Raise your hand if you think you deserve to make more money. Maybe, just maybe, we don't make more because we aren't worth more. The staff may be more of a detriment to the office than a real asset, and maybe Dr. Endoperf isn't getting more because the office is being managed well. How do we know if we are being compensated well enough? We are often flunkies when it comes to self evaluation while being world class when it comes to whining about how underappreciated and under rewarded we are.
An employee often will develop a poor attitude if they perceive that they aren't being treated well by the dentist. My second grader understands that the less she gives away to other people, the more she will have for herself. That same idea also permeates dentistry as taught by some accountants and practice management people. Their idea is that the less we pay the staff, the more we will have. But that advice may cost a practice big money in the long run.
Dentists also can have our heads up where it's dark sometimes. We think that all an employee needs is paid vacations, sick days, free parking, and clean commode on which to park their fanny (but not too often). If the dentist gets mad all the time, throws mirrors across the room, often makes staff feel stupid, or humiliates them in front of a patient or other staffers, they wont be happy no matter what you pay them. It is very inefficient to think employees are like saliva ejectors and cotton rolls ? disposable. Why worry about turnover when we can just hire another drive through person from Taco Bell -- "Hot or mild sauce with your crown?"
A complete package is so much more, tangible and intangible. There are traits and attitudes that can make or break the package that the dental office offers its employees. If done correctly, the dentist will also make more money and have more practice enjoyment.
How to get more from the boss
1. Appreciating the boss:
Sure the boss can be a jerk sometimes. But employees can be also. Some employees have their grubby little paws out for more all of the time, but only give the boss grief and pain. You know the type; they have their grubby little paws out all the time saying "It's all about me" without looking at their real value to the practice. To increase your worth to the office, show the head honcho that you really enjoy working in the office. Guess what, if you actually treat your boss with kindness and respect instead of bickering and whining you will make a more enjoyable and fun place to work. What do you give your boss for his/her birthday, bosses day, Christmas, for giving you a raise, or for not firing you when you threw away the handpiece or that bridge impression?
As a boss I am affected greatly by the attitude of the staff when I do evaluations, raises, and consider changing office policy. The better they treat me the better I want to treat them. That's only natural. I never forget that a good part of my success comes directly from the staff; I have a great staff that I wouldn't trade for any other. My team knows me well enough that they anticipate my needs and feelings maybe better than I do.
* Give the boss something for bosses day every year ? a gift certificate for some Oakley's, Home Depot gift card, some much needed golf lessons, or a down payment on Lasic so Doc won't keep drill'n on the wrong teeth.
* Give a gift for doc's birthday, anniversary of the practice, finish of a big case, etc.
* Save those "thank you" notes from patients, put in a note book, give them to the boss when he/she is feeling down.
* Tell him or her how great that filling, veneer, crown, or denture looks, in front of a patient is better.
* Tell the dentist how hot he/she looks in those new scrubs and how high tech sexy those magnifying glasses look.
* Ask what is bothering the boss for a change.
2. Have a productive attitude:
Employees choose to spend time whining and complaining or they can choose to spend that same energy making the office a better place to work. Why choose misery? There is a scripture that says grumbling leads to death. While not necessarily spiritual in an office, constant grumbling can lead to death of the joy of working. We spend so much of our adult life at work and it makes sense to do everything we can to make life as enjoyable as possible while there.
Make a great work environment by giving 100% effort to get along with the rest of the staff. In dentistry we deal with relatively small staff sizes and getting along is paramount to efficiency and peace in the office. Often though, factions develop and one or two employees feel left out, picked on, or even mistreated. While certainly some "cliques" are normal, never should an employee be made to feel alienated. Life is way too short to go through it fighting like children. Show the boss you care by making peace, not war.
* Quit complaining every time you get out of the office late ? do you thank the boss when you get off early or have some free time?
* Quit griping if your check is wrong ? do you high five the boss if you get paid early?
* Quit whining when you don't get that raise like you think you ought to ? are you grateful when you do get a new raise?
