful
language – “I feel like..” “It seems like...”
• Not “you always...” “you never...”
• Once you’ve outlined your concerns, ask questions,
listen to the answers
• Avoid interrupting, challenging, disagreeing

53. Acknowledgement – I hear you:
• Show you’ve heard and understood that “this sounds
really important to you”
• Explain their reaction/position back to them to be
sure you’re on the same page
• Acknowledgement doesn’t equal agreement – just
that you’ve heard and respect their position.

54. Problem Solving – Let’s build a solution together:
• Ask the other person what they think might work.
Whatever they say, find something you like and build
on it.
• If the conversation becomes adversarial, go back to
inquiry. Asking for the other’s point of view usually
creates safety and encourages him/her to engage.
• If you’ve been successful in staying focused on your
purpose, adjusting your attitude, and engaging with
inquiry and useful purpose then problem solving
should be a relatively easy logical next step.

55. How Do I Begin?
• I have something I’d like to discuss with you that I think will help us
work together more effectively.
• I’d like to talk about ____________ with you, but first I’d like to get
your point of view.
• I need your help with what just happened. Do you have a few minutes
to talk?
• I need your help with something. Can we talk about it (soon)? If the
person says, “Sure, let me get back to you,” follow up with him.
• I think we have different perceptions about
_____________________. I’d like to hear your thinking on this to see
if we might reach a better understanding about it.
• I’d like to talk about ___________________. I think we may have
different ideas about how to _____________________.

56. Difficult Conversations Exercise
• Groups of 3
• Hypothetical Scenarios
• Take turns playing each “part”
• One person is the observer
• Share what you learned about your own style/about
having Difficult Conversations with the larger group

57. The Generation Gap

58. Traditionalists
• 1925-1945
Boomers
• 1946-1964
Gen X
• 1965- 1984
Millennials
• 1982-2004

59. Quiz Time
•Which group is the most competitive?
•Which group values career opportunities
the most?
•Which group thinks it is appropriate to do
what they are told to do?
•Which group values feedback the most?
• Economist.com

61. “The children now love luxury.
They have bad manners, contempt
for authority; they show disrespect
for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise.”
Socrates

63. What Extra Value Do Millennials Bring?

64. Communication
Tips

65. Set Expectations

66. Consistency

67. Active Management

68. Culture
Hiring
Training
Coaching
Performance
Management Compensation
Measuring

69. Training
Hire the Smile
Train the Skill
Coaching

70. ”Young people need models, not critics”
John Wooden

71. “Coaching is the art of
facilitating the
performance, learning,
and development of
another”
Myles Downey
Effective Coaching

72. Coaching Isn’t…
• Mentoring
• Training
• Managing
• “Fixing” the problem
yourself
• Prescribing a plan of
action

73. Benefits
• Shift responsibility for success over to employee –
accountability!
• Help employee reach potential
• Help employee recognize and address obstacles preventing
them from being successful
• Build trust and communication between employee and
management, employee and colleagues
• Encourage ongoing dialogue amongst all employees
• BONUS! Develop and empower your army of Small ‘l’
leaders = employee satisfaction

74. How? GROW
•Goal – “What to you want?” SMART
•Reality – “What is the current situation?”
•Options – “What can you do?” explore,
feedback
•Will – “What will you do?” – action steps
and check-in on progress

75. Other Consideration
• Focus on asking questions to remove barriers
• Can be downward, peer-to-peer, upward
• Situational or long term development
• Hard or soft skills

76. Benefits Realized
• Small l leaders
• + Self awareness and Emotional Intelligence
• Communication improvement across and between all
roles
• Issues dealt with swiftly
• Less triangulation

78. “A Person Who
Feels Appreciated
Will Always do
More than is
Expected”
unknown

79. Why dwell on the positive?
• Leaves a lasting positive impression on the recipient –
give them a boost to fall back on when they need
confidence
• Fosters collaboration and appreciation between
peers/managers
• It’s motivating to know what we are doing is
meaningful and appreciated
• Thinking positively about others and appreciating their
contributions makes the “thanker” feel good!

