Posted by Amy Carbone on Jan 6, 2020 9:00:00 AM
Modern dental offices are diverse places where drastically different individuals may come together to form a talented team of dental professionals. Unfortunately, maintaining a united front and functional team might not always be easy.
Don’t let differences in age, backgrounds, and professional roles create friction or division in your dental practice that inevitably impacts your bottom line. Explore our tips for collaboration and professional relationship-building that can help to forge stronger teams and smoother workdays in your practice.
Encourage Teamwork and Collaboration
Fostering a work environment that places a high value on teamwork and collaboration is the first step to uniting employees. Make it clear that all employees have something to offer your dental practice and that by working together, the office can become a great workplace. Recognize teamwork where it exists; a simple "great work!" or recognition at the next team meeting can go a long way. Employees should feel encouraged to work with each other to complete tasks and support each other throughout the workday.
Create a Mentorship Training Program
A great way to illustrate how much each employee has to offer is to simply pair them up and let them teach each other. Create a mentorship program in the workplace that facilitates this approach by grouping together two or three people, ideally one more experienced than the other(s). Or, have employees shadow each other for a day.
Perhaps one employee is great with technology, but another has developed superb customer service skills from working in the industry before technology became so advanced. Encourage each employee to share their knowledge with the whole group, seeking to build a stronger practice through the sharing of specialized skills.
Show Employees Equal Appreciation
Showing employees your appreciation is crucial to fostering a healthy workplace, but if not distributed equally, could spark conflicts. If some employees sense you're showing favor to other staff members or vice versa, this could create resentment at best. At worst, you could be facing a lawsuit. Recognize all employees for a job well done. Distribute gifts equally across the board. If incentives must be earned, make sure every employee has the same opportunity to earn the incentive.
Facilitate Open Communication in the Office
Good communication between administrative staff, dental hygienists, and dental associates is crucial to the success of your dental practice. Encourage employees to communicate with you– and each other– during meetings. During daily or weekly team meetings, allow a short time for employees to bring up any issues, concerns, or questions they have. Let employees have the floor as long as the conversation stays professional. Make a point to follow up on concerns or problems, and let your staff know that your door is always open if they prefer to discuss issues in confidence.
Create Bonding Opportunities for Employees
For employees to function as a team in the workplace, they must first feel like a team. This can be difficult when employees are from two radically different generations or backgrounds. Help foster camaraderie by creating opportunities for employees to bond. Volunteer together on a weekend off, host a pizza party after work once a month, or treat the staff and their families to a company picnic in the summer. When employees develop friendships and mutual respect off the clock, it's easier for them to connect and work together after they clock in.
Allocate Tasks According to Employee Strengths
It's important to see each of your staff members as individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses. Make an effort to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each employee on your team, and then allocate tasks accordingly. Distributing tasks to team members who are strong in those areas makes it easier for your staff to excel. And when your staff excels, likely, so does your practice.
Unifying your team? Don't Make This Mistake
If you're working hard to create team unity, don't make the mistake of giving your employees the impression that you're a "know-it-all." Not only should your employees have plenty of things to teach each other, but they should also have plenty to teach you. Take tips and suggestions from your employees and don't immediately dismiss their ideas as not having any value because you're in a management position. Instead, attempt to improve your own game by taking a page out of their playbook. Adopt new, useful ideas that work well and shed any old habits or traditional ways of doing things that no longer serve your practice.
About Treloar & Heisel
Treloar & Heisel is a premier financial services provider to dental and medical professionals across the country. We assist thousands of clients from residency to practice and through retirement with a comprehensive suite of financial services, custom-tailored advice, and a strong national network focused on delivering the highest level of service.
Treloar & Heisel and Treloar & Heisel Property and Casualty are divisions of Treloar & Heisel, LLC.
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Treloar & Heisel, LLC. and its divisions do not offer legal or practice management advice. Please consult a professional concerning these topics.
