The Cost of High Chiropractic Staff Turnover

Chiropractic businesses face constant challenges in their daily work; creating a smooth experience for your patients means juggling care with the demands of office administration, insurance billing, marketing, customer service and much more. When a staff member leaves, it's not just an inconvenience; the financial impact of chiropractic employee turnover negatively impacts your entire practice, including your patients' experience.

This guide explores the risks of high turnover in your practice, along with practical solutions to improve staff happiness and loyalty.

Why Chiropractic Staff Turnover Hurts Profitability

Staff are the cornerstone of your entire business. Losing staff members reduces efficiency, increases the risk of errors, and undermines the trust patients have in your business. Many chiropractic patients receive weekly care and get used to seeing the same friendly faces. When they arrive for their appointment and find their previous supportive staff gone, it can be upsetting and damaging to the business's reputation.

Undertrained or unhappy employees cost your business money due to lower work quality and poorer customer service. The financial consequences of billing errors can cost you thousands, and you may lose business in the long run if negative experiences cause patients to leave negative reviews online.

Untrained Staff Members Cause Costly Errors

Desperate practices will hire quickly to fill roles, and they expect the candidate to immediately pick up where the last person left off. Unfortunately, hiring quickly may mean you don't get the experienced candidate you need. Without training, they're less likely to perform well and are at higher risk of stress and burnout, which can lead to quitting.

Untrained staff members also pose general risks for your business, including improper patient care, poorly set-up rooms, inaccurate billing, and insurance claim rejections.

Unhappy Employees Make More Mistakes

A busy chiropractic office needs staff members who are engaged, energetic, and excited about their work. An unhappy person is not heavily invested in the outcome of their efforts, so they're more likely to make oversights that lead to costly mistakes.

Holding onto an employee who is clearly unhappy in their role doesn't benefit your business or your patients; try offering support first and helping anyone who is underperforming. They may be unhappy because they need guidance but are afraid to ask for it.

If multiple efforts to support their success don't work, then it's better to part ways earlier so both of you can find a better fit.

Repeat Turnover Costs Thousands of Dollars

One study suggests that healthcare employee turnover can cost as much as 150% of a mid-level worker's salary. Businesses can spend thousands of dollars hiring, training, and replacing employees who leave while also dealing with any financial consequences of being understaffed.

The cost of high staff turnover in chiropractic clinics isn't limited to hiring, either. Lost productivity disrupts your office's operations, making it harder for remaining team members to do their jobs effectively. This can lead to burnout and stress, increasing the likelihood that others will leave.

High Turnover Lowers Morale

One of the hidden costs of employee turnover in chiropractic offices is a loss of trust and camaraderie. Employees should feel like a team; team members can rely on one another. But if people keep leaving your office, it can be difficult for long-term employees to get the support they need. This lowers their own job satisfaction and might cause them to look for work elsewhere.

What Can You Do to Reduce Chiropractic Employee Turnover?

First, speak with any employees who have left to get honest answers about why they resigned. If you've had to dismiss employees from your practice, be clear on the reasons why. "Underperformance" is a broad term; get specific about the issues at hand, whether it's a lack of education on chiropractic care, technical inefficiency, or other issues that could be resolved through training.

Some practices are quick to fire employees when they really need to invest in them. This not only boosts loyalty but also helps you avoid the high costs of turnover.

Create a Comprehensive Training Program

Every chiropractic office needs an onboarding program that helps new hires learn the ropes. These resources can support them in their daily tasks and give them an easy source of knowledge when they need it. Consider appointing an office mentor as well; having someone to go to makes a new job much easier, and it can help prevent people from pushing through feelings of doubt or confusion.

Don't forget to offer training to existing employees, too. People are meant to grow, and they want to work for a company that gives them opportunities. Although you may not have any plans to create new roles on your team, you can still give people a sense of growth and development through skills training.

One of the most common reasons people leave their jobs is that they feel undervalued or underappreciated; a lack of opportunity can leave them frustrated and trapped, so they look for a better role elsewhere.

If you want to prevent employees from outgrowing your team, training is a great way to help them develop new skills and take on more responsibilities.

Invest in Your Company's Culture

Chiropractic assistant hiring is just the beginning; you need team-building exercises, ongoing training, and readily available support to ensure your staff feel confident and connected in their jobs.

Good culture isn't just having a set of values that you remind people once and a while. They are shown every day through action. Make sure you go the extra mile to connect with employees, create opportunities for them to build relationships with one another, and show appreciation often.

Celebrate employee anniversaries, birthdays, and other events together. Inspire them to grow, bring new idea,s and provide feedback. People want to shape their work and feel their voice matters; a good company culture takes everyone's opinions into account and ensures every individual feels valued for their unique role and contributions.

Taking time to create a rewarding, affirming workplace is one of the most effective ways to avoid the high costs of staff turnover in chiropractic clinics.

Offer Clear Guidance, Not Micromanagement

When people are micromanaged, they feel like they're constantly judged. They feel like you don't trust them. When this happens, they're more likely to leave your office and find a team that gives them the freedom they deserve to do their work.

While working in an office requires close collaboration, employees still need autonomy. It's okay to have standards for your employees, but if you have to constantly track them and fine-tune everything they do, you're micro-managing.

Instead, embrace a thoughtful mentorship approach. Provide guidance and support, ask people what they need, and look for meaningful opportunities to give constructive feedback.

More importantly, set clear management standards and guidelines so that any supervisors don't micro-manage their own team. When you all work together, your business becomes stronger.

Resolve Conflicts Quickly

Many chiropractic offices and healthcare teams in general struggle with one or two people who consistently bring a negative attitude into the workplace. They are the type of employee who has frequent disagreements, often challenges others, sees advice as a threat, and becomes defensive when approached. They fragment the group, making it difficult for others to comfortably do their jobs.

If you have anyone like this on your team, they may be causing others to leave, especially if they hold an administrative role. It's not productive for your business to have problematic employees; hold one-on-one meetings with your team and identify the source of any workplace drama or issues.

When it comes to the employee in question, offer them genuine feedback and a chance to change. If they don't, then it's better to release them before they do more harm to your practice.

Get the Right Tools for Your Team

An understaffed office is likely to lose even more employees, and even if you hire enough people, a company that lacks the right tools is more likely to have staff members quit to work somewhere where their job is easier.

You can lower the cost of high staff turnover in chiropractic clinics with the right tools. Support your staff's success with chiropractic office software and answering services. PrimeVOX offers comprehensive business phone systems and answering services that can reduce stress, improve office efficiency, and foster a more peaceful work environment.

Contact PrimeVOX to learn more about pricing details for clinic communication software.