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原文：
Employee
Satisfaction &
Productivity
At
the
core
of
financial
and
professional
success
is
client
value.
Staff
satisfaction and
productivity are of pivotal importance to the
delivery of client value .
Those
process
components
through
which
veterinary
clients
derive
value
must
be
delivered through both
the professional and non-professional staff of the
practice.
To understand the dependence
of value upon staff satisfaction and productivity,
it is necessary to appreciate what
makes staff members satisfied and productive and
to understand the reciprocal
relationship that staff has with clients.
Employee Satisfaction
Several
factors
influence
employee
satisfaction.
Each
factor
interacts
with
the
others,
and collectively all factors contribute to
employee satisfaction.
Work Environment
The
single
most
important
factor
contributing
to
employee
satisfaction
is
the
internal
quality of the work environment.
This
internal environment is
determined by
the employees’ feelings towards their
jobs, colleagues, an
d employers.
Employees
want
to
be
treated
with
respect
and
dignity
by
both
colleagues,
employers and
clients.
Employees want to
feel that they are part of the team and that
they
serve
a
valued
function
in
the
operation
of
the
practice.
Employees
need
to
have a feeling of mutual
respect with both colleagues and employers.
Not unlike their employers, employees
thrive on responsibility and a feeling of
accomplishment.
Greater
responsibility
gives
employees
a
feeling
of
worth.
Responsibility
instills
in
them
the
feeling
that
they
are
trusted
and
valued
by
their
employers.
Employees will go to great lengths not
to betray this sense of trust.
Ability
to Achieve Results
Employees who
service the public are fulfilled by being able to
achieve results
for
customers.
Conversely,
they
become
frustrated
and
dissatisfied
when
they
are
unable to achieve results for
customers.
So
what
is
obstructing
employees
from
achieving
results
for
customers?
The
answer in many cases is
the boss. Employees are often not trained well
enough to be
able to take the
responsibility of making decisions
that are necessary to
achieve
desirable results for clients.
Even if they are
sufficiently trained, many employees
are
prohibited
from
making
decisions
by
employers
who
have
not
placed
enough
trust in them.
Employees are often forced
to work within the confines of very rigid
practice guidelines and policies.
In order to
allow employees
to
achieve
results
for clients
and
experience the
related
satisfaction,
it
is
necessary
for
employers
to
train
employees
and
then
empower
them
with
the
freedom
to
make
prudent
decisions
for
clients.
At
the
same time,
it is obvious that employees cannot assume endless
responsibilities and
have
limitless
liberty.
The
truth
is,
they
do
not
want
endless
liberty.
However,
well-selected
and
well-trained
employees
will
make
a
more
conservative
decision
than would their employer and can act
within the bounds of empowerment bestowed
upon them by the employer.
Employee Rewards and Compensation
Although it is a given that employees
wish to receive what they feel is fair
and
competitive
financial
compensation
for
their
efforts,
compensation
beyond
this
level
is
not
as
motivating
as
the
factors
related
to
the
internal
work
environment and their
relationships with clients.
Recognition
for
a
job
well-done,
by
employers,
colleagues,
and
clients,
is
very inspirational. A feeling of
respect and mutual trust is very motivating.
An employee’s contribution beyond
financial production can be recorded on a
balanced
score
card.
A
balanced
score
card
bases
financial
compensation
and
promotion
on
not
only
financial
productivity
but
also
qualitative
factors
such
as
client
satisfaction ratings and the ratings of colleagues
relative to team effort.
Business
Knowledge
Employees do not necessarily
want to know about the finances of the business.
On the other hand, they do
want to know how the business works.
This knowledge
leads
to
employee
satisfaction
by
enabling
employees
to
better
assist
clients.
Employee satisfaction is heightened by
their ability to take on more responsibility
and
to
perform
their
tasks
more
efficiently.
Employees
who
are
knowledgeable
about
the
operation
of
the
business
become
high
performers,
providing
excellent
customer service
and performing their responsibilities efficiently,
while functioning
in a team where they
know how and why their role is important.
Client Relations
Satisfied
clients,
as
discussed
above,
increase
the
satisfaction
of
employees.
Satisfied employees generate satisfied
clients.
This reciprocal relationship,
once in
motion, perpetuates itself.
