Hiring and Retaining a Great Workforce

Hiring the right employee for the right position can be challenging for independent community pharmacies. Clear communication between the employer and candidate about expectations¹ is paramount to increase the likelihood of a good fit. To help with retention, employees should feel they are part of a family, with employers frequently addressing any employee concerns and maintaining a positive workplace culture. Hiring for reliability starts with clarity.

“Candidates need to understand the pace, expectations, and realities of community pharmacy before they’re hired,” Jobby John, PharmD, owner of Lake Hills Pharmacy in Austin, Texas, said. “We look for people who show up prepared, communicate clearly, and demonstrate accountability in small moments. Those signals matter more than perfect résumés.”

Likewise, a good fit originates from values alignment. “Skills can be taught, but traits like empathy, follow-through, and respect for teammates are non-negotiable,” John told Total Pharmacy. “We also involve multiple team members in the interview process, so candidates experience the culture firsthand, and the team has a voice in who joins.”

Onboarding should be structured, not improvised, according to John. “Clear checklists, defined milestones for the first 30 to 60 days, and designated mentors reduce friction for everyone,” he said. “New hires should never feel like they’re slowing the team down because that’s a signal the system needs work, not the person.”

Lake Hills Pharmacy learned that investing upfront in thoughtful onboarding actually saves time in the long term by reducing errors, burnout, and turnover.

Retention starts with respect. “That means predictable schedules where possible, transparent communication, and recognizing contributions consistently and not just during annual reviews,” John said.

Employee growth also matters. “Even in smaller pharmacies, staff want to see a future of expanded responsibilities, leadership opportunities, or involvement in new services,” John said. “When team members feel trusted and invested in, they stay.”

John noted that A-players always want to do more by stretching their skills and taking on new challenges. “If you can't offer that, they'll leave,” he said. “The problem with traditional pharmacy is you hit a ceiling fast. A technician tops out at lead technician, and a pharmacist tops out at pharmacist in charge, and then you're capped on pay and responsibilities. That's how you lose good people.”

Kyle McHugh, co-owner of McHugh Pharmacy Group, with 15 locations across South Carolina, believes one of the biggestes mistake in hiring is a lack of communication between the employer and the applicant. “You need to carefully explain what you expect from the candidate, and the candidate needs to convey what he can offer, his abilities, and any limitations,” McHugh said. “This is an area where a lot of employers get confused.”

For example, an applicant may say they can work at any one of multiple locations, but then once onboard, the employer discovers the hire does not have a car. Likewise, the candidate might say they can work any day of the week, but after starting the position, the hire informs the employer that they attend school Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 am to 3 pm.

“You need to ask very specific questions,” McHugh told Total Pharmacy.² “Are there any times you are committed to do anything else other than work for me? Are there any days you have planned off in the next 6 months that I need to know about?”

In South Carolina, there are 2 categories of technicians: those registered with the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy and those who are state-certified. “A lot of applicants think they are state-certified, but they are only registered,” McHugh said. “You need to clarify.”

Besides clear communication during the hiring process, ongoing communication after hiring is key. “Consistent training is also important,” McHugh said. “We have a trainer who trains all of our people to the standards we hold globally.”

Articulating the pharmacy’s specific culture, communicating expectations, and placing employees in a position to succeed greatly enhances retention, according to McHugh. “Someone from your management team needs to be talking to that person at least once a week,” he said. “It can be a different team member each week.”

Among the questions to ask the employee: How is it going this week? What did you learn? Are you having any problems? Any technology concerns? Are there any personality issues? Is your schedule OK?

“You want to understand where the person is,” McHugh said. “I have found that over the years, people will hold things in and just leave, and they won’t tell you why. It may be as simple as I don’t like how another employee smells.”

When hiring, “it’s important to learn the personality and the goals of the candidates and make sure those fit well with your company,” Pam Marquess, PharmD, co-owner of The Marquess Group, said.³ “An applicant’s attitude toward patient care and his energy level toward work when it’s hard or easy are crucial as well.”

Another area to assess is whether the candidate is a good fit for the team they will be joining.⁴

To retain desirable technicians and pharmacists, “you need to create a great culture and praise them, not only verbally but socially, for their work and contributions,” Marquess told Total Pharmacy. “Employees should be recognized monetarily, too.”

Employees must feel valued as an essential part of the team, according to Marquess.⁵ “The culture at The Marquess Group is trying to be very intentional to treat team members with respect,” she said. “In fact, our employees feel we are one giant family.”