* Quit Narking on other employees, tell the boss if patients are being mistreated or if money is being stolen, but work out petty junk with the other employee directly.
* Quit being jealous because you think another employee is being favored; worry more about how well you are doing.
* Quit sucking the energy out of the rest of the office, it isn't fair to infect the rest of the office with your diseased attitude.
* If you see things that need to be fixed, present your ideas at the staff meeting in a constructive way, not divisive
* Look for ways to develop friendship with staff, not trying to isolate yourself from the others.
* Instead of complaining to the boss at every hurt feeling, try to deal with rifts in the office without involving the boss.
* Quit thinking "It's all about me!" and play a team game
* Bicker less, fuss less, slack off less.
* Thank more, volunteer more, smile more.
3. Give the boss his/her money's worth = quit stealing:
Sure you aren't swiping narcotics out of the medicine drawer nor are you pilfering amalgam behind the doctors back. Are you stealing in other ways? Do you assistants clock in and then sit at the back table reading the paper if a patient cancels? Do you hygienists sit in the employee lounge stuffing your face waiting for "your patient" while other staffers are working their duffs off? Do you front office people sit there yakking to your family on the phone while the rest of the office is swamped?
When you are doing no work while being paid, that is stealing. Certainly there are down times, and I always allow the staff to take personal phone calls, get something to eat, or sit for a minute as long as we aren't behind in the schedule or patients aren't waiting. You as an employee must evaluate yourself and ask "Am I giving my boss 100% of his money's worth?"
* Don't stand at the front desk talking to each other for even a split second while a patient or doctor stands there waiting for you to notice and help them.
* Look for ways to help other employees instead of hiding when you think you've finished "your" job, if you are still being paid keep earning it.
* Don't waste the bosses time taking care of personal business, let people know that you are actually needed at your office and that you'll have to talk to them after work.
* Show respect and ask before you use the office copier, fax, computer, or nitrous for personal use -- even offer to pay for or replace the used materials.
* If you make personal calls, don't tie up the needed business lines, bring your cell phone to the office; use your own phone to schedule your tanning appointments.
How to get more from the staff
1. Show consistent appreciation for the staff:
Sure you appreciate them, you give them a paycheck every week don't you? Isn't that thanks enough? That isn't even close, and that logic will guarantee you a high turn over. One of the best staff retainers and motivators is to tell and show them just how important they are to you. We bosses and dental CEO's have to swallow our ego's once in a while, come down off our "I'm a Doctor" pedestal and remember that the staff are real people who need their prides stroked once in a while?...just like we all do.
On a recent staff survey in our office, the same reasons came up over and over when I asked "What makes you feel like a valued employee in our office". They said they liked feeling that their opinions actually made a difference in our office, that I trust them, and that I never yell at them. Interesting? As bosses we think they would value other things more: a great staff lounge, being paid very well, paid vacation days, or that we had Cottonelle tissue in the staff commode. They want respect and to be treated like real people, not just spit suckers, paper filers, and plaque scrapers.
* Do reviews once or twice a year and highlight what they are doing right instead of just correcting them.
* When they stay late to work on an emergency or go out of their way to make a patient feel comfortable tell them thanks and that you really appreciate what they did.
* Praise them routinely for doing good work ? if you never praise, you don't have the right to complain or correct them
* Give them a raise without them begging or running after you with a chainsaw ? make it a surprise.
* Remember their office anniversary and birthday with a cake, cookies, gift certificate, or even a card.
* When they make a great temporary or pick a great shade tell them so in front of the patient.
* Buy them lunch or dinner with no strings attached.
* Take the time and effort to constantly train and educate them ? don't just tell them what to do, but let them know why you do what you do.
2. Let them think, give them a challenge:
Turn the staff loose, let them be creative within the office system. Many of the most creative and successful ideas in our practice have been devised by the staff. They are terrific at seeing things that I miss because they look at things from a different perspective, not from some skewed bosses view. They can be more perceptive and less biased than I am.
