How do I build a happy dental team?

Introduction

We all know that the only way to have a successful practice is by having a great team. If you want to build a happy dental team, here are some tips on how you can do it:

Build a happy dental team and your practice will thrive

Building a happy dental team is a key part of building your practice. Happy team members are more productive, and loyal and refer new patients. They are less likely to leave, and when they do leave, it’s usually because of issues outside of the workplace.

Here are some things you can do to create an environment where employees enjoy working.

• Set up a transparent process for pay increases
• Create opportunities for professional development (e.g., continuing education courses)
• Try not to micromanage employees

Set clear goals and vision

• Set clear goals and vision.
• Define what you want to accomplish as an organization, and then prioritize each person’s role in achieving it.
• Align your team members’ individual initiatives with the overall mission of the practice.
• Review your team structure regularly to ensure everyone is working toward a common goal.

Keep staff turnover low

Keep staff turnover low. It's important to keep staff retention as high as possible because turnover can be expensive. The average cost of replacing an employee is about 20 percent of their annual salary, according to one article in the Harvard Business Review. If you're losing employees at a fast rate, it may be because you have a problem with your culture or reputation that needs fixing—and that could be affecting your patient care as well.

Develop team-building activities

Team building activities can be a fun way to strengthen the bond between team members. But it's important that these events are productive and relevant to the work you do, as well as a mix of physical, mental, and social exercises. The best team-building activities are varied and not repetitive; they require some effort on the part of participants but don't take too much time away from their other duties.

Provide ongoing training and development

The first thing you should be doing is providing ongoing training and development.

We're going to get into what that means in a moment, but first, let's talk about why it's so important. Training and development are some of the best ways to develop your team's professional skills and keep them up-to-date with industry trends. And when they're excited about their work, they'll be happier at work too! When you think about creating a training plan for your staff, there are a few things to keep in mind:

What do you want them to learn?

If you want them all to become more knowledgeable about implant placement techniques or how effective fluoride varnish is at preventing cavities, then make sure those topics are included in their training plans. You can also include things like cross-training opportunities for different positions (like technicians learning how fillings are done) so everyone stays fresh on multiple aspects of dentistry at once.

How often should this training happen?

The frequency will depend on your office's needs (for example: if most people only attend once per year), but as long as there's frequent contact between sessions they'll retain much more information than if they were only trained once every few years or so.

How long should each session last?

Plan ahead by knowing how much time each topic takes on average before deciding whether there need to be multiple meetings over several months versus one long day offsite at an educational conference; this way your employees won't feel overwhelmed by trying too many new concepts at once!

Offer fun social activities for your team

Have fun social activities for your team. It's important to make sure that the activities you choose are not stressful and fun, so everyone can enjoy them. Don't forget to include staff who don't work in the same location as others on your team, as this will help create stronger connections between your employees.

If you want your practice to be successful, start with your team!

When you're starting a new practice, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of the opening day and forget that your team is your most important asset. The more work you put into building a happy dental team, the more likely it is that your practice will be successful.

What do I mean by "happy?" Happy employees are productive, and loyal, refer friends and family to their office and make the practice stand out from the competition. In other words: they perform well because they care about what they're doing (the results), they stick around because they enjoy working there (the experience), and they refer others who might also want an exceptional dental experience (word-of-mouth marketing).

Here's how to build a happy dental team:

• Hire people who are passionate about dentistry and want to be in your practice.
• Set clear expectations and provide training. This will help you avoid problems later on down the road.
• Don't forget to thank them! Be sure to recognise employees when they go above and beyond for patients, the practice, or each other.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve read through this article, hopefully you have a new appreciation for how important it is to create a happy dental team. This is not only for your staff members’ sake but also for the benefit of your practice and patients as well. So get off to a good start today by setting clear goals and vision, keeping turnover low by developing strong relationships with your team members, providing ongoing training and development activities which will keep them engaged in their roles at all times—and having some fun social activities too!