In an ideal world you would hire one rock-star dental staff that would stick it out with you until your retirement. While this is (most likely) too good to be true; retaining a good team to help you maintain and grow your dental practice is something that all dentists should aspire to do.
But how?
There are books, seminars and programs that promise to help you train and keep the best employees. Many of them may even help you do just that, but in this post we’ll help you figure out a few of the basics to keep your good people happy enough to stay right where they are.
Clear Expectations
So many dental practices fail to have detailed procedures and training for their staff. This leaves a lot of guesswork for employees which can lead to a lack of satisfaction with their employer (which is you).
You can avoid this by having a detailed and extensive hiring and on boarding process for your newest staff, and setting detailed expectations and goals for the rest of your office. When everyone knows exactly what has to be done then there is no room for guesswork.
Proper Hierarchy
This goes hand in hand with setting clear expectations. Once you have training and goals laid out for your employees there should be a simple hierarchy that ensures the processes are getting done in an effective manner. Choosing the right office manager can be one of the most important decisions in retaining staff.
This manager can implement the processes, hire and train, handle issues, and make sure your patients are happy and taken care of. This is a key role in your overall business as well as being crucial to keeping a well-trained, low maintenance staff.
Appreciation
This may seem like a simple answer, but it may be the most important step to keep people from leaving. The reason that it is so important is that, if done properly, it creates not only retention, but loyalty.
If done properly??
Yes. As with most things in life there is a right and wrong way to show appreciation for your staff. It is also different for some people. There are those who crave public notice like a party or ‘employee of the month’ style recognition. Oppositely, there are those who really appreciate a thank you one on one without the public show.
Figuring out the temperament of your staff is important so you don’t embarrass them or disappoint them with your thanks. It is also very important not to over-due it. Thanking someone for buying ink pens with a party is a bit overboard. Continuous ‘praise’ for normal things can seem fake.
Show your staff you appreciate them by setting clear procedures and genuinely being thankful. Strategic Practice Solutions can help you find and retain great people.
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Strategic Practice Solutions, LLC