Access to advanced courses or internal promotion pathways
Opportunities to lead mini-projects (e.g. product launch, process improvement)
Paid education days for upskilling
How to Set Up your Team Incentive system: Step-by-Step
Start with a Performance Baseline – Measure current KPIs
Survey Your Team – What really motivates them? (Find their Love languages)
Define Objectives – Choose metrics that matter (e.g. average spend per patient, Enquiries or Consultation conversion rate, review count, rebooking rate)
Choose Feedback Frequency – Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly
Keep It Visible – Use whiteboards, dashboards, EHR/CRM software, or group chats
Communicate & Celebrate Wins – Recognition in Weekly huddles or monthly awards
Review & Evolve – Adjust as team or clinic goals shift
Compliance Considerations
Incentives MUST align with local Regulations and Advertising guidelines
E.g. No “before and after” photos as part of contest or bonus mechanisms
Strongly Avoid encouraging performing procedures without clinical justification
Transparent disclaimers in internal sales language
Incentive Case Examples
Example 1: Medspa team exceeding skincare retail goal and winning education grants
Example 2: Surgical booking team rewarded for reducing noshows or cancellation rates
Example 3: Monthly cross-team competition for number of 5-star reviews with prizes
Example 4: Practice team earns a set fee for each large surgery performed – pid monthly. (Around 1-2% of surgery fee). This is split by days worked in the month.
Common Mistakes to Avoid Using Incentive Systems
AVOID Overly complex systems that no one tracks
AVOID Favouritism or unclear rules – same “Employee of the month”
AVOID Only rewarding top sales performers (leaves support roles out)
AVOID Focusing only on financial rewards (burnout risk)
AVOID the endless rewards system – set a fixed time for the incentive and review at end of each period (e.g. 6 or 12 months)
Pros & Cons of Using Staff Incentives
Seven Pros of Using Staff Incentives in a Plastic Surgery Clinic
Boosts Motivation and Morale
Helps keep front desk, consultants, and clinical teams energised
Recognises effort in high-pressure environments like theatre days or full consultation lists
Drives Key Business Metrics
Improves booking conversion rates, reviews, retail sales, or surgical day efficiency
Encourages upselling and cross-referrals to non-surgical services or skin care
Reinforces Team Accountability
Promotes shared responsibility for patient experience and revenue
When applied well, creates peer motivation and cross-functional collaboration
Supports Staff Retention
Incentives show appreciation and can reduce turnover in support roles
Adds value beyond base salary (especially for admin or junior staff)
Makes Metrics Visible and Fun
Gamified scoreboards and reward programs make performance tangible
Helps focus team on what really matters — e.g. fewer cancellations, better follow-up
Encourages Product & Treatment Familiarity
Incentivising use of in-house skincare or medspa services helps staff recommend confidently
Can Build Positive Culture if Designed Well
Incentives tied to values (e.g. compassion, teamwork) support a high-trust, high-performance culture
Seven Cons of Using Staff Incentives in Plastic Surgery Clinic
Risk of Misalignment with Patient Safety
Overemphasis on revenue targets can create unethical pressures
Team may push consultations or procedures that aren’t medically necessary
Regulatory Compliance Risks
Incentives linked to booking surgeries or testimonials must follow strict regulations
Some clinics can’t advertise discounts, gifts, or time-limited offers for medical procedures
Creates Internal Competition or Resentment
Individual rewards can cause tension if some team members feel excluded or under-recognised
Can damage morale if seen as unfair or poorly communicated
Can Lead to Short-Term Thinking
Teams may focus on “hitting the number” rather than long-term patient care or brand reputation
Complexity in Tracking and Admin
Incentives need accurate KPIs, dashboards, and consistent tracking
Poorly managed systems create confusion, errors, or favouritism claims
Recommendations for Balanced Implementation of Staff Incentives
Focus on behaviours and service quality, not just financial outcomes
Blend individual and team rewards
Include non-monetary recognition like praise, perks, or education days
Align with ethical frameworks and regulatory requirements
Track and review programs every quarter for fairness and relevance
Designing Staff Incentives in Plastic Surgery Clinics
Here’s a practical guide to incentive design tips tailored for plastic surgery clinics. These tips help you create a reward system that is fair, motivating, and aligned with business goals — especially for teams including reception, nurses, surgical coordinators, patient consultants, and non-surgical staff.
