Guest Writer: Chelsea Lamb
Edited By: Dr. Deborah Marynak

When working to attract the best dental team, it’s important  to consider great benefits because great job benefits attract the best employees.  They stay engaged in the practice goals, they feel more valued, and they tend to have higher morale. The benefit to the practice is a sound practice culture and greater staff retention. 

Most team members consider these perks at least as much as they consider salary, and when there are better benefits, they tend to be more dedicated. That’s why the best dental practices consistently work to find ways to go above and beyond to keep top talent. The following are some benefit ideas from Dental Staffing that can help take your company over the top!

Financial Incentives: 

When you help your Dental Staff maintain healthy finances, they’ll feel a stronger sense of ownership to the practice.

• Paid Time Off or PTO goes a long way to helping your Dental Staff achieve a work-life balance, mental health, and overall better quality of life. Many companies give more PTO to team members based on how much they work, and/or how long they have been with the company.
• Retirement plans are a popular employee benefit. Job seekers have come to appreciate the offer of a 401(k), especially with matched contributions.
• Discount Dentistry! Most dental practices offer free dental care to all dental staff members. If you want to go above and beyond, offer a discount to immediate family, parents and/or grandparents.
• Scrubs! Order scrubs for the entire dental team. You can color coordinate the entire team depending on the day. Allow them to launder the scrubs at work for an extra perk!

Health and Wellness: 

Self-care has never had a stronger focus in the workplace. The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider”

• Offer to help pay for a gym membership for your Dental Staff. Dr. Marynak was in an office that provided a full gym right in the office!
• Provide health insurance; health insurance is an excellent way to attract and retain top talent. Some health insurance providers give breaks to employees who join a gym or quit smoking.
• Offer incentives to quit smoking.
• Provide healthy snacks for your Dental Staff.  I know most dental offices are stocked with unhealthy breakroom goodies. Make that an occasional thing rather than the norm.
• Provide a healthy lunch on a weekday for the entire Dental Staff.
• The truth is: healthiness leads to happiness!

Career Planning: 

A focus on your dental team’s career development can significantly benefit your practice because it helps your Dental Staff  accomplish practice goals, keeps them motivated, productive, and successful.

• Create an employee growth plan- An employee growth plan is a tool that is used to help your Dental Staff grow personally and professionally.
• Provide personal development training, again benefiting the practice and the staff member personally.
• Reimburse costs of tuition.

Dr. Marynak has seen the best dental practices offer this benefit to their entire staff. She has also experienced the dental practice where the owner attends courses, never to ask the team to participate. Employee growth has proven to develop a more cohesive, productive team and in turn create an outstanding dental office culture. 

Fun Activities - the Small Things Count: 

Not all perks need to impact everyday life. Sometimes scheduling a fun social activity is enough to help team members feel valued.

• Create a fun theme around monthly staff meetings. Dr. Marynak worked in an office where every month was a new adventure. Examples included: October: a staff meeting hayride with a bonfire at the end while roasting hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch. December: a staff meeting lunch at the Doctors house. A fancy, yet healthy lunch he made himself!
• Organize a team-wide tournament with games in the office or at a neutral site. You can take the competition to the next level by offering prizes to the winners!
• Schedule an excursion: a day at TopGolf, a paintball battle, a go kart rally, with time for everyone to socialize and express their creativity.
• When a dental team member does something especially well, make it a habit to write them a note to let them know how much you appreciated their efforts. Be sure to mention their endeavors to the entire Dental Staff at the next Staff meeting.

A Cohesive, Team Culture: 

A comfortable, streamlined work environment with everyone working as a Team will make a busy dental practice a happier place to spend their day.

• A great office culture is often an unacknowledged, unappreciated benefit.
• Updated technology, sound systems and teamwork is a benefit the best dental practices can boast to potential dental team members.

They’re Worth It

Position your dental practice for long-term success by creating a solid team. If you provide excellent benefits, people want to work for your company. Be the boss you’ve always wanted to be and keep looking for ways to recognize the team and make them feel appreciated.

Dental Staffing is your #1 dental job search and job posting board. We connect dental job seekers with employers!

~
“The crowning fortune of man
is to be born to some pursuit which finds him
employed and happy.”
 - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chelsea’s Resources:
Better benefits - https://www.zenbusiness.com/employee-benefits/
Paid time off - https://www.zenefits.com/workest/workplace-knowledge/the-pto-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-to-create-a-pto-policy-for-happy-engaged-employees/
Matched contributions - https://www.personalcapital.com/blog/retirement-planning/how-does-401k-matching-work/
Employee growth plan - https://www.insperity.com/blog/5-steps-to-creating-employee-development-plans-that-truly-work/
Stronger focus - https://www.betterup.com/blog/mental-health-in-the-workplace
Leads to happiness - https://www.redfin.com/blog/a-healthy-home-is-a-happy-home-how-to-optimize-your-home-for-healthy-stress-free-living/
Feel valued - https://www.thepersonal.com/blog/-/team-building-10-fun-social-activities-for-employeesP