Dental office holiday party survey results

We surveyed our audience in the last edition of the eNewsletter, and the results are below.

80% of the dentists that responded plan to host an office holiday party, and 67% will be serving alcohol at the party.

Below are comments from dentists pertaining to their year-end office staff bonus/gift program:

Bonuses are based on longevity of employment and range from $500 to $1,500.

Each staff member receives a $500 bonus.

We have had a party for the last 23 years, but we cancelled this year due to conflicts with employee schedules. We always give our staff a $100 bonus.

Each employee is given a monetary gift and then we all go shopping together. The money is to be spent on the employee only, not on their family members or others. We have done this for many years and always have a great time.

We give a $500 check to full-time employees, and a $100 to $200 check to part-time employees. We also have a lunch at the office during our normal lunch hour. We order pizza, desert, and beverages. I give each staff member a handwritten card that says, “Thank you for your hard work throughout the year,” and I include a check in the card. This is the best and easiest way to do a holiday party. There is no out-of-office excursion that requires a lot of planning and preparation, and we don’t have to deal with the problems that always come up in that situation.

Each staff member receives a wrapped present at the office Christmas party, and at the next payday they receive a check for any unused sick and vacation days, plus a year-end bonus based on merit.

We’ve been in practice 32 years. The alcohol at our office party is limited to one glass of wine with dinner over a 90-minute period. I always give a really nice gift (usually a limited edition ceramic) and real U.S. cash as a thank you.

I have [given a bonus] every year in the past; however, I hired a consultant who convinced me to stop this year.

I give a percentage of the year’s gross (since we met our year goal with the team’s effort and God’s grace).

I give a personal gift and a bonus equal to two weeks salary.

We usually give around 2% of salary and we provide a nice personal gift.

I give a cash bonus, and the amount depends on years of service.

I give a yearly 8% bonus in addition to an 8% quarterly bonus. Base pay is $16 per hour, and additionally medical is paid in full. Employees receive 11 days vacation and major paid holidays.

We give gift cards for $100 to each staff member.

Our gift is iTunes gift cards.

We give a hotel room in San Francisco, and a dinner and dancing cruise in the bay that night.

The bonus depends on how long an employee has worked in the office and their salary. Employees also receive a Christmas arrangement to take home and a small gift to open. The bonus checks are given at the office luncheon (staff only), which is usually held the first week of December at the restaurant of their choice.

Employees receive a week off paid.

Employees usually receive a few small gifts and a $250 bonus.

Instead of a party, we take our staff for an overnight spa weekend.

If we reach our yearly goal, every staff member gets a bonus. If not, we do not give out anything. At the beginning of the year, everyone knows the target and how it breaks down into monthly and weekly production goals.

We provide year-end bonuses and gifts. We are VERY generous when the office does well. We as dentists cannot do this job alone!