The following factors instill employee
satisfaction.
?
Employee
training
?
Business
knowledge
?
Desire for
responsibility
?
Pride in serving
clients
?
Sense of
belonging
?
Mutual trust and
respect
It is clear that
satisfied employees can provide clients with those
attributes of the
process component of
service (
Responsiveness
,
Reliability, Assurance
, and
Empathy)
that clients value.
Responsiveness
Is
it
any
wonder
that
a
satisfied
employee
is
willing
and
happy
to
provide
friendly,
prompt
service
or
to
return
phone
calls?
Is
it
surprising
that
trained
employees empowered with the freedom to
make key decisions will not hesitate to
resolve difficult situations or take on
stressful and urgent requests, especially when
they are recognized for their
accomplishments?
Reliability
Employees who understand their roles
within the operation of the business and
what
is
needed
to
make
the
business
work
are
not
likely
to
disappoint
either
a
customer
or
an
employer.
In
fear
of
losing
the
respect
and
trust
of
their
clients
or
employer, satisfied employees will go
the extra mile to ensure that the clients receive
the service that they depend on.
Assurance
Veterinary and
technical staff have the benefit of professional
training and have
the
appropriate
degrees
and
accreditations.
Clients
depend
on
professionals
to
maintain competence in their respective
fields.
Reception staff may
be formally or
informally
trained
in
their
roles.
Personal
integrity,
a
high
level
of
professional
competence,
and
an
extensive
knowledge
of
the
operation
of
the
business
allow
employees
to
convey
confidence
and
instill
trust
in
clients.
After
this
confidence
and trust are
established in a significant number of clients,
the word of mouth in the
community
establishes the
reputation
of the hospital.
Even before interacting with
the
practice,
potential
clients
will
trust
the
hospital
that
they
have
heard
positive
reports about from
friends, family, neighbours and co-workers.
Empathy
Empathy is defined
as the ability to be aware of, to understand, and
to appreciate
the feelings and thoughts
of others.
Empathy is “tuning in”
(being sensitive) to what,
how and why
people feel and think the way they do.
Empathetic people care about
others and show concern for them.
Clients want to be understood.
Understanding and expressing the fact
that you
understand
another’s
circumstances
shows
empathy
and
should
not
be
confused
with
sympathy.
It
is
highly
probable
that
a
clients’
circumstances
cannot
be
s wish to be understood,
not pitied. Nor is empathy found in the act of
cuddling
pets
or
being
obsequious
to
the
owner.
These
superficial
acts
often
replace the more
difficult task of being empathetic.
Staff that are treated with respect and
dignity and thus take pride in serving
others will make the effort to
understand
clients’ predicaments and
assist in effective
ways.
This service is what clients expect of
veterinary staff.
Service Recovery
The attention to service detail and the
development of optimal service systems
will minimize service failures.
Despite every effort to
provide high-quality customer
service,
service
failure
is
a
fact
of
life.
The
diversity
of
services
predisposes
veterinary practices to some
unavoidable level of service failure.
Experienced
and
trained
staff
can
often
see
a
service
failure
unfolding.
If
the
staff
are
trusted
by
the
employer
and
empowered
to
take
steps
when
they
sense
a
problem is developing, the service
failure may be minimized or totally avoided.
In situations where failure does occur,
recovery is still possible.
The
fundamentals of a successful recovery
from a service failure are as follows:
?
Fast response
?
Personalized to the
client
?
Customized to the circumstances
?
Compensation
?
Explanation of
the problem
?
Assurance
Staff
members
who
are
armed
with
knowledge
of
the
business
operations
and
with
employer-trust
have the
confidence to
effectively recover from
service failures.
They have the competence to instill
assurance in clients while explaining the problem
and making the necessary arrangements
to accommodate the clients’ needs.
Properly
empowered, they can
act quickly and offer compensation when
appropriate.
Employee Productivity
The industrial economy
has
recognized for some time that quality saves money
through less waste and fewer returns.
Now the service economyis
recognizing that
quality is a financial
benefit rather than a cost.
Efficient service systems and
satisfied,
loyal
employees
minimize
the
time
spent
recovering
from
failures
and
repeating
services.
Service quality
generates greater revenue through loyal customers.
