Monday, July 13, 2015

NEED HELP WITH PERSONNEL ISSUES?


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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