April marks the second quarter and part two of the 2024 EB Optical Checklist. This month explores a road map of strategies to foster staff mindfulness to ensure everyone feels valued, supported, and motivated for success. Prioritizing well-being is essential as it directly impacts overall emotions within the workplace. Implementing these checklist items will help cultivate a culture of excellence and resilience, vital in today’s competitive and demanding landscape.

1. Check in with staff members one-on-one to ask what they like best and least about their role. Be ready to listen and be honest with what you can and cannot change. Small schedule changes or simply feeling heard can make big differences to overall morale.

2.Research and invest in an employee mental health program. This can include paid access to meditation apps, vouchers for yoga or fitness classes, and mental health days. If your employee insurance covers additional therapy services, ensure your staff are aware of how to access the benefits.

3. Incentivize employees with rewards they actually want. Have everyone anonymously submit ideas for rewards. Going out for an employee dinner might seem like a great reward, but staff members may have other preferences on beneficial time spent off-hours. A paid day off or new piece of equipment to make their job easier might be just what they want.

4. Evaluate and edit (or create) the business’s (or individual location’s) mission statement and core values to ensure they align with your staff. Emphasizing job duties through purpose and values leads to more purpose-driven work.

5. Write clear and comprehensive job descriptions for each role. Include expectations on how long it should take to complete tasks and highlight ways to exceed expectations. Knowing precisely what is expected of each role helps with employee productivity.

6. Productivity can be subjective. Setting clear timelines and expectations for how long a task should ideally take (this can be customized for different employees and levels of expertise) ensures that everyone is on the same page.

7. Set digital detox initiatives. Staff feeling the requirement to be “available/connected” to work in their off-hours can cause resentment. Write out policies for the business such as designated “no email/text” times and days.

8. Develop clear policies regarding screen time and breaks, while encouraging and limiting workplace cellphone distractions. Employers, employees, and clients should not feel personal devices are interfering with the job at hand.

9. Are staff members or patients feeling rushed? Adjusting appointment duration by a few minutes to provide the optometrist with more chair time for discussion or post-appointment question time with another team member will improve the patient experience.

10. Implement a follow-up calendar. Has a patient picked up their first pair of progressives, gotten their first pair of glasses, or tried a new treatment? A follow-up call or email raises the bar for your customer service and creates a lasting positive impression.