If you have one employee, or a team of hundreds, you have hired, terminated, or been faced with staff turnover. Great talent is difficult to find. Once you find the talent to operate efficiently, how do you keep your staff motivated and engaged--becoming an employer of choice?

Attracting employees begins with your culture and perception in the marketplace. Much information is obtained through social media and the almost infinite opportunity to learn about you and your practice. LinkedIn, Facebook and the other social media sites offer potential new hires a source to view what others say about you and your services. Take time to move your culture to the desired place, or create a new culture to align with your practice vision and mission.

Creating the culture begins with your practice's vision and mission. If you don't have one, develop one. A meaningful one that you live day to day. One that becomes the focus of every staff communication and meeting. Why? So your staff knows you have a direction for your practice, and more importantly, for them.

Finding the "right" person for a position takes time and effort. The recruiting process has changed significantly over the past few years including on-line recruiting opportunities which have emerged. Be specific in developing a job description, including certifications and other credentials required for the position. Perform an initial review of resumes to eliminate those that do not meet your criteria. Have someone within your organization or an outside consultant performs telephone interviews. Once you have narrowed the field to a few, review their resumes again, search social media and references for additional information. Interview candidates in person, asking open-ended questions. Make sure they are qualified and are able to handle today's technology. Listen intently for the answers to a set of questions specific to the practice, the position and the candidate. Consider background checks and employment tests.

Hire individuals who have passion about their work, your practice and the opportunities ahead of them. Look to the future, and provide them an opportunity for advancement; for learning; for developing new routines or processes. These individuals bring a positive tone to your practice.

Once hired, it takes time and effort to keep staff motivated and engaged. Feedback on a regular basis keeps staff engaged. Provide open and honest feedback weekly and more formal evaluations quarterly. Positive feedback gives staff encouragement and motivation. Don't forget the positive feedback as you spend time on processes that need improvement. Listen to your staff--you will learn more about your practice than you would imagine.

Provide recognition where appropriate. Taking time to acknowledge a member of your staff, or writing a quick personal note means so much. Develop an "employee of the quarter" award board, or a "good deed" award. Remember, all staff can play a part in the success of your practice. Staff contributions add up and create a positive work environment. Use contests to keep employees feeling rewarded. If they are relevant to your practice they can keep staff excited.

Empower your staff to make suggestions for process improvement. It will provide a sense of ownership and engagement. Provide them with the most modern tools to perform their job efficiently, and with the continual training to stay current. Provide training for everyone from the receptionist to your nurse practitioner to your practice manager. Everyone benefits from a culture of learning and improvement.

Ask your staff what irritates them and don't hold what they say against them. Work to eliminate the irritations, even if it's that you are constantly late to your patient appointments. Many times, the "small things" create the negative culture and can easily be changed. Let your staff know you have an open-door policy and encourage them to use it.

Conduct what has become known as "stay interviews" asking key long-term staff what keeps them at the practice. Ask questions like:

• "Why did you come to work at this practice?"
• "Why have you stayed?"
• "What would cause you to leave"?
• Listen, and act where appropriate.

Provide some perks that your staff might appreciate. Bringing in lunch on a busy day, Danish and Donuts Fridays, an afternoon at the bowling alley, or a charity work day brings a sense of unity to your staff without much out of pocket cost to you.

Your staff must know what you expect of them. You cannot expect your staff to perform their tasks if the tasks have not been properly communicated. Take the time and responsibility to communicate with them. Consider a mentoring program for your key employees.

Time off is important in today's work environment. Review your practice time off policy. Paid Time Off policies have replaced many vacation and sick leave policies. Review the number of days offered to your staff. Your staff values time off, and work hours.

Lastly, compensation and the benefit package offered will play a significant part in attracting and retaining great employees. While the base pay is important, the total package amount should be emphasized. If your practice can afford it, consider health insurance, life and disability, holiday and paid time off, continuing education, and a retirement program. Other perks include uniforms, parking and employer provided snacks.

A great support team provides for a great practice. Keep your staff engaged. Hire right; train properly; engage, listen and act; compensation appropriately with reasonable perks and time off. Your practice will profit from it.

Gerard Kassouf, CPA is the managing director of Kassouf & Co., P.C. a CPA and consulting firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.