The
factors
that
drive
employee
satisfaction
and
productivity
have
a
negligible
financial
cost.
Many
of
the
drivers
of
employee
satisfaction
also
drive
employee
productivity.
If they are well trained
and understand the business, employees can play
their role in
the business activities
and in team efforts so that they can maximize
their productivity.
Motivated
by
the
respect
of
their
employer,
a
balanced
score
card,
and
a
sense
of
accomplishment, employees make their
best effort to be productive.
Proper
employee
training
and
cooperative
team
work
can
reduce
employee
numbers
by
?
to
1
/
3,
depending
on
the
size
of
the
practice.
If
employee
costs
are
held constant while
employee numbers are reduced, the well-trained,
efficient staff can
be financially
compensated at much more attractive levels.
Traditionally, the financial cost
associated with the loss of an employee has been
associated
with
the
cost
to
replace
and
train
a
replacement.
For
service
providers,
such as
veterinary hospitals, a further financial cost is
experienced through the loss of
productivity of the former employee and
reduced satisfaction of those clients that the
former employee had served and
developed a relationship with.
It
is
not
surprising
that
satisfied
employees
are
loyal
employees.
Satisfied
employees work in a favourable
environment, where they enjoy the mutual respect
of
colleagues and employers. They are
fairly financially compensated for their efforts
and
are better-trained and
better-informed than their counterparts
in competing practices.
Satisfied employees find professional
and personal
gratitude in the
relationships that
they have
developed with employers, colleagues, and clients.
Measuring Employee Satisfaction
Surveys should be used to measure the
degree of employee satisfaction. Used at
intervals, such surveys can gauge
changes in employee satisfaction.
Between surveys, employee satisfaction
can be estimated by observing secondary
elements such as employee turnover and
customer satisfaction. In ideal circumstances,
the
work
environment
will
have
a
service
culture
in
which
there
is
little
need
to
question
the degree of employee satisfaction and loyalty.
How to Get There
The key to
developing satisfied and loyal employees lies in
employee selection,
training,
motivation, and empowerment.
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
<>
<>
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Selection
Training
Empowerment
Motivation
Three
of
these
topics
have
been
covered
adequately
in
the
above
narrative.
However, the task
of employee selection remains to be examined.
In brief, successful
businesses hire people on the basis of
attitude rather than on the basis of skills.
An
individual
must have some base level of skill to perform a
given job.
However, this
base level is easily raised to levels
that exceed the need for the position considered.
In
contrast,
a
person’
s
attitude
cannot
easily
be
altered,
if
it
can
be
altered
at
all.
The
emotional stability of prospective
employees is more important than their skill
levels
beyond a base requirement.
In the book The
EQ Edge,
Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book
suggest that the
emotional skills most
important to customer service
representatives
are
as
follows:
1
?
Stress Tolerance
?
Interpersonal Relationships
?
Assertiveness
?
Self-
Actualization
?
Happiness
Emotional
intelligence
(measured
by
EQ,
Emotional
Quotient)
is
defined
as
an
array of non-cognitive capabilities,
competencies, and skills that influence
one’s
ability
to
succeed
in
coping
with
environmental
demands
and
pressures.
In
everyday
language, emotional
intelligence is what is commonly refereed to
as “street smarts” or
“common sense”.
In
contrast,
IQ
is
a
measure
of
an
individual’s
intellectual,
analytical,
logical and rational abilities.
Studies
have shown that IQ serves to predict between 1 to
10 percent (the average
is 6 percent)
of success in a given job.
EQ, on the
other hand, has been found to be
directly responsible for between 27 and
45 percent of job success, depending on which
field was studied.
Although
it
is
beyond
the
scope
of
this
article
to
expand
further
on
emotional
intelligence,
St
ein’s text is a very interesting and
enlightening read.
1
、
Steven
J.
Stein
and
Howard
E.
Book,
The
EQ
Edge
,
New
York:
Stoddart
Publishing Company Limited, 2000.
In
general,
employees
wish to
be
treated
well
and wish to
experience
the same
gratification
as
does
the
practice
owner.
Approaching
staff
in
a
manner
that
allows
them
to
grow
personally
and
professionally
and
to
enjoy
success
is
morally
correct.
This
approach requires sincerity and empathy on the
part of the practice owners.
An
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