Recruitment and Retention: Strategies to Attract and Retain a Diverse Workforce

Ruth Shoge, OD, MPH, FAAO

At their heart, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are aimed at making sure that we are creating a sustainable workforce that is going to meet the needs of the diverse communities where we all live and work. That’s a big task. For optometry schools, it means that in addition to our traditional curricula, we also have to make sure that we're infusing cultural awareness training into our education. For optometry practices, it means acknowledging the demographic shifts that are occurring in our communities, creating a workforce that's going to adequately meet community needs, and making sure that no group of patients gets left behind.

A lot of the groundwork in making sure we have a diverse pool of people interested in optometry begins with local outreach.  I encourage practicing doctors to take advantage of opportunities to talk to middle, high school, and college students in their communities about careers in optometry.

When it comes to recruiting great doctors and staff, the goal should be not to check boxes but to create a space that is welcoming to all employees—as well as to patients who receive care from the practice. To do this, it can be helpful to step outside the role of practice owner or manager and try to evaluate what a new patient or a job candidate will see when they walk in the front door or look at your social media. Some questions to ask yourself:

• Are our signage and forms welcoming and inclusive?
• Will patients or candidates see themselves reflected in the images we project?
• Will someone who doesn’t look like me feel welcome here?
• If languages other than English are prevalent in your community, do you have staff members who speak those languages, and do you advertise that?
• Are your mission and values publicly stated, and do they align with the community you serve?

A little bit of effort goes a long way in terms of making a good first impression. Employee retention, however, demands that a welcoming atmosphere goes deeper than first impressions.  Employees want to know that there is authenticity behind promises of inclusion.  If your new hires are Millennials or Gen Z, know that people in these age groups place a high value on work-life balance, flexibility, and transparency, and they tend to be very community-focused. Being able to demonstrate how your practice supports those values is an important tool for attracting—and keeping—talent. For example, a practice that supports wellness, embraces the use of new technology, and offers clear pathways to promotion will be appealing to these younger generations.

Providing mentorship is also an excellent way to improve retention of talented staff of all backgrounds. As you teach and train, be cognizant of skills that new hires may bring to the practice, and seek out ways to let them grow the practice in new directions. Perhaps a social media-savvy hire can work a few hours per week from home to amp up the practice’s digital presence.  A new doctor may be able to take on an underserved area of clinical practice that aligns with their strengths, and a Spanish- or Mandarin-speaking employee may be able to improve outreach to their cultural community. Identifying and supporting each employee’s strengths not only demonstrates that you value the employee, but can actually help to grow the practice in ways that better serve patients, as well.

For more information:

Ruth Shoge, OD, MPH, FAAO, is Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Clinical Professor at the UC-Berkeley Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science in Berkeley, CA, where she has a special interest in addressing health disparity concerns through emphasizing a culture of belonging, sustainable workforce development, and equitable access and opportunity across the profession. She remains deeply committed to supporting students, faculty, and practicing clinicians in adopting data-driven DEI practices that promote community-centered care. She is also CEO of RYS Consultants, specializing in strategic planning, leadership coaching, and training.

Disclosure: Dr. Shoge has no relevant financial interests to report.

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