Asking for a Raise in a Tough Economy, How Practice Managers Can Advocate Without Burning Bridges

Host Maria Pirita and Dr. Andy Roark discuss a mailbag from a practice manager who has not received a raise in three years and feels the impact of inflation while clinic revenue is down after closing boarding and grooming. They emphasize approaching raises as a relationship and business conversation, not an emotional confrontation, by assuming good intent, avoiding unhelpful stories, and being clear about what you need and what success looks like. Andy outlines the SAFE framework (smile, assume good intent, consider how the other person is set up to fail, define the end result), advises giving advance notice before the meeting, and cautions against threats or relying on hypothetical outside offers. They recommend building a case with metrics and contributions that show value and ROI, considering non-monetary options, and exploring other opportunities when needs are not being met.

Dr. Andy Roark is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. He is the founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference and DrAndyRoark.com. He has been an award-winning columnist for DVM360 and the magazine Today’s Veterinary Business. His social media, website, podcast and YouTube show reach millions of people every month.

Dr. Roark has received the NAVC Practice Management Speaker of the Year Award three times, the WVC Practice Management Educator of the Year Award, the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Veterinarian of the Year Award from the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians. His greatest achievement however involves marrying a bad-ass scientist and raising 2 kind and wonderful daughters.

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