In today's fast-paced optical environment, employees are often expected to be cross trained to perform more than one role in the office. A technician may fill in as needed in the optical dispensary, or the optician may be called upon to check in patients, pull authorizations and schedule appointments. As a result, the lines of responsibility can become blurred. Everyone is doing everything, yet no one is accountable for anything.

While cross training can be effective, each employee needs to understand their individual role and key responsibilities in order to be accountable. Developing clear roles and measurable key responsibilities is extremely important in multi-location practices where employees are sometimes moved from one location to another.

Clarify Roles
When discussing roles, a job description alone does not necessarily bring clarity because it is often a long list of tasks and responsibilities rather than a statement of expected outcomes. For role clarity, develop specific and measurable goals. See the chart below for some examples.

Employees are better equipped and motivated when the role is defined so that they understand the expectations and what constitutes a win. In other words, what the job must accomplish and what is the expectation for success.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether you have provided appropriate role clarity for your team:

1. Am I doing all within my power to ensure the communication of expectations is clear?

2. Does the staff understand that they are being held accountable to specific deliverables?

3. Does the staff understand how their individual deliverables are tied to the business goal?

4. Do we have a process in place to review roles and responsibilities?



Set Individual Staff Goals
Once roles are clear, increase accountability by setting goals that are tied to compensation. Create four to seven individual goals based on your expectations for each staff member. Consider how each position generates revenue. For example, technicians may be responsible for promoting retinal photography or annual contact lens supplies. Clearly articulate your expectations, including what staff can do to exceed them.


Measure and Rate Performance
To measure performance, we recommend a rating scale of 1 to 4, in which 1 barely gets by, 2 meets expectations, 3 exceeds expectations, and 4 is clearly outstanding. The majority of employees will average a rating somewhere between 2 and 3.

Hold quarterly one-on-one reviews with each employee. Encourage employees who rate high and coach employees who received low ratings. During the review, discuss each area of accountability, where the employee is succeeding and areas that need improvement. You want to determine whether the employee needs additional training or resources to help accomplish goals. Remember: As employees prosper, so does the business.

Align Raises and Bonuses
This is where entitlement compensation ends. Pay increases and bonuses should be tied directly to these ratings and only given when the overall practice goal is met. By aligning raises and bonuses to individual ratings, employees receive fair compensation based on their participation toward meeting the practice bonus. Review-based compensation creates a positive environment to reward success.

Evan Kestenbaum, MBA, is chief information officer of GPN, exclusive provider of The EDGE, and Rebecca Johnson, CPOT, COT, COE, is the executive director of business services for GPN and managing director, VHR-Advisor. Contact them directly at clientservices.gpn@gmail.com.