80. Why don’t we say thank you enough?
• “They’re just doing their job…”
• We have to put our neck out – it can be uncomfortable
• Unsure about how the recipient will take it, is it
appropriate?
• “Once I did bad and that I heard ever/Twice I did good,
but that I heard never.”
• One mistake vs pattern of “good”
• We don’t have a lot of practice

81. Making it Sincere and Meaningful -
WHAT are you thanking the recipient for?
• Be specific!
• “Thank you for always being at work 10 minutes
early”

82. Making it Sincere and Meaningful -
WHY is what you are thanking them for
meaningful?
• Think about how what they did highlights a
positive quality/strength they have, and connect it
to the actions to the character and values the
action demonstrates
• “I appreciate how being here early shows that you
are diligent in making sure the trucks are ready to
go for appointments in the morning, this makes
things run much more smoothly for us as we’re
getting organized for the day.”

83. Bonus points!
•As the recipient – say Thank You… Don’t deflect or
diminish!
•Acts of service instead of a verbal thank you –
show support and appreciation
•Thanking clients? = culture of appreciation
•Start the day and every interaction in a positive
manner – SMILE . Say good morning, even if
you’re already focused on the day ahead.

84. “Thank You” Exercise
• Groups of 2
• Take 5-10 minutes to put together a “thank you card” for
someone in your life – work, home, hobbies
• Use the formula:
• WHAT specifically did/do they do?
• WHY is what they did/do meaningful? What is the
value/strength/attribute being demonstrated? How did/does it
benefit you/the company/the clients and patients?
• How would it make you feel to hear this kind of thank you
about yourself?
• Challenge - Actually thank your recipient!

85. Gold Star Recognition
- Some kind of picture of stars that MP is going to find
– MP and KA will just talk about it briefly

87. Why Do Reviews?
• Formal comprehensive discussion regarding
performance
• Basis for goal setting for entire year
• Provide expectations and guidelines for desired
behaviours
• Tie personal behaviour to Culture, Strategy, Vision
• Provide guidance for wage increases and bonus
calculations

89. The Peer Review Process
• Manager solicits gives form for co-workers to fill out
and score
• Employees do self reviews and score themselves

90. Core Values and Skill/Task Weighting
• Core Values worth 50%
• Skills/Tasks worth 50%
• AR, Clerical, Contribution, etc
• Calculated on the Summary Page

93. Scoring Ambiguity
“What does a 7 look like? How do I get a 10?”
• Rating Decision Guides for each Core
Value/Competency and for Tasks/Skills
• Gives staff a guideline of minimum expectations as
well as a guide for future score improvement

94. Performance Review Core Values – Behaviour Descriptions for Rating Decisions
1. “Own It” - Take Ownership
Below Expectations (6-6.5) Meets Expectations (7-7.5) Exceeds Expectations (8-8.5) Star (9-10)
Accountability
Frequently repeats errors.
Does not change behaviour in
response to feedback. Does not
follow established protocol.
Makes excuses, little desire to
change displayed. “Passes the
buck.”
Generally receptive to feedback. Takes
steps to ensure mistakes aren’t repeated.
Follows established protocol as
expected.
Consistently solicits feedback
from managers and peers.
Mistakes are infrequent and
addressed immediately.
Mistakes are rarely, if ever,
repeated.
Takes steps to ensure mistakes
are not made. Suggests
improvements to protocol and
procedure. Holds self and others
accountable for following
procedure.
Emotional Intelligence
Has little to no sense of
personal strengths and
weaknesses. Constructive
criticism is taken as negative
and focus is not put on how to
improve self. Behaviour can
have a negative impact on
others’ well-being and
effectiveness. Easily
“triggered”
Has a rudimentary understanding of
personal strengths and weaknesses. Is
generally open to constructive criticism
and makes a noticeable effort to
improve. May require frequent
reminders regarding the effect their
behaviour has on others. Can usually
catch self before being “triggered”
Quite familiar with personal
strengths and weaknesses.
Open to receiving coaching from
managers, others. Seeks out
feedback on personal progress
in this area. Is rarely
“triggered”.
Intimately familiar with own
emotions, strengths, weaknesses,
drives, values and goals and
recognizes their impact on others.
Personal emotions and agenda
rarely affect others negatively.
Could be seen as someone who
would be effective at coaching
others in this area.
Honesty and Integrity
Some actions show lack of
complete honesty & integrity.
Requires frequent reminders
regarding appropriate
behaviour. Can be careless
with personal and confidential
info.
Generally conducts self in an honest
and ethical manner. May gossip
internally, but generally can be relied
upon to protect personal/confidential
info.
Conducts self in an honest and
ethical manner the majority of
the time. Rarely pulled into
“gossip” – protects
personal/confidential info.
Holds self and others accountable
for integrity and trustworthiness
in all activities. Is “beyond
reproach.” Models this
behaviour for others. Always
keeps word and follows through
with appropriate actions.

