When you’re searching for a new job, salary, schedule and office location are important factors to consider — but have you also thought about the company culture? While you might think every hospital or doctor’s office offers the same environment, you’ll realize that attitudes and core values differ from place to place.
Company culture doesn’t equal perks, though free lunch and generous paid time off are certainly nice to have. The following are some traits to look for when deciding whether a workplace is the right fit for you.
Core values employees and leaders live by
One of the simplest ways to tell whether a company has a defined purpose and goals is asking your interviewer what his or her favorite core value is or what resonates most with the mission statement. If the person can’t identify the core values or even explain the company’s foremost goals, you may want to look for a different place to work.
Businesses with strong workplace cultures frequently communicate their mission statements and core values to their employees and ensure that the business purpose is clear. They ensure that staff members know they are expected to live by those values, such as integrity, passion, innovation and growth, and that leaders demonstrate those behaviors as well.
A culture of feedback
When you have a conflict with a leader or with how a certain department is being run, how do you resolve it? Does the company survey employees before making big decisions? Can you provide anonymous feedback about your leader without worrying about her firing you?
It’s important that your hospital or private practices facilitate honest feedback at all times — not just when your leader is conducting an annual review. You should have regular one-on-one meetings with the staff members you oversee and with your direct leader. Also, people throughout the departments should feel comfortable approaching directors and administrators with concerns. Formal surveys about benefits, new office equipment and even the outcome of team events can help your staff come up with solutions and make the office a better place to work as well.
Commitment to work/life balance
As a physician, you understand that you may not be able to take time off when you’d like to or work an 8 – 5 schedule Monday through Friday. However, you shouldn’t work at a company that doesn’t respect your time or expects you to work until you burn out completely. Look for a hospital or doctor’s office willing to work with your schedule. It should give you the flexibility to spend more time with your family and friends.
If extended PTO isn’t an option, see if your facility makes it possible to work later hours so you can make it to a child’s soccer game or even take an extended lunch with a friend who’s in town. Ask if the hospital staffs locum tenens doctors to fill in when providers are on vacation or leave. You should feel that your company encourages you to take time off — and then respects your time off by contacting you only when necessary.
Friendly, happy staff members
When you walk around the hospital, do most of the staff members offer a smile or seem relatively happy as they go about their jobs? Do you see nurses and doctors laughing with each other and engaging in pleasant conversation? Or could you cut the tension with a knife in the department you’re interviewing for?
While everyone has a bad day and you may encounter staff members upset after a very long shift, a sea of unhappy-looking employees can be a sign that the company’s workplace culture isn’t up to par. If you get a chance when leaving a facility after an interview, ask a nurse or technician or even the receptionist what he likes best about working there. Hesitation or discomfort when you ask this question doesn’t say good things about the company’s culture.
Plenty of internal and external communication
No one wants to be left in the dark about important updates at the company, from big news like mergers or acquisitions to smaller-profile announcements like changes to a new benefits provider. The facility where you work should communicate news effectively to its employees and have a positive reputation in the community, thanks to press releases and announcements with news for both patients and providers.
When you visit the company website, it should be inviting and provide plenty of information not only about the services the facility provides but the mission and core values its staff members live by and the latest stories about its growth.
Though it’s not always easy to tell what a company is really like with just a few interviews and some online research, talking to employees, asking about the business’ purpose and looking for leaders who actively encourage feedback can help you narrow down the right workplace culture for you.
