Avoiding Common HR Mistakes

Most veterinary practices are small. The owners and team members are all working towards a common goal. In the midst of all this, the human resources side of the practice can be left behind in the dust until something goes wrong and the dust gets stirred up. Don't let that happen to your practice.

Have a system for hiring good employees - Update your job descriptions before you place an ad. This will help you to know what skills you are hiring for and gives the applicant a better understanding of the responsibilities and skills required for the position. Many candidates will have the skills needed for the position. Your goal is to determine which of these qualified candidates will be a good fit for your practice. Create a set of behavioral interview questions to help determine if this person will be a good fit with your practice. Don't hire quickly. Interview several candidates - your goal is to only hire "10" employees.

Plan you interview questions - Most employers have a policy in their employee manual regarding being an Equal Opportunity Employer. When it comes time to interview candidates for a position, this EOE and the ADA can rear their ugly head. It is important to have a list of allowable questions that relate to the position for which you are hiring and that you will consistently ask each candidate. Any question that focuses on race, national origin, family status, age and medical conditions cannot be asked. Don't small talk your way into a position that the applicant can accuse you of discrimination, intentional or not.

Update your employment application - Take a close look at the application form that your job applicants complete? It should be void of anything that would allow the reader to be able to determine the approximate age, race, national origin or disability of the applicant. The dates of graduation from school and the social security number should not be on the application. It should contain an Equal Employment Opportunity statement. Your application can include a waiver form enabling you to perform a background check on the applicant, authorizing you to contact present and past employers and references and stating that the information on this application is accurate.

Perform background checks - Too many practices, in a hurry to fill a position, either don't perform background checks or perform incomplete or unauthorized background checks. The most efficient way to perform consistent background checks is to hire a third party to provide this service. There are several benefits to this. The third party companies do this all the time; they are consistent in what they ask, who they ask and where they obtain their information. They ensure that they have the appropriate authorizations from the applicant before beginning the process. It frees up your time - an invaluable benefit. Don't hire wrong, always include this step as an essential part of your hiring.

Provide opportunities for growth and development - This benefits the practice as well as the employee. Having opportunities for continuous learning is important to an employee's job satisfaction. Employees who have opportunities to grow within the practice that they are working are less likely to leave to work somewhere else. The cost of turnover is great. Invest in your current employees and let it pay you back.

Classify employees correctly between exempt and non-exempt - A job title does not qualify an employee for salaried exempt status under the FLSA. If you do not know what qualifies employees as salaried exempt vs. non-exempt, the web site of the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division is a great resource: http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/hrg.htm#8
Scroll down to the section on Exemptions. Review the qualifications for an employee to be classified as salaried exempt and ensure that you have your employees classified correctly.

Don't let employees work 'off the clock' - All work that your team members do is compensable. If the work was not requested, they worked from home unauthorized, or worked overtime unauthorized; the hours still must be paid. You may counsel the employee, but you must pay them. A commonly overlooked example is a team member who, being creative and a 'go getter" decides to create a dental flyer while at home one night so that it can be handed out for Dental Month. The creative team member brings the flyer in to the Practice Manager who thanks them for their initiative and creativity. But, what about payment for the time worked? Whether the employee asks to be paid or not, the Fair Labor Standards Act requires the employer to pay the employee for the time spent at home creating the flyer.

Document employee performance issues - Consistently and accurately document personnel issues such as attendance, behavior or violations of company policy and keep the documentation in the employee's file. Then continue to follow up and communicate with the employee to address what they are doing right, what they are improving on and where they continue to need to improve. Ignoring this issue will not make it go away. Lack of substantiation makes terminating an employee difficult, leads to unemployment claims, and leaves the practice open for charges of discrimination that they will have difficulty fighting.

Pay fairly and equitably - Having no system for pay practices may result in perceptions of favoritism. Paying fairly will not only help you to hire the best team members, but will help your practice to retain your good team members. You can research what veterinary professionals are paying their employees in your area of the country. Then set up a wage scale for your positions.

Recognize and reward your team members - It doesn't cost a lot to keep morale up, retain employees for the long term and show them they that are appreciated. Verbal recognition, a thank you, a $10 gift card to an ice cream shop can go a long way in showing team members they are appreciated.

Keep up to date on changing state and federal regulations - This year there have been changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Electronic I-9s and many changes at the state level. Employers who do not stay on top of these changes and make sure that their supervisors and managers are also educated about these changes leave themselves open to costly litigation.

Consistently apply all of the Policies and Procedures that are in your Employee Manual - Need we say more?