Lights! Camera! Meet!

Our 24-hour clinic has a main office, three satellite facilities, 14 veterinarians, and 80-plus team members, so staff communication is always a challenge. In addition to a weekly newsletter, we have monthly meetings for each department and a monthly staff meeting for everyone.

With such a large team and extended shift hours, getting everyone to all the meetings was becoming difficult, yet we wanted to ensure that everyone was getting the same message in a timely manner. So we purchased a DVD camcorder to record every team and staff meeting.

If an employee is unable to attend a meeting, he or she has one week to check out the DVD and take a quiz on the information discussed. If the employee does this, the absence is excused and will not be reflected in his or her annual performance review.

The recordings have been a huge success. The team that works the midnight shift no longer has to come back to work a few hours later to attend a meeting. Staff members who were on vacation can hear the same message everyone else heard when they get back, and we can eliminate the "I didn't know" excuse when we introduce a new product or protocol. By adding this simple step we increase communication and decrease inconsistencies.

Angie Hartin is the bookkeeper and assistant practice manager at Hawthorne Animal Hospital in Glen Carbon, Ill.