95. Self Reflection
• What do you consider to be your most
important achievements relating to your
position recently?
• Are there areas you feel you could improve?
• What do you think would enhance your
effectiveness and why do you need it at this
time?

96. Self Reflection
•What are you receiving from me and/or the
organization that you like and find helpful?
•Is there something that you aren't receiving
from me and/or the organization that, as a
result, impedes your effectiveness?
•Is there anything else you would like to
discuss?

97. Process Length
• Self Review completed and emailed to manager within
one week of initial receipt of the review documents
and instructions
• Manager has their Reviews completed and approved
by Manager
• Combined Manager and Goals Meeting
• Entire process should take 2-3 weeks max

98. Tracking Performance
• Check-in meetings held every 4 – 6 weeks
• Managers keep track of what was discussed and goal
progress
• “Performance Log” Open door policy

99. Self Reflection
•What do you consider to be your most
important achievements relating to your
position recently?
•Are there areas you feel you could
improve?
•What do you think would enhance your
effectiveness and why do you need it at
this time?

100. Self Reflection
•What are you receiving from me and/or
the organization that you like and find
helpful?
•Is there something that you aren't
receiving from me and/or the
organization that, as a result, impedes
your effectiveness?
•Is there anything else you would like to
discuss?

101. Self Review Peer Review
Manager Preparation
Review
Goal Meeting
Weeks
1-2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

103. Goal Setting

104. Goals
• Goals set at Manager Meeting
• Followed up on Monthly, during Check-In Meetings
• Managers keep track of progress for each employee
• Goal setting training provided

106. How do Staff Decide?
• What do I already do well? What could I do better?
•Did my Review identify any areas for improvement?
• What is most important? What will have the most
impact?
•What are the current needs of the business? Can I
help meet these needs in some way?

107. A SMART Goal is…
SPECIFIC
• Well defined, clear, unambiguous
• What will be accomplished?
• What actions will be taken?

108. A SMART Goal is…
MEASURABLE
• What data will measure the goal?
• How much? How many? How well?

109. A SMART Goal is…
ACHIEVABLE
• Is the goal realistic?
• Do you have access to the tools and resources to help
you reach the goal?

110. A SMART Goal is…
RELEVANT
• Does the goal align with broader company or personal
goals?
• Why is the result important?

111. A SMART Goal is…
TIME-BASED
• What is the time frame for achieving this goal?

114. The Action Plan

115. The Action Plan
3 Components:
1.Specific Tasks (“Action Steps”)
2.Resources (people, training materials)
3.Due dates
= small, motivating victories

117. Setting a SMART Goal
• Use the guide sheet to create your group’s goal
statement
• 10 minutes

118. Defining the Action Plan Steps
• Flip over your sheet and fill in a few action steps that
might be required to work toward your goal (10
minutes).
• Be prepared to present your Goal and action steps to
the group.

