Whether you have a small or large practice, implementing a new EHR software is not an easy task. Even if one of your staff members isn’t comfortable with the idea, it can cause delays to implementing the software. If you are an office manager in a practice taking on a new practice management and EHR system, it’s important for you to take an active role in making sure that everyone is on board with the change.
Why Your Staff Fears Your New EHR Software
One of the most critical aspects of change management is understanding change from your staff’s perspective. Unfortunately, it’s a factor that’s most often overlooked. Before you can get your staff on-board with the change that is coming their way, you have to really understand why they fear change. You can’t ease their fears and get them to embrace the adventure if you don’t know how they feel. So try putting yourself in their shoes. Check out some reasons for change resistance:
Fear of learning something new: There might be fear of not being able to learn the new system fast enough, which can impact your staffs’ perceptions of their job stability.
Not understanding the vision of the new process: Your staff may think that the change is a management decision and they are being forced to learn something they did not have a say in.
Seeing change as a top down approach: Because your staff might not have been involved in the buying process of the new system, they may feel like their opinion doesn’t matter and that no one considered the impact it would have on them.
Management failing to create and demonstrate benefits: Learning a different way to complete the same task can seem like extra work, especially if your staff thinks that the old way of doing things is best. Your staff may not see the point of the hassle of learning something new.
If your staff is facing one or more of these concerns, it may result in negative attitudes and a lack of cooperation. And let’s be honest, it’s crummy to feel like you or your opinions aren’t valued. As the office manager, it’s your job to keep the team from regressing in to one big ol’ pity party, even if you feel that your staff isn’t entitled to feel this way. Just acknowledge the fact that it could happen and have a plan to address the resistance.
Part of your plan is to show the team that change isn’t necessarily a bad thing! They might be surprised to know that often times, the things they fear might not be as scary as they think! Talk to your staff to see how they feel about the change and be there to offer individual support if needed. Be the person that your staff can approach when they have questions. It’s all part of being a good manager!
Understanding change from your staff’s perspective is only one of the many steps to managing change in your practice. For more tips, download our eBook on EHR implementation!