The more involved the staff is in decision making in the office, the more personal they take the successes and failures. The more personal to them, the more likely they are to stay and make sure that things work well. If the boss is positive and shows the desire to treat people right, the staff will pick up on that energy and try to do the same. They are a great source of ideas if we allow them to be creative within our system.
* Let the staff have fun, give them some freedom to laugh with the patients.
* Ask them to come up with organizational systems for the office? they will be more likely to work within a system that they help create.
* After treatment ask assistants if they see anything that needs to be shaped differently or changed ? they are great at seeing subtle corrections during bonding, veneer, or other esthetic cases.
* Teach assistants how to do quality jobs picking shades, making temps, answering patient questions, etc ? ask them if they can think of any ways to make improvement with them.
* Have the hygienists come up with ways to improve hygiene and perio treatment, they are more than capable to analyze and improve your system.
* Let the entire staff interview and evaluate potential employees ? will feel more involved (plus you can blame them if the new person doesn't work out).
* Have them review themselves ? at least once a year have them fill out a review form on them selves, it's revealing to see what they think of themselves.
* Have them review you in writing once a year, ask them in what ways you can improve employee motivation and patient care.
* Once a year do a practice review and ask them in what ways can the practice improve and how can patient service get better.
* At a yearly practice review meeting, have the staff help set realistic yearly goals ? production and motivation ? for the office.
* Have them take turns reviewing articles from dental magazines and present the ideas at staff meetings, let them teach each other.
3. Competitive salary and benefits:
Cold hard cash is the initial focus of new employees. Money gets them into our office, and how we treat them keeps them there. Our employees rated our 401k plan, paid holidays, and good wages as our top monetary benefits. The younger and newer they are the less an employee seems to be interested in other parts of the compensation package. The longer they are around and the older and wiser they get, the more other ways they are compensated seem to matter.
"Hourly" has worked much better for us in a small office than "salary". Salary can create problems. For instance, why would the staff want to work "extra time" to see needy patients if they aren't going to be paid extra? Salary facilitates the attitude of "Why should I work more when I don't get paid for if?" Also, when the office is closed, how does the employee get paid? Do they get the same pay for working much less? Do they give money back if they miss work? Hourly can make life a lot easier.
* Non-experienced new staff should be paid at least $1 more than local fast food places, newer employees with minor experience or training should be started at least $2 more than Wendy's (certainly loose guidelines)
* Review done 1-2 months after starting, end of probation period and salary adjusted accordingly, or employee mutually agree that employee will not work in your office (new hires have clear explained 1-3 month probation period at hiring)
* Well trained and experienced employees should be given at least the going rate in the area, don't squander the chance to hire a quality person by trying to save a dollar or two an hour ? quality people pay for themselves.
* Salary reviews done at least once per year at regular times, i.e. every September, pay above normal if your practice is above normal.
* Have salary increases that are not necessarily tied to the reviews, that way you can be honest with the staff and not feel the pressure to change salary because of the review.
* Benefits should be competitive within our field and also similar to the local job market. Cafeteria money can go to different benefits:
o Medical Insurance = Offer to pay a fixed amount per month for employees to apply to office plan premium or to spouse plan
o Dental treatment = free to the immediate family, employee pays any lab fees unless dental insurance covers them
o Retirement plan = 401k, Profit Sharing, Safe Harbor 401k or plan recommended by financial advisor or accountant
o Paid holidays = pay employees for the normal number of scheduled hours for that day
o Continuing Education = pay 100% for tuition for boss approved courses, pay for travel and meals during seminars, CE will pay for itself in staff motivation
o Scrub, jackets, and/or laundry service = contaminated tops and jackets should not be worn home by the employee
In summary, the staff is the greatest asset in our practice so we must treat them like it. At the same time, the staff must do more self scrutiny and less whining. Compensation is a 2-way street and what goes around comes around. Both staff and doctors need to give positive energy to the office and not do things to suck positive energy from the team. We are all in this together.
