My own personal reality check

[mlm]

(I'm in a venting, woe-is-me place right now...just to give you fair warning)

Somewhere, a few pages back, there was a thread about wages vs. salary. In it, I mentioned that I was starting to realise that my position will never be as valuable to the clinic as the dispensary staff who are the "money-makers" of the clinic.

Well, I now know that my job is actually on the line because of this. Right in this morning's staff meeting, in front of everyone, my boss called me out. He wants appointment priority given to patients who have a history of purchasing eyewear from us (as opposed to those who just have the exam done). He said he knows that will go against my sense of ethics (which it does), but "those sales are what give me a job". So, I'm supposed to start dispensing...

Apparently it doesn't matter that I do 90% of the pretesting, 99% of contact lens I&R trainings and problem solving, 100% of the clinic supply ordering/restocking, 100% of the repair/troubleshooting for the 9 computers and 3 POS terminals, create the yearly newsletter to patients, manage the clinic website, type up all his reports, field all his calls, I'll even edge if the optician's busy...none of that is important because I'm not generating profit.

Before someone goes and flames me, I have no problem with making money, and I'm well aware that a business that doesn't turn a profit can't support its staff. I was very clear at my job interview and in the 5 years since that I am not good at sales nor do I want to do sales. I focus all my energy on clinical work and leave the dispensing to the experts who've done this for 25+ years.

But he's the boss and owner, and I'm not performing to his standard. And I suspect that I'll run into this dilemma in every other optometry clinic in the country. So, it's time to look for a new job, and probably a new career. And man it'll hurt to give up something I'm so passionate about.

[specs4you]

I got a job 7 wks ago and left a stable position, only to find out that
the mgr was a control freak and wanted a puppet. I truly see a need for
your position, I don't believe in cross training to the point that there are masters of no job. I am a dispensing optician, I can field any position in the office but if I do too often then my sales and skills and knowledge of lenses etc. would fade, hurting the doctors business.

It takes all the pieces to make a puzzle. The practice is a sum of all its
parts and for this ea. person is equally valued and is part of the patients reason they get to the end of the appt and have the stamina and drive
to purchase.

So you stick to your values. I got fired for trying to do my job correctly.
The mgr. felt I judged the practice as being sub par , which wasn't the case tho...I could comment on them being in the 30's as far as resistant to being in the modern world. But was willing to adapt quiet as I could.

So I value you, unfortunately people like us who take pride in our parts of the puzzle are not valued by Docs. They think us unimportant in the way they want to lump all the cross training to the low paid college students or people willing to work for low pay.

In the end I don't think the Drs care about quality staff, you are just supposed to shut up and not cause any waves. I find this hard.

Good luck. I am struggling with leaving the field and throwing my hands up, but I have such passion for Opticianry ..........:hammer:

[cocoisland58]

Apparently it doesn't matter that I do 90% of the pretesting, 99% of contact lens I&R trainings and problem solving, 100% of the clinic supply ordering/restocking, 100% of the repair/troubleshooting for the 9 computers and 3 POS terminals, create the yearly newsletter to patients, manage the clinic website, type up all his reports, field all his calls, I'll even edge if the optician's busy...none of that is important because I'm not generating profit.

Ever hear the phrase "Jack of all trades, Master of none?" It seems that you are a very handy person to have around but nothing that you do is something that can't be done by others and yes, probably for less wages.

I would suggest that you take some time to learn a skill or skills that are more valuable to an eyecare practice. As far as selling goes. You either love it and excell at it or you don't. If that isn't your thing it is wise that you admit it. Perhaps the lab is where you want to be, if so get learning. With the skills you have right now you could actually go into any medical or dental office and do what you are doing. Somewhere there is one that really does need someone like you.

[Fezz]

done)He said he knows that will go against my sense of ethics (which it does), but "those sales are what give me a job". So, I'm supposed to start dispensing...

Don't compromise your ethics! It is a job. It is only a job. You got to look at yourself in the mirror everyday.

Hang in there!

[Refractingoptician.com]

['

[Chris Ryser]

Ever hear the phrase "Jack of all trades, Master of none?"

That might apply in large corporation or organizations but I believe that in small business the "jack of all trades" is more, or should be more appreciated and valued by the boss/owner.

In corporations you have specified job descriptions and you are expected to follow them and you will be appreciated and paid accordingly........and you are not expected to do more than what you were hired for. The only exception is, if you intend to climb the corporate ladder.

