At this point it is a well-known fact that the dental industry is going through a very stressful phase. Staff shortages, increased costs, increased safety measures – these all impact the stress levels of practice owners and team members alike. In fact, the amount of stress being felt is leading to even more staffing issues as team members are desperate to accept higher paying or more flexible positions, or even leave the industry entirely.
As Dr. Jordan Soll pointed out in our Data Driven Dentistry webinar (available to replay on our website), we should be treating staff salaries and benefits as investments, not expenses. Everyone has faced challenges in the last few years due to the pandemic and will continue to long after the pandemic has passed. Everyone has a personal life and things going on that we have no idea about. Be sure to treat your staff members as the assets they are because your practice would not be the same, nor as successful, without them.
Check in with your staff. Acknowledge the stresses they are experiencing and work to help them in any way you can. Demonstrating that you’re a present and available leader is an easy step to take towards easing your team’s troubles. Put on fun events in and outside of your office. Even if all of your practice’s problems cannot be solved immediately, cultivating these lighthearted bonding experiences will help ease tension within the team.
As seen in the print issue of Oral Health June 2022
*In October and November 2021, Bramm Research, a third-party independent research house, conducted an online survey of active, practicing non-hospital affiliated dentists and dental specialists on behalf of Oral Health. Using Oral Health’s subscription list, a total of 264 completed surveys were tabulated. With a total sample of 264, the margin of error is plus or minus 6.0 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. If, for example, 50% of the sample indicated that agreed with a statement, then we can be reasonably sure (19 times out of 20) of an accuracy within +/- 6.0%. This means that a total census would reveal an answer of not less than 44.0% and not more than 56.0%.
Sponsored by 
