Lynne Armstrong, director of marketing for Numark, considers how managing your team and getting them involved more in the business can increase job satisfaction for everyone while increasing customer satisfaction and business profits

Ask yourself honestly, do you manage your team or do you just let them get on with their jobs? The difference between the two is probably the difference between success and mediocrity.

Pharmacies generally spend around 14 per cent of their turnover on staff costs. If you consider that the turnover of an average independent pharmacy is £1m, this equates to £140,000 per annum. This is a significant investment and one that should be managed effectively. You wouldn’t give someone £140,000 of your profits if you didn’t know how it was going to be used.

Independent pharmacies have an excellent staff profile. Staff tend to be incredibly loyal and many will have worked in the same pharmacy for years, which means that you can offer unrivalled continuity of care to your patients.

In order to retain this competitive advantage in an ever-changing, increasingly challenging environment, independent businesses must utilise the experience, knowledge and passion that they have within their teams.

Basic considerations

Starting with the basics, consider the following:

• How much does your team know about your business?
• Do they know which areas of your business are doing well, eg, script volume, and which areas aren’t doing so well, eg, the value of the average script this year compared to last year?
• Do they know why their role is important to you and the business?
• Have you asked them what they would do if this were their business?

If they don’t know that the business needs new income, how can they work with you to effect change? Staff who are informed are much more likely to be engaged and it follows they will take more interest in the business. Talk to your staff about how the business is doing, your concerns, things that are going well and areas of development, then ask them to put forward ideas for opportunities that could be explored.

Building strong business and interpersonal relationships with and within your pharmacy team will increase motivation, both for you and them. It will also allow you to create the headroom you need to manage your relationships with patients and key stakeholders in your business, eg, GP surgeries and local commissioners. And, of course, increasing staff engagement and motivation will also increase your revenue and profits.

Seven steps to success

What to do first:

1. Be proactive. If you don’t look after your business and your staff, be sure that someone else will.
2. You need to understand your business from the front door, both the retail environment and your dispensary. How is it working? How much involvement do you have in each element of your business? Once you have established what you think needs to improve, pull the pharmacy team together for a team meeting. Make it informal to start with.
3. If you don’t already do so, hold a series of short team meetings. This informal process will give you the chance to update your team on how the business is doing, where you are going and how you all need to adapt to changes. 
4. Explain the bigger picture regarding the service agenda, GPhC inspections, etc, and ask them: “If this was your business, what would you do?” Every member of your team will have an insight that you haven’t considered. They will bring more to the table than you think.
5. Once you have established a new task/project that each member of your team is passionate about, get them to take ownership for that project’s success. Get them to think about it as if it was their own business and thank them for their input.
6. Keep up with the contact. Don’t let it slip. While each member of the team needs to take ownership for their roles, as a business owner/manager you need to be involved, being kept apprised of success or weakness. Encourage and coach them to do the best they can.
7. Get the next date in the diary – do it in a month’s time. Commit to having regular meetings and remind your team that they are part of the business and not just a spare pair of hands.

A shared goal is crucial for a successful business. Something as simple as a whiteboard in the dispensary displaying the main objectives for your business shows your team that you are focused on customers, numbers and developing your business. As a result, they will be as well.

Now, more than ever, independent pharmacists need to relinquish some responsibility and trust in their teams in order to meet the increasing demands of the sector. For some, this will require a leap of faith. But an involved, inclusive team will feel appreciated and understand the need to perform. Investing time in managing your team will give you the headroom you need to be able to develop and future-proof your business now.

_{In order to support member pharmacies, Numark offers a comprehensive Defence and Development programme, including templates for full business reviews, internal and external environmental reviews and competitor analysis. It is also supported by suggested sample action plans, involving the full pharmacy team. For Numark members who require guidance developing their business and pharmacy teams, a one-to-one consultation can be requested with one of our pharmacy development managers. Contact our Customer Services team on 0800 783 5709 to arrange a one-to-one business review.}