Start with Clear Goals
Link incentives directly to measurable business outcomes:
Surgery revenue or number of bookings
Conversion rate from enquiry to consult or consult to surgery
Patient review volume or satisfaction score
Retail product sales (e.g., skincare)
Use SMART targets: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
Keep It Simple and Transparent
Avoid complicated incentives formulas — staff should instantly understand:
What’s expected
How they earn the incentive
When they’ll receive it
Use easy-to-read trackers (e.g., whiteboards, digital dashboards, scorecards)
Incentivise Both Individual and Team Success
Individual examples:
Coordinator bonuses for every completed surgery over baseline
Nurse incentive for high skin product sales
Team examples:
Group reward if total theatre day hits $X
All staff win if Net Promoter Score (NPS) improves by 10 points
VIP recognition, fun experiences (team dinner, spa, show)
“Surprise and delight” prizes (UberEats, Friday treats, lucky dips)
Recognise Activities / Behaviour / Habits – Not Just Results
Don’t only reward outcomes — reinforce the right habits:
Warm phone etiquette and follow-up
Preparing the OR/theatre ahead of time
Patient education and empathy shown in consults
Make It Frequent and Timely
Shorter feedback loops = better engagement:
Weekly rewards for reviews or retail sales
Monthly or quarterly team bonuses
Avoid waiting till end of year — motivation fades over time
Ensure Fairness and Inclusion
Consider roles that don’t directly influence sales or surgeries (e.g., sterilisation, admin, marketing)
Offer shared rewards or peer-nominated bonuses
Recognise effort and consistency, not just “top performers”
Reinforce with Recognition – One of The 5 Love Languages
Celebrate wins publicly in team huddles, chat groups, or notice boards – What gets celebrated gets achieved.
Pair tangible rewards with positive reinforcement:
A thank-you card, shout-out, or small ceremony can double the impact
Adjust and Evolve Over Time – Always Set Time Limits on Incentive Programs
Review incentive outcomes every 3–6 months
Ask staff what’s working and what feels unfair or confusing
Phase out underperforming rewards and test new ones
Consider short-term campaigns to focus on a NEW HABIT (Reviews, Referrals, New Product/Service promotional launch)
Follow Legal and Ethical Rules for Incentives (Especially in USA / Australia)
Observe Federal & State Laws HIPPA/ RACS / AHPRA guidelines: No incentive should pressure or influence patient clinical decisions
Avoid rewards based on number of procedures booked unless clinically appropriate
Ensure disclaimers if linking to patient reviews or testimonials
Beware of rewards & incentives if taking Medicare / Insurance cases
Using Employee Incentive Schemes (EIS)
Money is a motivating factor for most people
Higher compensation can influence individual behaviour.
Money is only onemotive for employees to do their job well.
Prestige, power, status are other motivating factors.
The best type of motivation comes from “within”
Ca$h Isn’t KING for Staff Rewards
“How did you spend your last cash reward?” Wirthlin Worldwide research
29% of respondents said they paid bills
11% purchased gifts for family
11% bought household items
11% put the money in savings
15% said they never received cash
18% didn’t remember
Many people actually regret choosing cash over experiences / tangible rewards
Design Rewards that Motivate
Aspirational Rewards
Something you Wouldn’t BUY for yourself (Avoids that Guilty Feeling)
Exciting & Experiential (Memorable)
Generates BUZZ
Reinforces Effort or Related to Effort
Not perceived as “a Bribe”
Creates Long-term affinity
Types of Incentives : Individual and Group/Team Rewards
Forms of Incentives Schemes
Recognition Schemes
Bonus schemes
Merit pay plans
Profit-sharing plans
Gain-sharing plans
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP)
Measuring Incentive Scheme Success
Financial Measures
Year on year Sales growth
Cost of incentive program expressed as a % of total sales
Incentive cost as a % of sales
Referral growth
Sales Conversion rates
Non-financial Measures
% participation
Reward redemptions
Qualitative survey data (measure awareness and understanding)
Reward program Web site visits
Structuring your Employee Incentive Scheme (EIS)
Understand your People before choosing type of Incentive
Consider your people and the history of past rewards
Identify the best type of reward categories e.g. combination of commissions, merchandise, travel or experiences.
