Have you ever thought about why our industry is different? You don’t start a job at Starbucks without training, but in dental this is a common practice. Often because the base line knowledge of being certified in our profession we assume our fellow dental professionals know what they are doing. What are the causes for this and what are the potential solutions?
Staffing Shortages– as we know, finding top talent in any industry is tough with certified positions this can be a bigger challenge. Things in the dental world have changed drastically over the years, ten years ago we didn’t work evenings and weekends this has made childcare a challenge, dentistry is still a woman dominated industry and often as a second income, daycare is not affordable. During Covid we had a lot of part time workers retire sooner than expected and have continued to see a decline in the younger generation enrolling in dental programs. When you add this on top of more dental practices than ever, the general population having les children, these staffing challenges are amplified.
Organization– the number one reason we see people leave their position in a dental clinic is lack of organization. The dental industry attracts a-type personalities who crave organization and structure. Most dental clinics have no systems in place, do not provide training and do not onboard new team members. Let’s face it, losing a team member due to simple processes not being in place is not only stressful but can be costly financially.
Hiring Can Be Tough– as mentioned above about staff shortages, finding team members who fit your culture, work well with your philosophy and understand your mission are even harder to obtain. On top of the time involved in the process of placing ads, screening resumes, interviewing and checking references, you can still have a bad hire, often you do not know this until they are emersed in your practice.
What Can You Do Minimalize These Risks– evaluate your clinic and processes, do you have the systems in place to support a new hire? If you don’t hire often, this is likely a reality. For example, you find an amazing new RDA, they seem to match the office culture and vibe, what happens prior to them starting in your clinic? Do you have an offer letter that is signed and accepted? Is this verbal, is that clear for the new hire? Prior to their first day, do you have an onboarding package ready for them? Who is assigned to training? How do we support them, monitor their success and how do we do this ongoing?
What Does Proper Onboarding Mean– it is supporting and providing a systematic approach to adding a new team member into an existing team, this is overwhelming for most people. Imagine starting at a new clinic and prior to your first day you are welcomed on a group chat, day one you walk in are greeted by a team member, introduced to the team, shown the entire clinic, where you can put your things and made comfortable. Buying the new hire something simple like a coffee makes them feel valued and appreciated. Reviewing and presenting a package of forms is a nice touch which will streamline the trajectory for the new hire to understand their role, what the expectations and have the necessary paperwork so they know what to complete. Onboarding goes beyond the first day, this includes proper check-ins, ensuring the new team member is getting both positive and constructive feedback and is hitting the benchmarks you have set as a responsible practice manager or owner.
What Should Be Included in an Awesome Onboarding Package– this can vary from clinic to clinic and should be custom based on your expectations and culture. However, these sample baseline items to include are as follows:
- Contract or Employee agreement (Includes details on the position, hours, role specific office policies and any details the new team member needs to be aware of).
- Training Checklist (Recommend a 3-month training plan with every possible step that the new employee needs to complete, remember not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace so having an outline is supportive and helpful for the employer and employee).
- Job Description (Custom to the role and the office, for example every clinic will have a different perio program in place, this should be evident role specifically).
- Payroll Forms and any documents required for the CRA to pay the employee.
- Office Policy Manual
- Getting to Know You Form (this is fun and makes new talent feel you care and it gives you more information to make a connection with them- for example you can ask them what they think a good team is, where they want to travel, preferences for team building or how they would like to be incentivized if you were to give a bonus or gift).
Creating an exceptional onboarding experience not only starts your new hire off in the most supportive way possible but also sets expectations for the remainder of the team. We need to remember that patients form relationships with our team members and often these are stronger than with the dentist. Patients don’t like to see new faces in your practice, they like having reliable opinions of your team and developing the trust and rapport. Remember without our teams, a dental office can’t function, invest in your team and they will invest in you. This starts from the interview process but is solidified by the onboarding process and the environment you provide long term.
Comments are closed