Putting fun in the medical practice: Hire for attitude, train for skills

"Fun is taken seriously at Southwest Airlines. Life is too short and too hard and too serious not to be humorous about it." Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines

Healthcare is a stressful occupation. Most doctors and healthcare employees are having to work smarter, harder, and faster than ever before. Is it any wonder that burnout affects more than 50% of healthcare workers? As the pace and intensity of healthcare have increased, we often lose touch with the lighter side of life and question why we entered the profession in the first place. Many medical practices have become very serious and businesslike, and we are requested to leave our personal and emotional baggage at the door before entering the office. We have been told that humor in the workplace is unprofessional and that silliness is for children's play.

Southwest Airlines believes that failure to nourish and encourage a sense of humor in the workplace not only undermines productivity, creativity, adaptability, and morale, but also can drive employees to quit, resulting in costly turnover.

Southwest Airlines seeks employees, including baggage handlers and pilots, who can perform their jobs with humor and professionalism. A passenger on a Southwest Airlines plane hires employees who are uninhibited and empathetic, believing that serving customers, which includes a sense of humor, makes the lives of both employees and passengers more enjoyable. I think that healthcare must move beyond the traditional mold of a serious, stiff, and humorless atmosphere and incorporate appropriate levity when providing care to our patients. We need to shift gears and find ways to make work in healthcare fun despite the intensity and seriousness of our profession.

How to find those potential new hires that have a funny bone as well as a crazy bone. We need to follow the example of the hiring process at Southwest Airlines, which is hire for attitude and train for skills. Their HR department looks for employees who don't take themselves too seriously and then commits to training them on what they need to do for the passengers and the airline. They focus on hiring employees with the right spirit. They look for potential employees with other-oriented, outgoing personalities, individuals who are willing to work hard and have fun at the same time.

Perhaps when interviewing a potential employee for the first time, you might ask, "Tell me how you used your sense of humor in a work environment or tell me how you have used humor to defuse a difficult situation." Let's assume you are looking for a new associate with an impressive resume and skills that could be a valuable addition to the practice. If the potential employee is stiff, reserved, inhibited, and lacks good communication skills, that may be a red flag indicating that this employee might not be a good fit for the practice. This might be a difficult choice, but it would be far better to pass on such an employee and continue the search. Although such a candidate might be qualified on the technical side, they would be deficient on the attitude component.

When posting a job opening, you might include in the job description that "if you are looking for those who are outgoing, even a bit off-center, and like to color outside lines, then you will enjoy working in this practice." You might continue your new-hire post by stating, "Consider Acme Healthcare if you want a future without boundaries, the opportunity to be original, and a chance to work your tail off!" This kind of post emphasizes that your practice is a serious medical practice that is committed to providing outstanding care to patients, while also prioritizing fun, financial responsibility, and a down-to-earth atmosphere. With this kind of word-of-mouth plus social media, the message is clear, and you are likely to have the right type of applicant flocking to your practice. I am not suggesting that you are looking for stand-up comedians or those who can dole out one-liners. However, the message is clear that behind all the fun, there's a lot of hard work.

Bottom line:

Consider looking for future employees with a sense of humor. I want to emphasize that you hire for spirit, spunk, and enthusiasm, and you can follow up and train for skills. When you have such an employee, treat them as family members or best friends. Don't ever take them for granted. Finally, treat everyone — patients and employees — with kindness and respect. They will appreciate the kindness and pass it on to your patients. As a result, you will have an enjoyable practice that is both productive and efficient, and fun.