This sense of family is reflected by one employee covering another’s workload during illness. “Our employees really feel supported by their coworkers and valued,” Marquess said. “We all try to join in to help if someone is going through a hard time.”

For instance, after an employee was recently in a car accident, the staff raised money to pay the employee’s car insurance deductible to help them purchase another car. “Employees feel [like they are] part of a team. They don’t feel like they’re going about their job alone,” Marquess said.

The Marquess Group is constantly looking for ways to keep employees engaged and happy. The company conducts separate weekly telephone conference calls with each of its departments, attended by all employees of that department.

“It’s open discussion time for our employees to get answers to their questions,” Marquess said. “It’s an informational call, and it’s educational if there is something we want to teach them or if they just have general questions.”

Marquess believes that the more you educate and train employees, the more competent and confident they feel in their positions, increasing their job satisfaction and retention.

Flexibility also boosts retention, such as accommodating an employee’s request to transfer from one location to another. “Employees feel extremely valued when their request is honored,” Marquess said. The same holds for vacation requests. “Overall, 99% of people get [their] first choice for their vacation,” she said.

Lack of attendance is the major reason a hire does not work out at The Marquess Group. For example, “the person cannot commit to the schedule you’ve given him,” she said. “They are calling out sick or are unable to come in for various reasons. They become unaccountable to the team and undependable.”

Anticipating problems and asking employees in advance will lessen turnover, according to McHugh of South Carolina. “You have to be positive in a negative environment of health care,” he said. “Being honest and open on both sides can avoid problems.”⁶

Employees should feel comfortable contacting management to tell them that the bathroom is not working properly or that the store is cold, for instance. “By checking in weekly with employees, you create a comfort level so that they feel welcome to discuss little issues before those issues become big issues,” McHugh said.

Lake Hills Pharmacy in Texas is able to retain great talent because there is always room for employees to grow, especially with the pharmacy’s expansion into digital health. “A [technician] who starts in dispensing might move into compounding, long-term care operations, or even the technology side of the business,” John said. “When your company is constantly evolving, your people can evolve with it. That's the retention strategy.”

Culture is how work feels every day, according to John. To create a culture that keeps employees engaged in an environment of high volume and thin margins, “leaders need to remove unnecessary friction wherever possible and protect staff from chaos,” John said.⁷ “This means clear priorities, streamlined workflows, and leaders who are visible and supportive on the floor. When teams feel psychologically safe and know leadership has their back, engagement follows, despite tight margins.”

John believes that pharmacies that reduce complexity, invest in training, and genuinely care for their teams “will win, even as labor markets remain tight.”

By contrast, retention will not occur by asking employees to work harder.

“It will come from designing better systems and more sustainable roles,” John said. “The pharmacies that recognize this shift early will be the ones that thrive.”

REFERENCES

1. 6 recruiting techniques to find talented pharmacy employees. PBA Health. August 10, 2021. Accessed February 18,2026. https://www.pbahealth.com/elements/5-techniques-to-recruit-talented-pharmacy-employees-2/

2. 5 tips for interviewing pharmacy staff. Rx Relief. Accessed February 18,2026. https://www.rxrelief.com/blog/5-tips-for-interviewing-pharmacy-staff/

3. Henry J. The ultimate guide to hiring pharmacists: tips for employers. DS Recruitment. March 9, 2025. Accessed February 18,2026. https://dsrecuit.co.uk/the-ultimate-guide-to-hiring-pharmacists-tips-for-employers

4. How to hire a pharmacist. Indeed. Accessed February 18,2026. https://www.indeed.com/hire/how-to-hire/pharmacist?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhaHMBhD2ARIsAPAU_D4xJJkGAQkAbpctVZmNFBA7O7Z8vbw0ykMxYy90ezihRRo7u9eDV5oaAiGpEALw_wcB&gad_campaignid=696031637&gbraid=0AAAAADfh6_vD29LDk3OOVINeeT0Cs1EjI&aceid=&gclsrc=aw.ds

5. Shifrin D. Four ways to retain good pharmacy employees after the people have been hired. The Happy PharmD. June 2, 2019. https://thehappypharmd.com/four-ways-to-retain-good-pharmacy-employees-after-the-people-have-been-hired/

6. Creating a positive workplace culture in pharmacies. Xpress Health. January 6, 2025. https://xpresshealth.ie/creating-a-positive-workplace-culture-in-pharmacies

7. Building a pharmacy culture that attracts and retains top talent. Rx relief. https://www.rxrelief.com/blog/building-a-pharmacy-culture-that-attracts-and-retains-top-talent/