Blog #48 - COVID 19 - Is your head on the job cutting board?

Utilisation is the Key to Value in Private Practice

At the time of writing this article we are in the thick of the COVID 19 virus.

It has changed our profession and way of life as we know it. Many graduates are experiencing a cut in their hours and some may have been cut altogether.

As a business owner of a private practice, I would like to give advice around what a private practice owner is needing from its employees at this challenging time.

We want to be able to keep all our staff.

Our staff are our best investment after this virus settles down to hit the ground running and continue business. The biggest concern for business owners now is when will this madness end.

There is no timeline. No one knows. They can speculate, but frankly we are guided by day to day decisions by our government.

Knowing who to cut back when business slows is a tough decision and not one that is taken lightly.

Here are my top tips for not being at the top of the chopping board list:

1. Do anything

“I don’t really know how to do that” or “I don’t really want to do that”.

Now is not the time to be picky about what jobs you get given. It may not be your ideal clientele, it may not be your passion, but if you would like to keep a job in this tough time, I suggest you smile and nod and respond with “No problem, I will get onto it straight away”.

Now when you have plenty of additional non billable time on your hands, you need to use it to learn a new skill. If your boss asks you to create an excel spreadsheet to display data, now is the time to google, you tube and Udemy free courses and learn ASAP. It may not be in your physio job description, but it will assist you in the future.

2. Initiative

When you have spare time. Think outside the box and create something for the business to improve the business. It may be creating social media videos for free injury prevention workouts; it may be rehabilitation protocols for future reference for staff for common post- operative conditions.

Have initiative to be valuable in whatever you can think of. The first person to go will be the employee checking snapchats, Facebook and personal emails whilst sipping coffee all day waiting for new clients to come through the door.

3. Be Innovative

You are a generation of brilliant ideas, social media skills and new ways to do things. Now is your time to shine.

If you have a great idea to create something for the business, then approach your boss and discuss it with them. At this time, majority of employer’s are looking for a new way to operate and you just may have that idea.

Create it, trial it now and see what happens. You have nothing to lose. If it works, you will be an unbelievably valuable asset to the future of the business operations.