In small business the opposite should apply, the more you know about the business the more different areas of the business you can handle the more valuable you become.

If sales is not your favorite area it would still be worth looking at the bosses suggestion in a positive way by becoming even more valuable to the business by mastering that part.

These days of a more and more slumping economy, jumping from job to job is not the best recipe as there might suddenly be no job openings. Myself as a small business operator all my life have always valued employees best and encouraged them to learn to master as many details in the business as possible

Never use large corporation methods as the perfect solution to organize small business.

[Fezz]

More should drink Ale !

I'll drink to that!

;):cheers::D:cheers:;)

[Jubilee]

I am with Fezz on this one.

As I said in that thread, you do perform a very valuable set of tasks. Not sure how handy the others are at your job, or how much down time you have inbetween patients, but some people make money that is directly attributable to the bottom line of the practice, and others contribute in a less direct way.

How high is your conversion?

How many people walk?

How many appointments would have to given up if you weren't there taking care of the pretests, photos, etc to start the patient in the process, while he finishes with another?

He does realize that if you focus on sales, then someone else will be needing to do all the things you are doing. Which means their sales will go down. This can also create some friction in the environment.

Your job enables the opticians to focus on theirs, and the doctor on his. Not everyone can be or needs to be in front of the spotlight to put on a show. Someone has to manage the lights, makeup, direction, scenery, etc..

Part of me would be tempted to drive the point home, and just "focus" on sales and let the other duties that anyone else can do slip. When things get bumpy, tell him that "You said I needed to sell and contribute to the bottom line.."

Perhaps a better approach would be to figure out how much time you are saving the opticians and the doctor by taking care of the "behind the scenes work" and showing how much money it is making/saving them due to the increase in appointments per hour, or opticians ability to educate and work the sale.. if you put any promotions or marketing in that newsletter or ask how patients found you, see if you can tie those directly to your letter and website. Point out by edging you are allowing the everyone to be in their strongest place and thus allowing the practice to be smoother..the other opticians can remain on the floor.

You can calculate how much each optician generates in sales per hour, and figure the time you spend on edging or troubleshooting per week, and using it as a guide. So if Joe Blow does $500 per hour in sales, by edging for 30 minutes and taking that 15min troubleshoot, you freed up 45 mins worth of time and thereby helped him make $375 in sales. While perhaps the patient wouldn't have walked if they didn't deal with that person, and you may have taken control of the sale.. the point is you did the task you were better at, so did he.. and the patients weretaking care of.

If the doctor's chair time is valued around $300/hr for 3 exams and 1 Cl check or followup, but he would only be able to see 2 exams and a cl check if you weren't performing all the troubleshooting.. you are contributing that cost of an exam to his bottom line every hour that he is taking appointments.

Do some research, do some math and show him you do bring in the money!

[Ladyoptician]

An office is only as good as its staff, not just the optical. Your position is just as valuable because if you don't do your job well and patients see that, they may lose confidence and not come back to buy the glasses. I can tell you that a good biller in the insurance department can make a heck of a difference on the bottom line just as much as the Optician that can sell the heck out of a pair of glasses. It takes a STAFF to bring in profits, not just optical. In my opinion, in a small business, jack of all trades are wonderful to have for busy times or when someone calls in sick, but I don't believe in trying to have everyone jumping around everywhere because to me, it looks like chaos and like you are short staffed. And it makes the owners look like they are too cheap to hire enough people. Sounds to me like your boss is nervous about the economy and looking for ways to increase profits. In my experience, what brings the patients back is a well trained, personable STAFF and a great Doc.

[cocoisland58]

That might apply in large corporation or organizations but I believe that in small business the "jack of all trades" is more, or should be more appreciated and valued by the boss/owner.

In small business the opposite should apply, the more you know about the business the more different areas of the business you can handle the more valuable you become.

I too believe in cross training the entire staff and we do but each of us has at least one area where we do shine. Be it organization, sales, leadership, technical aspects or simply being the most personable face to use at the front desk. If the person who posted does not want to sell than their value to this particular office is lessened. I think finding out the area that allows you to be recognized for your brilliance is a good idea.;)

[MarcE]

[quote=mlm;235430But he's the boss and owner, and I'm not performing to his standard. [/quote]

I seems like you have an idea that you aren't performing to the boss's standard. If I'm right, this has nothing to do with what type patient's get priority, or what duties you are assigned. Are you truly not performing to the standard expected?? If you have time to do all that other stuff, your ophthalmic duties arent' full enough. A good ophthalmic tech can allow the dr to see at least one more exam per day. That's an average of $225/day or $1200/wk, $5000/month . . . .

