8 minute read
In my opinion
I had a dream...
About to return to optics
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after a four-year absence, I wasn't surprised to be rudely awoken at 4.50am by a poignant dream. So much was swirling around in my head – mainly due to fear, anxiety, Covid and the unknown related to how the industry would have changed. Little did I realise that the dream was trying to tell me something about my recent encounters.
As I chartered the recruitment process for my return to optics, I had been taken aback to find myself being treated as a 'newcomer' to optics –rather than an experienced dispensing optician with knowledge and experience dating back to 1987. This had made me feel out of touch and out of date with advancing technology – and astutely aware of how I was being assessed as a potential employee.
Whilst out of the profession, I worked in many unskilled roles whilst caring part-time for my mother. One of my bosses was particularly unapproachable and only interested in the business and himself. He had zero regard for me, my ideas, concerns or feelings. The working relationship broke down after eight weeks, and it was totally unfulfilling on all sides.
In my dream, this ex-boss sat facing me – firing off questions about my suitability for the role. He bombarded me with his expectations and the company's needs and requirements. There were no questions relating to me, my feelings or suitability for the job.
My reaction to this erupted from a position of anxiety and nervousness, progressing to sheer anger and annoyance. In my dream, I demanded to have the interview I deserved – insisting that the process be a fairer, more
structured two-way interaction. To my surprise, after initial resistance and anger, my ex-boss began to see the sense in having an open, clear and equal dialogue. He realised that, in the longrun, this was needed for a positive and productive working relationship.
Of course, this was only a dream–but it helped me recognise that my interviews in the real world were actually very one-sided. I was not being allowed to express myself nor truly understand whether or not the potential employer and I would be a good fit. Something needed to change in order to make the recruitment process much less of a lottery.
SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWS SHOULD BE A TWO-WAY STREET
A PERSONAL APPROACH
In my opinion, any recruitment and/or interview process should have a clear set of structured and relevant questions; ideally reciprocated and open. This is not just to ascertain one's academic skills or practical knowledge, but to delve more into each party's personality. In any relationship, it is necessary to learn about interests, motivation, fears, likes and dislikes, expectations and so on.
A developing working relationship is no different – because a sense of ease, familiarity and openness allows learning to become easier in the long-term. We become more capable by feeling we can learn in a positive environment, leading to greater job satisfaction and productivity.
This thinking, and my recent recruitment process experiences, led me to devising a sample set of questions for any first interview process: 1. If not this job, what other job would you like to apply for? 2. Three years ago, what were you doing and how have you changed? 3. What gives you the most satisfaction in your work nowadays? 4. What do you find most difficult in the workplace? 5. What aspect of your work do you feel you do best? 6. Outside of work, what gives you the most pleasure and satisfaction? 7. What are your aspirations for the future? 8. Who do you admire most – and dislike most – in the world and why? 9. What has been your greatest achievement and worst disappointment? 10. If you had one wish, what would it be?
The above questions allow barriers to be relaxed and a lot of very useful information to be gained in terms of character and personality traits. Both parties can be open and equal, and already a bigger picture can emerge. It's a structured way to build a solid personal foundation prior to deciding whether compatibility exists, before moving on to more specific questions about job suitability.
When I was 21 and sitting in the managing director's office in Perth, Western Australia, I felt particularly relaxed and comfortable applying for a dispensing optician position. In my eyes, Mr S was the perfect boss who, from the outset, made me feel comfortable and willing to put the effort in and do my best for him. It was simple. All he did was put me on his level by insisting I called him by his first name, take my tie off so I was more relaxed, and always be conscious that the work I was about to do was important – yet secondary to life, my family and my health.
Since then, I have worked for hundreds of managers and directors –and only one other individual features in such a truly positive light. When I had financial and personal worries, I expressed my concerns to this manager and subsequently received a visit at home by the company director.
Not only did he remember my wife's and daughter's names, but he came along with his accountant to discuss my salary, which I had expressed concern about. Having listened to my personal circumstances, he not only decided to significantly raise my salary but told me a very personal story about his wife and how stress had affected their life. He then gently offered me advice about how I could best manage mine.
It was all about him taking an interest in me, valuing me and making me feel special. The salary increase was great, but after being made to feel so valued I'd probably have worked for him without the increment.
DEVELOPING STRONG BONDS
It's not rocket science, but 30 years on I am still experiencing interviewers like the boss in my dream who are on the completely wrong path. It should be all about being comfortable, having a sense of belonging and feeling valued. The development of any working relationship should be structural, regular and continuous.
In the same way we adhere to continuing professional development, I believe we should also have compulsory development of working relationships. The sample interview questions mentioned earlier are just a few examples, which can be expanded and modified once the working relationship has been established over time.
It's equally important to develop strong, open and reciprocated bonds with our patients, allowing them to get to know us better without the sort of boundaries we see with the old schoolmaster/pupil scenario. Does your practice encourage regular interaction with patients via structured questionnaires – giving patients the freedom to enquire, suggest and gain information so they feel more valued and involved in their eyecare? This would surely help them feel part of the 'practice family' with the ability to interact freely and frequently.
Having recently been introduced to a patient payment plan in an independent practice, I thought this was a great start. It encouraged patients to frequent the practice more often – yielding an improved clinical experience as well as a better bottom line. But it's only one part of the relationship building process. Once again, by enabling structured and regular two-way communication, the practice and patient could significantly benefit. The latest developments, promotions, new lens and frame technology and general updates concerning staff, for example, would allow greater involvement. Patients would be encouraged to provide feedback on matters concerning them; how they could be better serviced, educated or informed about their overall eye health well-being.
As a suggestion, I would like to see practices devise a routine questionnaire to send to all patients approximately every six months – if they don't already. This would provide 10 questions requiring feedback, and a comments box. Typical questions might include: 1. Do you feel we provide a professional, yet comfortable, environment for you – and is there anything we could do better? 2. Do you think we are value for money? 3. Do we have a good frame selection? 4. Was the eye examination thorough and well explained? 5. Were you given good information and was everything well explained? 6. Were the staff friendly and helpful? 7. Would you recommend us to others? 8. Were we punctual and on time ,and were you made to feel valued? 9. Was the practice clean and tidy, and well presented? 10. Is there anything else you would like to comment on or ask about?
Regularly asking questions such as these will help the practice – and its staff – develop a closer relationship with patients and respond to feedback. Many practices assume their patients are satisfied with the service they receive, but we cannot be 100 per cent sure of this unless we ask. Keeping detailed records will also help to continually improve standards of patient satisfaction. This process should be ongoing and viewed by all in practice as a 'must' rather than a 'maybe'.
DO YOU REGULARLY CANVASS PATIENTS FOR FEEDBACK?
CONCLUSION
So, concluding my recent findings on my return to optics after a considerable absence – and thanks to my rather vivid dream – I'd like to highlight my personal recommendations. These are: 1. Look at the way you recruit staff. Try to visualise being in the prospective employee's position. Have a structured process in place, and provide this regularly throughout the working relationship. 2. Always endeavour to be on the same wavelength and at the same level as the employee. Generate openness, friendliness and ease. 3. Develop and improve patient/practice interaction through regular structured questionnaires, and encourage your patients to provide regular feedback so that you can offer them the best service possible.
I look forward to implementing these myself where possible, as I continue my journey into a very different world of optics to the one I once knew.
