Dealing with staff retention issues is a challenge that the optical industry, and other healthcare sectors, have to deal with due to supply and demand of qualified and skilled optical staff. To support your staff retention strategy we have put together five top tips that range from enhancing your communication with locum staff to embracing digital technologies within the workplace.

1. Open channels of communication

When you are onboarding a new optometrist, dispensing optician, or the wider optical team, their impression of you begins with the recruitment and onboarding process. With this in mind, you'll want to set high expectations of your company as an industry leader, and this can be supported by digital processes.

Your employees will appreciate receiving company information in the most suitable and convenient way. Locate a Locum's platform allows this by enabling push notifications to staff registered with your company. If you're sending out rotas, organising cover, or managing leave, integrating technical processes into your communication strategy will be a huge time-saver. time.

2. Embrace digital tech

Our data shows that healthcare workers in all industries look for companies who adopt technological processes that support employees' careers. By integrating the Locate a Locum platform you are able to automate your business from manual processes. These can include data entry, payroll, and rota management.

If you are unsure of how your business could adopt our cloud-based platform get in contact here with a member of the team. We have Customer Success agents who will be able to support this process for you during the entire setup and ongoing whilst you utilise our software.

3. Plan your rota in advance

Some of our customers plan their rotas nine months in advance as they are able to effectively fill gaps in the rota and post shift availability to our platform at competitive rates.

The benefits of planning your rota in advance include reducing and sometimes removing altogether the risk of branch closures and having to post emergency rates at the last minute. Whilst these benefits are instrumental for your company it also means that your staff have greater control of their work/life balance which increases employee engagement. Find out more about our rota management here.

4. Protect employees' data

As an employer, you legally must comply with the GDPR regulations for your employees. Data can be captured from any online interaction you have with an employee. From the first CV, you receive to the sending of their P45 if they decide to leave your organisation.

To protect their data rights our cloud based platform stores all personal details in password protected areas that only they, and authorsied users, can access. We strongly advise against managaing employee details in spreadsheets as these are logistical nightmares and also increase the risk of breaching data protection rights.

5. Ensure wages and expenses received efficently

Everyone has a scheduled monthly payment to make, whether it’s your mortgage, rent, or transport. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure staff are paid on time and correctly.

By failing to do this staff can be distrustful of your management but this is easily avoidable. Within the Locate a Locum platform you can manage payroll and expenses with our streamlined process and with the click of a button, find out more here.

Interested? Get in contact today

If you want to find out more about how Locate a Locum can help manage your workforce, including staff retention, get in contact with us here to book a demo of our platform. Our team will always be at hand to support you and your team with our system that allows you greater freedom in your role and control of your business.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!
Locate a Locum Team