If you are a good ophthalmic tech, you are worth your wages - and more.

[Happylady]

I'm sorry you are going through this. You mentioned everything you do, but is it enough to keep you busy? Can you help the opticans in other ways then just selling? You could dispense finished eyewear, adjust eyewear, and troubleshoot problems.

[Leo Hadley Jr]

MLM,

You seem like you have a huge role in that place.
What would they do without you???
They cant sell anything without your organization.

The economy is tough right now in all businesses. I know a woman who just lost her management job of 15 years in the Supermarket business due to restructuring. Try looking at ways to cut costs. There is a lot you can do to help. Just because you are not hands on selling does not mean you are not helping make a profit. Start micromanaging the office. Bring ideas to the table daily. Buy cheaper toilet paper!!!
I bet if you look around really hard you will find ways to cut your expenses to cover your salary.

Chin up!!!
If nothing works, there are always positions available for you. In 22 years I was out of work for 1 week. Only because it took me 4 days to start looking for a job :bbg:

[HarryChiling]

MLM,

You are worth every bit as much as the opticians selling. I will give you an example of how your job benefits the office:

My boss wanted us to look for a cheaper place to order a printer cartridge for our laser printer, retail $160.00. So someone went on the net and found one for $60.00. That was a month and 5 phone calls ago, of course it always ends up being me on the phone with these folks, 'cause I'm a ball buster. So each phone call has ended up with me on the phone for about 30minutes and then agitated all day which more than likely costs us money if they call me onto the floor as well. 2.5 hours wasted on the phone dealing with these schmoes and we still don't have a printer cartridge so the cots keeps going up.

The point, untill the printer cartridge that's in there now pritn s alight grey our doctor would still be under the impression that she got a great deal. Now my time and the agrevation added to the cost of what she paid and it's no longer a deal. Same in your case, many here have mentioned that you should point out the things that you do to save them money also point out that these things require time and man power to accomplish and if the manpower and time disappears you must find an alternative and lets face it convienience costs money.

In an economic downturn, when sales are down we talk about tightening the belt, you are the belt tightener in the office. When sales dry up you could have 20 opticians on the floor and none of them would make a lick of difference, the one person makeing shrewd buying decisions and running the office efficiently will shine, if they want you on the sales floor shift some of your current responsibilities onto your coworkers, so that you free up some of that time to be onthe sales floor. This will do one of two things, either you will get better with sales and become more comfortable with being on the floor or the other staff will get to experience some of the difficult and often less glorified task that you perform on a daily basis. Someone's gonna crack first, if the staff can't handle the responsibility then they justify and validate your position and it's worth and your employer will see this, or you will get fed up being on the floor and you will start to look inot other employment.

I guess the best advice I can give you is if the job is worth keeping try to make it work. Every position in your offic is the most valuable when it's staffed with a valuable employee.

[drk]

Forgive me, I don't get it.

Why not go out on the floor and sell? It won't kill you. It will make you even MORE valuable.

[Jubilee]

Maybe I am reading into this.. but how busy is she already being. I mean.. are patients having to wait to be helped in the optical? Or does she have the time with all she does to add another task while juggling the other 50 things she does.

If patients are waiting to be helped in the optical/dispensary, then yes.. she should make herself available to them. However if the others are available, why put her in that role? Do the others take care of the photos and pretest if she is with a patient in the dispensary? Or is her role supposed to be that of the "tech" and administrative..

[THE MEB]

seems to me she is doing all this extemporaneous work to avoid doing what she admits she doesnt like to do, and which her boss says is the most important facet of the work, sales. Even if the boss is putting you into a hole because it is a pwer struggle, the point still remains, your boss has indicated that sales were of the utmost import, and you are unwilling to jump in and try the waters. I would be looking for another position.

[mlm]

Ever hear the phrase "Jack of all trades, Master of none?" It seems that you are a very handy person to have around but nothing that you do is something that can't be done by others and yes, probably for less wages.

