tvpjournal.com | January/February 2016
NAVC PersPeCtiVes
Next, employees should be provided with specifc job
descriptions and pay scales for each position. Evaluations
should be conducted by the employer at least once
annually and two to three times during the frst year of
employment. During the evaluation, employees should be
told what they do well and areas that need improvement,
as well as the time frame in which the improvements
are expected. New challenges and responsibilities also
should be identifed, and employers should be prepared
to provide additional training to assist employees in their
professional growth.
All of this must be in place before implementing a
reward program, which should be measurable and
attainable. Contrary to what most employers think,
fnancial rewards are not always the best motivators.
Bob Nelson, author of numerous books on employee
motivation, including
1001 Ways to Reward Employees ,
has consistently found that long-term employees stay with
employers because they are recognized for a job well
done and are appreciated as signifcant contributors to the
success of the business. Other nonfnancial motivators are
listed in the Table, along with fnancial motivators.
i n sUMMary
To have a motivated health care team, employers must
know what kind of business they want and who they want
to be to their clients. Once the successful practice is
envisioned through a mission statement, employers must
hire employees with attitudes that are consistent with that
vision and then communicate expectations to employees
through the use of specifc job descriptions and provide
regular feedback. By instituting reward programs that are
measurable, attainable, and tailored to the employees'
needs, employers can maximize employee enthusiasm and
secure long-term loyalty.
—Charlotte A. Lacroix,
NAVC Immediate Past President
Special thanks to James Wilson, DVM, JD, of Priority
Veterinary Management Consultants (pvmc.net) and Shawn
G. McVey, MA, MSW, of McVey Management Solutions
(smcvey@mcveymanagementsolutions.us) for their
gracious contributions to this article.
Read Dr. Lacroix's complete article on this topic—
Understanding Employee Motivation and How To
Get It—at http://veterinarybusinessadvisors.com/up/
fle/understandingemployeemotivation(clacroix).pdf.
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