119. Compensation

120. Good
Behaviour
Bad
Behaviour

121. Staff Compensation
•Transparent
•Consistent
•Merit-based, not arbitrary
•Seniority-based?

122. Compensation and Accountability?

123. Profit Sharing Plan
• % of net profit
• Points-based system using various factors:
• Review Score
• Clinic and Practice Profitability
• Years of Service
• Scoring converts to % - multiply by previous year’s salary
• Scale depending on % available
• Removal of $ for “lost” inventory, preventable AR losses

124. Accountability
•Goal Meetings
•Discipline
•Employment Separation

125. Monthly Reporting
• Accounts Receivable and Days to Collect
• Actual Sales vs. Budget
• Tell a story – compare to previous years

126. Checking In – Goal Meetings
• Every 1-2 months
• Spot checks if necessary
• Deal with issues as they arise – don’t “save” for yearly review
• Celebrate positives
• Motivation
• Accountability

127. Discipline
• Expectations must be clear
• Progressive
• Verbal Discussion with documentation sent to all parties
• Written Warning
• Termination
• Performance Improvement Plan - Coaching
• You MUST have examples of undesirable behaviour!
• Triangulation

128. Yes, You CAN Fire Someone!
• Rules vary in the EU/UK
• Must have a valid, justifiable reason
• May have to apply/get permission from applicable agency
• Be able to show that reasonable measures were taken to
rectify the issue  progressive discipline (documented!),
improvement plan (documented!!), meeting notes
(documented!!!)
• Severance/Notice Period varies by country

129. Why Document?
• Documentation provides evidence that performance issues
were discussed
• Offers a history of the employee’s improvement, or failure to
improve performance over time.
• Provides evidence that supports management decisions to take
action such as discipline or termination
• It also can prove that the employee was terminated for reasons
that are legal as opposed to others – provides evidence when/if
a disgruntled employee launches legal proceedings.
www.thebalance.com

130. Documentation – What?
• Employee performance – both positive and negative
• Exact proceedings of the events at the meeting – what each
side DID and SAID
• Any agreements made during the conversation –
performance improvement plans, goals, specific
improvements discussed, timelines

131. Documentation – How?
• Have three people at every meeting – one as neutral observer
to document as well as provide a third-party account
• Must happen immediately – during the meeting or directly
afterward
• Professional, neat, free of inference or personal interpretation
(“she was lying, he is lazy, not being a team player”
• Just the facts
• Employee must receive a copy – by email if possible, with read
receipt or other acknowledgement

132. Employment Separation/Dismissal
What are the costs of keeping underperforming/unhappy
staff?

133. Employee Engagement
“Customers will never love your company,
until the employees love it first”
Simon Sinek
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/measuring-the-benefits-of-employee-engagement/

134. What is “Employee Engagement?”
• “Engaged employees are in the game for the sake of the
game; they believe in the cause of the organization.” –Paul
Marciano, PhD
• “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the
employee has to the organization and its goals.” –Kevin
Kruse

135. Why Do We Care if They Care
• “There are only three measurements that tell you
nearly everything you need to know about your
organization’s overall performance: employee
engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow.” –
Jack Welch

136. •Gives them a voice
•Expose areas where we are doing
well
•Identify areas for improvement
•Ensure that we continue to be a
place where people like to work
•Help us plan for the future
Why do We Care if They Care?

137. The Survey
• 34 Questions online via
SurveyMonkey
• Anonymous other than job role and
clinic
• 5 point rating scale
• Area for comments after each
question

138. Career Development
• I am satisfied with my opportunities for growth within the
practice.
• I am satisfied with the internal (in-house) job-related training
the practice offers.
• I am satisfied with the amount of time and money the practice
invests in my CE (training courses offered by outside sources -
courses, workshops, etc.)

139. Work Engagement
• I am inspired to meet my goals at work.
• I am proud to tell people where I work.
• I have a sense of ownership in the practice.
• When the company succeeds, I feel like the success is my
own.
• I am content to spend the rest of my career at the practice.
• Employees adapt quickly to difficult situations at the practice.

