Let’s talk about all things staff meetings
We don’t have a choice. Running staff meetings is a necessity we can not ignore if we want to create a badass pharmacy team.
Staff meetings are an opportunity to gain more team engagement, discuss new and upcoming initiatives, collaborate on ideas, learn what’s working and what’s not, and uncover any customer service issues that need attention.
The key is to create staff meetings that are engaging, positive, and productive. Dare I even say something to look forward to and not a snooze fest is to apply a well-thought-out format that will be used for each staff meeting.
Let’s get into it!
Rules of Engagement For Your Staff Meetings
Your rules of engagement are the fundamental principles that your team will use to participate in all your meetings, from all hands on deck to one-on-one meetings. Your engagement rules should be a clear representation of the culture of your pharmacy. Here are a few examples of some rules of engagement I have used in the past.
- Be Curious: No judgment; curiosity and judgment can not occupy the same space.
- Be Respectful: Everyone deserves the same respect, regardless of position or rank.
- Be Present: Give your full attention and effort to the meeting or topic at hand.
- Be Safe: What happens in meetings stays in meetings; no gossiping.
Engaging Roles For An Engaging Staff Meeting
Giving out or rotating roles for each staff meeting can do a few things; it allows you to delegate, encourages team involvement, and is a fantastic opportunity to give each team member a bit of leadership training!
Having regular and awesome staff meetings does not have to be a burden for the pharmacy owner. Giving your team responsibilities in the meeting will make them develop new skills and ensure participation.
Here are a few examples of roles.
- Meeting President: The team member will be the moderator, ensuring the meeting is on time and completing the agenda.
- Meeting Secretary: This team member will log meeting notes; an agenda template is in the resources below that can be used weekly.
- Meeting Treasure: This team member will report all necessary KPIs.
- Parking lot Attendant: This team member will be responsible for adding any ideas or comments that need to be addressed or referred to later but do not necessarily relate to any topics on the agenda of the current meeting. Provide them with the Parking Lot document HERE to supercharge your action!
Staff Meeting Agenda
The agenda is your roadmap to a successful meeting; this is the meat of your meeting. The agenda should include all pharmacy business to be discussed, brainstormed, collaborated on, announced, and everything between.
Here are a few examples of an agenda format:
- Old business: Use this time to report on anything discussed or needed action after the last meeting
- New Business: A good rule of thumb for each item is using the five w’s. Who, What, When, Where, Why.
- KPIs: Report all KPIs to keep your team up to date on the progress of your goals.
- Open Floor: A perfect time for what’s known in the military as questions, comments, thoughts, concerns, bitches, moans, or gripes? Pro-tip, attach a time limit to ensure everyone can be heard.
- Shoutout: Allow team members to recognize one another for achievement since the last meeting period
No more struggling to remember what was discussed, what actions were agreed upon, and who was responsible for what with our Badass Meeting Agenda framework HERE. Also make sure you get your Badass Team Meeting Secretary Minutes HERE and never worry about missing important details again!
Closing Your Staff Meeting
Closing the meeting is just as important as opening the meeting, having the meeting president give a quick rundown of the meeting, all actionable and due dates, and the date and time for the next meeting. The Secretary can send out a post-meeting action item and due date list to all attendees to ensure everyone is on the same page.
And Viola! You have yourself a badass team meeting!
Timing and Frequency Of Independent Pharmacy Staff Meetings
How often should you have team meetings?
I wish there was one easy answer to this question. In general, I recommend at least monthly meetings that are about a half-hour to one hour in length. If a meeting is mandatory, you must pay your employees for this time. If you are just starting staff meetings, you might want to start off with a longer and more in-depth meeting without any pressure to end quickly. This extra time will allow you to set the stage for expectations and explain how your meetings will help everyone serve patients better and have a better working environment.
I know some pharmacy owners that prefer weekly meetings. If you increase the frequency, you can often decrease the duration. Weekly meetings can bring a sense of teamwork and collaboration faster than monthly or quarterly meetings. There are definitely some plusses for more frequent staff meetings. You should also know that sometimes going to weekly meetings before you really need them can water down the staff meeting, and then people might start to lessen their importance. No matter what you decide to start with, just know you can change it up to meet your staff’s needs anytime.
Nothing is written in stone!
To maximize the profitability of your pharmacy, you must have a high-performing team. A high-performing team not only produces great work and gives amazing customer service, but they also love what they do. You can get more from your team and help them feel fulfilled by increasing communication with them as a group and one-on-one. If you need any help with your team, please reach out to DiversifyRx, we are always happy to help.