Team (Group) vs IndividualRewards
Consider whether a team reward will be more impactful than an individual reward. (possible Downside of Individual rewards)
EIS Budget & Context
Offer rewards that are affordable within the available budget / economics of the program. Where budgets are tight, you need clear communication about the purpose of the incentive.
EIS BUDGET – a typical company wide incentive program invests between 0.3% to 1.0% of total payroll costs – with some up to 3%
Designing your EIS – Questions to Consider:
What gets Rewarded gets Repeated – What kind of behaviour do we really want to encourage?
How do we Measure Performance? – Evaluations versus Indicators
Bonus Scheme Levels – Tiered Vs Linear , Capped or Uncapped – Benchmarking against others?
At Risk Component? – How much weight should the incentive component have in total renumeration?
Payout frequency? – Short/Long term – yet Avoid Entitlement mentality
10 Steps for Effective Employee Incentive Scheme Design:
Define and Clarify Business Goals
Analyse the Culture, Patients, Products, and Processes
Define the Incentive Scheme’s Objectives
Conduct a Proper Cost-Benefit Analysis & Decide Budget
Determine Which Team Members and Levels to Target
Select the Incentive Mechanism(s)
Conduct the Incentive Scheme Design Work
Run a Pilot Test (limited time)
Communicate & Market the Scheme to the Staff
Monitor the Scheme’s Performance and Adjust regularly
Costs are proportionate to the benefit to the business.
Transparent – Easy to Understand and communicate
Easy to administer
Variable if circumstances change
Top Tips for an EIS that Works
Make it part of the way that the organisation thinks about rewards – build a recognition-based culture
Don’t have just one scheme – develop lots and see which ones work well.
Make the reward as soon as possible after the event and appropriate to the effort and the person.
Don’t make it overly bureaucratic. Someone (usually HR) needs to monitor it, but line management must own it.
Publish success – what you focus on expands
Be prepared to change, revitalise or replace the scheme/s.
Pitfalls With EIS Incentive Schemes
Too many targets – Overwhelm
Aiming at the Wrong Targets
Wrong Focus – time-stretched staff may focus on only one or two measures and abandon others.
Too much time counting & reporting
Not worth the effort – Poor time-money balance
Measurements not objective enough
Misaligned incentives. Some incentives target helping people change their behavior— but management doesn’t go far enough to help with that modification.
Side Effects Of Poorly Designed EIS – Your Actions Have Consequences
Heavy use of incentive pay with big monthly bonuses. Sales Staff earned more than managers CAN CAUSE Sales Staff refused to apply for senior jobs.
To combat debtor problems very strong disincentives for allowing client debts were introduced – CAUSED Sales Staff manipulated statistics or concentrated on stable customers, almost stopped granting of new accounts.
Heavy focus on sales staff productivity measures with minimum numbers of clients per month to be eligible for bonus – CAUSED Client account quality suffered, some engaged in fraudulent behaviour i.e. fictitious clients
EIS had a strong emphasis on client portfolio quality CAUSED Sales people became risk averse and shied away from finding new customers
No base salary offered, only a commission based on sales CAN CAUSE High turnover rate among sales staff, left typically after 2 years with burn out
Always have a Clear Game Plan that is aligned (Stephen Covey the 8th Habit)
Communicate Your Vision, Mission, Strategy and Values – Use memorable stories to make them stickier.
What Employees say:
JUST 37% say they have a clear understanding of what the organization is trying to achieve and why
JUST 20% say they are enthusiastic about their team and organization goals
JUST 20% said they have a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals
Dave’s Staughton at ISAPS2025 – International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons
David Staughton presented this topic at the ISAPS 2025 Conference in Singapore.
Taking Action on Using Staff Incentives
Incentives can be simple, fun, and deeply motivating
Tailor rewards to your team’s personality and values
Use them to reinforce your clinic culture and performance goals
Further Reading about Staff Incentives and Motivation
David Staughton B.Sc.(Hons) CSP CCEO Practice Consultant
David Staughton B.Sc.(Hons) CSP CCEO is an Australian practice consultant for Plastic Surgery Practices in Australia & NZ and around the world. He is an expert at improving results with teams, systems and accountability.