How to Minimize Turnover – Put Your Staff in the Best Roles They are Designed to Do

Last week, I shared the story of our high-energy, people-loving daughter who was losing her mind working alone in our lab, doing the repetitive task of picking bubbles off teeth models. Then in that blogpost, I explained the best DISC Style combinations for each role in the office. To read that blogpost, click here: “Please Don’t Make Me go Back to That Annoying Frustrating Job Again!!”

The good news for our daughter was that before she completely lost her mind, we also needed help at the front desk. Our reception room was a true beehive of activity – we usually saw 80-100 patients a day. The front desk person would greet each patient and whoever came in with them, connect with them, answer any questions, then get them ready for their appointment. When they came back out, they would make their next appointment, which was always a challenge to fit their schedule with ours, then send them on their way feeling well cared for even if their mouth was killing them. All the time the phone was ringing off the hook and those concerns needed to be taken care of. Again, it doesn’t take much thought to know this was the perfect role for our daughter, especially in the afternoon for all those short appointments when she was working. And she LOVED it!

The key is to know the DISC Style of each of your staff, and if their strongest styles fit the roles they currently have in the office. This one step will transform how your staff approaches their workday. It will also go a long way to Minimize Turnover, one of our main goals. But how do you manage to reach this goal?

There are just 5 steps to accomplish this process:

1. Have each current staff member take a DISC Assessment to learn their combination of Styles.  See www.idealpersonidealplace.com/resources for more information on this short but valuable online tool.
2. List the roles each of the staff members currently have in the office.
3. Compare the Style requirements for these roles with their Style Combination.
4. Where do they fit? Where are they a poor fit?
5. S-L-O-W-L-Y adjust their responsibilities until they line up with their Style.

The challenge comes when you have several staff who each have some responsibilities that don’t fit their Style. My strong recommendation is NOT to try a “Fruit Basket Upset.” But to slowly make changes for each person, perhaps starting with the responsibility that is the poorest fit for them. They will experience immediate relief, satisfaction and excitement about coming to work and will be able to function in the areas of their Style. Trust me, it is worth the time to compare the roles your staff have with the roles they are designed to do. This is a key to Minimize Turnover!

***To help you in this process, I am putting together a Workbook that includes the best DISC Styles for each role in the office, along with the Chart for evaluating staff roles and taking those small steps to remedy any mismatches. My goal is to have it all ready for next week’s blogpost.

If you would like to receive these “Keys to Minimize Turnover” blogposts by email each week, click here: “YES! Please send me Beth’s Minimizing Turnover emails!”

QUESTION: Have you ever taken the time to compare the roles your staff have with the roles they are designed to do? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations. Please share in the comment section below.