140. Compensation and Benefits
• I feel that I am compensated appropriately overall (including wage/salary
and bonus).
• I am compensated fairly relative to similar/the same positions in similar
businesses in my area.
• I am confident that the method used to determine my wage or salary
increases on a yearly basis is fair.
• I am satisfied with my total benefits package (wage, bonus, medical and
dental plans, vacation days, paid personal/sick days).
• I am satisfied by the workplace flexibility offered by the practice.
• My role at the practice allows me to have an appropriate work-life
balance.

141. Relationship Management
• Communication between management and employees is
excellent at the practice.
• I am involved in the decisions that affect my work at the
practice.
• Management at the practice recognizes strong job
performance.
• My coworkers and I have an excellent working relationship.
• Senior management and employees trust and respect each
other at the practice.

142. Work Environment
• The work at this veterinary practice positively impacts clients’
lives.
• I am happy with the overall culture of the practice.
• I understand how our Core Values relate to expectations
around my behaviour at work, and my work itself.
• I feel like the management and staff of the practice adhere to
the Core Values.
• I understand how my work impacts the business goals of the
practice.

143. Scoring Employee Engagement
20 - 39% = Poor
40 - 59% = Good but needs attention
60 - 79% = Overall good
80 - 100% = High Employee Engagement

144. 2016 McKee-Pownall Results
• 77% Engagement
• Vet dissatisfaction
•73% vs 80%
• Communication
• Workload
• Job Satisfaction

145. Toxic Work Culture

146. 2017 McKee-Pownall Results
• 79.6% +3%
• Vets 76% vs 81.5%
• Support staff consistency
• Support staff compensation
• Communication between management and others

147. 2016 Global Employee Engagement Results
Country Percentage % Change 2015-2016
Japan 37% - 2%
France 47% - 7%
Netherlands 52% - 5%
Germany 56% - 1%
UK 59% + 1%
USA 64% - 1%
China 67% - 3%
2016 Global Average 63%
Canada 70% + 1%
http://www.modernsurvey.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2017-Trends-in-Global-Employee-
Engagement.pdf

148. EE Engagement Industry Trends
Rank Industry %
1 Logistics 77
2 Construction 73
3 Professional Services 72
4 Real Estate 72
5 Technology 71
6 Accommodation and Food Services 68
7 Retail 65
8 Finance and Insurance 64
9 Education 60
10 Healthcare 57
https://marketing.quantumworkplace.com

149. Oculus 2017 Survey Average
Overall Veterinarians Admin/Office Staff Vet Tech/Assistant
72% 72% 71% 69%

150. Trends
• Management-EE communication
• Salary Amounts/Transparency of Increases/Reviews
• Vets tend to score a bit higher overall, non-DVM lower
• High sense of ownership overall
• High amount of collegiality between staff
• What conclusions can we make from this data?
• Are the results positive, or negative overall?

151. Keeping Staff
Money isn’t everything
What else does your staff value?

152. Job Hunting
• 92% were looking for another job
• “My main goals are to be satisfied with my job and to
make sure I earn the highest possible level of
compensation. If I find a better place in terms of these
aspects, then there is no harm in changing jobs.”

153. Retaining Staff
• Support from senior management
• Training
• Influence without authority
• Mentoring
MITSloan.com

154. •Define and communicate a strategy
•Determine what you are going to be the best in the
world at—operations, innovation, or customer
intimacy
•Pick goals that are aligned with the strategy and
shareholder value
•Focus on creating a culture of employee engagement
Jim Woodrum – EBMS Paris 2015
Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University -USA
What Leaders Need to Do

155. Unhappy Staff = Expensive Staff

156. Company Culture

157. Hire the Smile
Train the Skill

158. Employee Training

159. Training
Hire the Smile
Train the Skill
Coaching

161. Compensation

162. Employee Engagement
“Customers will never love your company,
until the employees love it first”
Simon Sinek
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/measuring-the-benefits-of-employee-engagement/

163. Thank You
• katie@mpequine.com
• mpownall@oculusinsights.net