I would suggest that you take some time to learn a skill or skills that are more valuable to an eyecare practice. As far as selling goes. You either love it and excell at it or you don't. If that isn't your thing it is wise that you admit it. Perhaps the lab is where you want to be, if so get learning. With the skills you have right now you could actually go into any medical or dental office and do what you are doing. Somewhere there is one that really does need someone like you.

I too believe in cross training the entire staff and we do but each of us has at least one area where we do shine. Be it organization, sales, leadership, technical aspects or simply being the most personable face to use at the front desk. If the person who posted does not want to sell than their value to this particular office is lessened. I think finding out the area that allows you to be recognized for your brilliance is a good idea.;)

The original system, and the one that has worked for the past 5 years, is that there is one assistant that specialises in just eyewear dispensing, the optician specialises in the lab work, and I focus on clinical work. A year ago, we hired another assistant to take over some of the admin work because I was too swamped. And the system works. We each are in the area that we feel most comfortable, although we can take over other duties in a pinch. The main reason my duties have expanded over the years is because no one else wants the responsibility. And I can't stand to see things not get done when I can do it.

However, while it is now apparently very important for me to dispense, it's not equally important for my 2 other colleagues to learn aspects of my job as well. They won't even greet patients when they walk through the door because that's apparently "my job". For example, if I happen to be busy with a contact lens fitting when another patient is ready to start, my colleagues will simply tell the doc that I'm busy so pretesting can't be done. On the other hand, if the optician is busy with an edging job when some needs dispensing, I'm expected to drop everything to dispense. I can dispense obviously, and I'll do it if I have to, but it's not my strength. I believe the patient is best served by the staff member who knows how to approach their given eyecare needs.

As for skills that valuable to an eyecare practice... I am the only staff who can do more case history than just asking chief complaint, meds and allergies. I am the only staff who can can interpret patient charts enough to tailor the pretest to a patient's particular history (i.e. which type of field should be run, what types of photos should be taken) without having to ask the doc first. I am the only staff who can take more than just the standard 40 degree retinal photo. I am the only staff who can start and finish a contact lens (GP and SCL) fitting on my own, including all problem solving. I am the only staff who knows enough about ocular conditions and disease to counsel patients (and the docs expect that of just me). I am the only staff who does low vision aid training and developmental vision testing. I am the only staff who can explain the anatomy of the eye or the physiological reaction behind mydriatics to patients (this one bugs me because my colleagues have been in this field more than 2x as long as me). This isn't bragging...this is what I do on a daily basis. So if not selling negates the value of all of that, then I'm currently studying for my CPOT exam for nothing.

[mlm]

...
He does realize that if you focus on sales, then someone else will be needing to do all the things you are doing. Which means their sales will go down. This can also create some friction in the environment.

Your job enables the opticians to focus on theirs, and the doctor on his. Not everyone can be or needs to be in front of the spotlight to put on a show. Someone has to manage the lights, makeup, direction, scenery, etc..

Part of me would be tempted to drive the point home, and just "focus" on sales and let the other duties that anyone else can do slip. When things get bumpy, tell him that "You said I needed to sell and contribute to the bottom line.."...

Funny you should say that. I went to help someone in the dispensary this afternoon, a "just looking" kind of walk in. Within a minute of starting, I heard my boss ask my colleague to help me. He didn't even bother to wait for the "sale" to begin. So, I'm supposed to sell, but not given the opportunity to do so?

There is a bonus system in place for sales. One that I have never taken part in for obvious reasons, and one that I don't care to deal with. But hell will probably break loose if I start "stealing" bonuses from my colleagues.

I have no desire to be in the spotlight of the clinic. I would much rather do the dirty work to make the business run. But by its very nature, it's not as obvious a contribution as sales, and thus the whole dilemma.

[mlm]

I seems like you have an idea that you aren't performing to the boss's standard. If I'm right, this has nothing to do with what type patient's get priority, or what duties you are assigned. Are you truly not performing to the standard expected?? If you have time to do all that other stuff, your ophthalmic duties arent' full enough. A good ophthalmic tech can allow the dr to see at least one more exam per day. That's an average of $225/day or $1200/wk, $5000/month . . . .

If you are a good ophthalmic tech, you are worth your wages - and more.

