Staffing issues are often among the most arduous tasks the
dentist/manager handles in his/her office.
The staff, the DENTAL TEAM,
can be the core of success or one giant headache for the practitioner. And, occasionally, they can be both in a
single day.
In my 35 years as a dental practice management consultant,
my clients, seminar attendees, and readers have posed myriad questions and
concerns about how to hire, train, evaluate, and work productively with team
members. In fact, this type of question
is the most frequently asked. I have
come to think of personnel issues as the “soft or malleable side” of dental
practice; whereas, the fiscal management, scheduling, recare system, treatment
delivery, and other functioning systems are the “hard or fixed” side of practice.
Leadership of the dental team--challenging, motivating, and
inspiring them---is the dentist’s responsibility as surely as is the delivery
of top-notch patient care and proper management of fixed systems in the
office. In short, the dentist must
expertly juggle people systems and business systems in order to have a
successful practice.
The next several letters in this series will address a
variety of people-system topics. Also,
helpful information about personnel issues has been added to Practicon’s
website in a series entitled Resources for Practice Management. You will find six sub-headings of management topics pertinent to any
practice---choose the one entitled "Interviewing, Hiring & Training" for more articles, forms, and data about staffing
procedures.
Let’s begin our discussion with some rules of thumb about
hiring team members:
When to hire? Do not wait until crunch time to hire and
train a new staff member. At that point,
the dentist and other team members are so desperate, they will often settle for
a “warm body”. While over-staffing is not wise, sufficient, well-trained staff must be in place before significant
growth and improved organization can occur.
The old adage, “Which comes first; the chicken or the egg?” translates
into dentistry as “Which comes first; more staff or desired improvements? Answer: well-trained, competent staff must
come first before business systems can be enhanced.
Sources of applicants:
- Dental auxiliary training programs
- Dental supply sales people who visit many offices and may know auxiliaries who are looking for a new opportunity
- Employment agencies specializing in healthcare positions
- Your staff may know peers who are searching for a position.
- Classified advertisements online or in print media
- If the position can be filled with an on-the-job-trained person, notice outstanding wait-staff, bank employees, or extra-friendly helpful, bright store clerks. Give such a person your business card and ask him/her to call to speak to your office coordinator about a job in your practice.
Applicant’s
resume. Appearance, grammar, and
error-free composition count when looking at an applicant’s resume. Read resumes critically, considering whether
mistakes or poor grammar can be tolerated in the position for which you are
hiring. Notice duration of employment for
each past job---frequent changes can indicate potential problems.
Telephone interview. If a resume is acceptable and the person
seems well qualified, a telephone interview is the next step. Among other points, ask these three questions
and listen carefully to the answers, making notes for recollection.
- Tell me about the best job you’ve ever held. (Does skill and enthusiasm match your need?)
- Tell me about the worst job you’ve ever held. (Were problems with the job or with a person? Can the applicant express feelings without vindictiveness or a display of bad attitude?)
- Thinking five years from now, what would you like to be doing? (I was once astounded when I asked this question of an applicant only to be told that she was looking for a job to make enough money to move to a city about 250 miles from the office location.)
In-Office Interviews. From the telephone interviews, choose
several candidates to come for an in-person interview. Two in-office interviews are recommended. The first is with a senior team member. If the person seems a likely candidate after
the interview, he/she should meet other staff and the dentist(s). Next, check references by telephoning the
people the applicant listed. Listen
carefully for tone of voice, hesitations, and such as the reference speaks of
the applicant.
Most
applicants must consider the wage rate and benefit menu as they consider accepting
a position. If you prefer to postpone
informing likely candidates about the compensation package until the second
interview, tell him/her that compensation will be discussed as part of the
second interview. For the applicant who
will be rejected after the first interview, no need to mention compensation at
all.
The second
in-office interview begins with a conversation with the dentist(s) followed by
a paid two-to-three hour working interview.
See how the applicant functions; how interested he/she is; how quickly
he/she understands office procedures; and evaluate his/her interaction with
other team members. If still being
considered, the applicant should be told he/she will be called within a few
days.
While considering which applicant to hire, seek input from
current staff. Team members have a great
deal to do with a new auxiliary’s success or failure on the job. When an offer is made, ask the potential
employee to respond within three days if he/she does not accept the offer when
made.
Replacing a well-trained auxiliary can cost up to the
equivalent of a year of his/her salary.
Once hired and trained, good people must be retained; and it is up to
the dentist and senior team members to inspire loyalty and job satisfaction in
the new person. The following are just a
few ideas about what keeps team members satisfied and motivated:
- Be clear from day one about expectations for the job---no surprises for the newcomer.
- Provide proper orientation to the office and training on the job. (See Practicon’s website, Resources for Practice Management, and click on Interviewing, Hiring & Training for a Training Schedule for Business Team Members and Clinical Team Members.)
- Delegate as much as possible as soon as possible to the new auxiliary.
- Avoid micro-managing. Once a new-hire is trained and displays competence, back off and show trust in his/her work unless problems arise.
- Express appreciation often and sincerely. This can be done verbally and/or in small ways like a treat at the end of a particularly trying day or week. (Read the document Join Up Effort for New Employees.)
- Convince team members that they work WITH you rather than FOR you.
Have fun
together---whether with a pleasant ambiance in the office or at planned events outside the office. Fun can be such things as practical jokes within the group,
sharing meals, social events, or community service. Engender enjoyment
as part of your dental team’s interaction.
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