A thriving dental office staff begins with a leader who truly supports them in their triumphs, and showing your appreciation for their hard work is a terrific first step. A solid team is essential for your dental practice to run like a machine. It might seem impossible to keep talented employees, given recent staffing issues. However, there are effective strategies to retain top talent, beginning with showing daily recognition and acknowledging excellent work. Our dental practice coaches at Bryant Consultants share six ways to show that you’re thankful for your dental team and how they can eventually create a more fulfilling environment that encourages your team members to stay and attract quality talent.
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Encourage Professional Development
Investing in the career development of your dental team is an excellent way to show your appreciation. This shows that you are committed to helping them improve both within the dental office and the industry at large. There are numerous choices available, including seminars, workshops, webinars, and online continuing education (CE). By providing CE, you can demonstrate to your team that you value their growth and success. To make it even more special and rewarding, surprise them with a fun learning day off-site.
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Feed Your Team Members
Sharing food, such as coffee, breakfast pastries, and lunch sandwiches can also be a wonderful way to foster a sense of community among the staff members and distinguish your dental practice from others. Of course, you shouldn’t provide food daily, but doing so once a week or once every two weeks is a powerful way to boost team morale. Not only can your staff benefit physically from consuming food, but you can take it a step further and include a fun activity like mini golf. After long days of back-to-back patients, your team will appreciate the break from the office.
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Show Gratitude
It might seem like a straightforward fix, but how frequently do you express gratitude to your coworkers in the office? Although it’s a powerful way to let people know you value them, verbal or other acts of gratitude are often not a part of office life. Therefore, our dental office consultants challenge clients to find out something special about each team member and buy them a small gift to say thank you. For example, if you have a staff member that loves crazy socks, find a ridiculous pair and give them some. Offering a thoughtful gift for a job well done can make a big difference.
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Give Gift Cards
A wonderful way to express gratitude is with gift cards, especially when you’re unsure of what to get them. Gift cards are an inexpensive option where you can purchase small denominations like $5 for lunch, coffee, or gas. Additionally, gift cards can be a fun way to express gratitude and help employees with daily living expenses.
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Use Social Media
Social media is an effective marketing tool for dental practices, and in this case, it can be a great opportunity to showcase your work and what makes your office unique. Our dental practice coaches recommend using social media to introduce new team members. Then, publicly recognize them in a personal post for reaching their goals and milestones. Have a collective achievement? Snap a group photo so you can inspire others with your teamwork.
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Upgrade Their Equipment
The primary goal of the dental team is to complete their work safely and efficiently, and this begins with the practice owner. Practice teams that have old or broken equipment may struggle with completing their job duties daily. By ensuring that your equipment is updated and upgraded, you can demonstrate to your practice staff that you are committed to their success as well as the success of the patients in your care. The best way to express gratitude is to have confidence in your team and work hard to support their career success. Pizza parties and gift cards just can’t compare.
Bryant Consultants
Your dental team works hard for you day in and day out, and in some cases, without a thank you. Showing your employees that you genuinely appreciate their effort and hard work can help them feel comfortable and want to stay with your practice. If you need more appreciation ideas or would like to speak with one of our dental office consultants at Bryant Consultants, feel free to call us at (877) 768-4799 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