When I said "his standard", I meant his expectation to sell more. When I was hired, it was to do clinical work because the 2 existing staff couldn't do it. Pretesting wasn't done until I was hired; that alone saves each doctor 2 hours a day (15 minutes for an average 8 full exams a day) and gives them 2 more full exams. As I said earlier, the other non-ophthalmic stuff came up when no one else wanted to do it. And perhaps I was stupid to put myself out there and take on the extra work, because now it's expected of me.

I don't have time for everything; I do more overtime than the other 3 full-time staff combined. And adding dispensing, which will take me away from clinical, will mean more overtime. Because my colleagues sure as h*** won't take on some of that stuff. Which is a crappy double-standard.

Whether or not I'm a good paraoptometric isn't for me to say. All I can say is that I do my job to the best of my abilities. I will study on my own time, take extra CE, and write tests that aren't mandatory simply because I know it will improve my own knowledge and skills. I know that isn't the case for my colleagues, who will do anything to get out of CE and prefer to ask me questions instead of going to look it up.

As a matter of fact, I'm the only one from the clinic on OB even though they all know about it.

[mlm]

I'm sorry you are going through this. You mentioned everything you do, but is it enough to keep you busy? Can you help the opticans in other ways then just selling? You could dispense finished eyewear, adjust eyewear, and troubleshoot problems.

I do those all already. I'm not totally adverse to the dispensary. Just to the selling part. I adjust and repair (including the broken nylors and silhouette bushings that our main dispenser won't touch) . I'll dispense finished jobs if needed, although there is also a rule in the clinic that whoever started the job should finish with the patient as well, for continuity's sake. I can discuss lens materials and designs with patients. I do keep up with dispensing knowledge as new technologies come out, if only so that if a patient asks me I can give them a proper answer.

[mlm]

Forgive me, I don't get it.

Why not go out on the floor and sell? It won't kill you. It will make you even MORE valuable.

No, it won't kill me. Nor would it kill you to do your own I&R trainings and take payment for exams from patients yourself. But your time as an OD is best served doing what you studied 5 years to do, and my time is best served doing what I studied and trained to do.

No offense meant, but that's exactly my boss' attitude and one that I'm starting to suspect that all ODs may have. If my boss wants someone who can sell, sell, sell, then he should have hired that person. Do you hire someone with absolutely no phone skills and make that person answer all your phone calls? As I said, I have always been upfront about not wanting to do sales. My impression from my boss' current actions is that the ONLY value is in sales. But it isn't, and there are enough posts here to show me that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

[mlm]

Maybe I am reading into this.. but how busy is she already being. I mean.. are patients having to wait to be helped in the optical? Or does she have the time with all she does to add another task while juggling the other 50 things she does.

If patients are waiting to be helped in the optical/dispensary, then yes.. she should make herself available to them. However if the others are available, why put her in that role? Do the others take care of the photos and pretest if she is with a patient in the dispensary? Or is her role supposed to be that of the "tech" and administrative..

I've already answer this in previous posts, but I wanted to say that if my colleagues can sit around waiting for dispensary work while I'm running around like crazy (which they do), then turn about's fair play if I were to do the same with patients waiting in the dispensary. But I don't because that isn't fair to the patients. I will do the best I can until someone is free.

I guess the crux of the matter is that I feel this focus on selling is unfair given that 1. I do more than my fair share of the work already, and 2. the same reciprocal focus isn't being forced upon my colleagues. Oddly enough, my colleagues agree with me. So how is it that they can see my value, and my boss can't? Perhaps some of are you are right about the economy and slowed sales. Because I don't see those numbers, I can't say whether that's a factor of not.

[mlm]

seems to me she is doing all this extemporaneous work to avoid doing what she admits she doesnt like to do, and which her boss says is the most important facet of the work, sales. Even if the boss is putting you into a hole because it is a pwer struggle, the point still remains, your boss has indicated that sales were of the utmost import, and you are unwilling to jump in and try the waters. I would be looking for another position.

Do you really think I add duties just to avoid selling? And I'm not sure why you think all this is all impromptu work. I didn't make up all the non-clinical work, it was already there. It is still necessary and not taken up by anyone else.

Sure, I fully admit I don't like sales. I also don't like the colour orange nor doing laundry. Sales, wearing an orange uniform and doing my boss' laundry were never important facets of my job in the past 5 years, and I will not accept that any of them are suddenly the most important part of my contribution to the clinic. And since my job is now riding on one of these facets, yes I am looking for another job.

[THE MEB]

maybe you should consider writing critques.