Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 5

Employees are now interviewing you as a business before you even get a chance to interview them. They’re Googling you. They’re looking at all the reviews from patients. They’re talking to your current or former employees and they want to know what you have to offer and how much of a workload they will be required to carry. In speaking with dental hygienists, they told me they often take notice of the office setting and equipment that you have. Is it dated or modern? They also note how much work is assigned to other dental staff to determine if there are enough staff in support roles to ensure cleaning, sanitizing, set up and paperwork doesn’t also fall on the hygienist to do. In a crucial way, your employees are also your brand. The better you treat your team, themore engaged, inspired, valued, and safe they will feel, and as a result, the more likely other people will be attracted to your dental office. Your patients will also notice! Happy staff are friendly and inviting. Stressed staff are disgruntled, negative and may even gossip about work issues with patients. Q How can dentists work toward retaining more staff in the current environment? CH: The statistics show that 99% of dental assistants in Canada are female, with an average age of 38. These women are often in the “sandwich generation”whomay be caring for parents and children at the same time. They have a lot of competing priorities and responsibilities. To retain these team members, we need to make it easier for them to balance their careers and their other responsibilities. Ask yourself, how can my dental office be flexible to make this possible? Retaining the employees that you already have is so important financially. People underestimate the cost of hiring and training a new employee. There is lost productivity when you’re down a staff member, and then when a new person is learning your office protocols and your style, they won’t be as productive as someone who has been in the position for years. Talking with people who work in dental offices, I’ve heard a range of concerns. Some folks feel like there is too much administrative work that makes them feel inefficient. I’ve heard that sometimes the leadership style in an office can be autocratic. If the average age of a dental assistant is 38, often they’re experienced in the workplace and have useful ideas that they could share with you. Are you open to hearing them or do you just want it done your way? I encourage leaders to hire people because they are creative, innovative problem solvers. And once they are part of the team, be sure to listen to their ideas. They know the industry as well. That’s an important way to retain employees: make them feel engaged and empowered. It’s not always about the salaries you can offer. Staff want to feel valued and to be heard. They want to contribute. Q What would be your takeaway message for dentists? CH: My last piece of advice is that it’s so important to spend time figuring out what your employees need and what they are interested in. Maybe it’s a flexible schedule. Maybe it’s professional development. Invest the time and energy to find these things out from your staff. Dental practices are people-centered businesses. Most dentists haven’t had formal HR training, but of course there’s a lot of HR skills required to run a successful practice. While it may be scary and overwhelming, managing people is a learnable skill. There are books, classes, and coaches who help build the skill set. You can learn to be the kind of leader that empowers and inspires their team. Q Are there aspects of the hiring process that are often overlooked? CH: Most of us have unconscious biases that we don’t realize we carry with us. I see many leaders who hire a “mini-me.” They look to hire people similar to themselves because that’s what they’re comfortable with. But an effective team needs people with different skill sets and qualities that they can bring to the group. I often ask leaders to try to expand their ideas of who might be a good fit in their office. I also ask leaders to look at when they are losing their employees. If it’s in the first 6 months, then there is likely a problem with training and on-boarding, a process that, in small businesses of all kinds, often isn’t planned out or intentional enough. Your employees are also your brand. The better you treat your team, the more engaged, inspired, valued, and safe they will feel, and as a result, themore likely other people will be attracted to your dental office. 37 Issue 5 | 2022 | SupportingYour Practice