Thieves that hide in plain sight in your veterinary practice

Time theft, the deliberate waste of time at work, has been estimated to be more than four hours per employee per week-or about six weeks a year! At $15 to $20 an hour, that adds up fast. Could it be happening in your practice? 

In today's environment, the Internet is the culprit in many cases and the possibilities for abuse are endless: surfing, shopping, spending time on social networking sites, emailing-all during work hours. Other causes of time theft include arriving late for work, socializing too much with co-workers and making too many personal phone calls.

Time theft takes a tremendous toll on productivity. As a result, an additional burden is placed on hard-working team members to pick up the slack and maintain workflow. This causes resentment not only towards the time-wasters, but also towards the doctor or hospital manager who keeps them on the payroll.

Action steps

> Include policies on phone and Internet usage as well as tardiness in your practice manual. Require team members to sign off that they've read the guidelines, understand the policies and will follow them.

> Let team members know how much you'll tolerate. Some practice owners and managers say that allowing employees to surf the Internet or check Facebook between chores actually boosts productivity. There's an argument to be made that taking a break for a few minutes can make you more productive. And most employees would agree. In a 2012 Salary.com survey, 71 percent of respondents said they believe short breaks throughout the day are beneficial. Proponents of tougher Internet controls establish limits; for example, team members can use the Internet during breaks or lunchtime. Still other practice owners have installed blocking and monitoring software on web browsers on their work computer.

Reality check

No one is a machine. Occasional breaks in the workday are needed. Infrequent, legitimate phone calls, socializing and/or lateness should be expected. However, deliberate and frequent time theft seriously affects practice productivity, morale and the bottom line.

Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Bob Levoy is the author of seven best-selling books, including 101 Secrets of High Performance Veterinary Practice.