Achieving Success in the Practice of Dentistry – Part Two

Knowledge of human resources (HR) goes hand in hand with my last blog post on staff development. The doctor or the office manager needs to understand the intricacies of hiring and firing. If you are determined to build this great team, you will need to understand employment law. I believe that part of the reason for keeping some of these dysfunctional or inept or under performing staff members around is because the doctor is fearful of being sued for improper firing.

Courses on this topic are readily available, but here are some basics:

• Keep an employment file on every employee. This file is where you document your continuous assessment of the performance of a staff member. Proper documentation gives the doctor the courage and the confidence to make the decision to terminate the services of an employee, if necessary.

• Conduct performance reviews for every staff member two or three times each year. Lead off with what the employee is doing well. Then suggest improvements to performance that you would like to see. Then ask if there is anything that you can do to help the employee achieve success. Write down what you discussed  and keep the notes in the employee’s file – otherwise you will never remember. At the next performance review, you will be prepared to continue the discussion.

• Write out clearly defined and detailed job descriptions for all staff members. These need to be continuously updated to be relevant.

• Spend the money to have a professional create a well written, current office policy manual that meets legal standards. In today’s litigious society, you will be living dangerously without this manual.

• Be sure to purchase EPLI insurance. This is an essential but relatively inexpensive insurance policy that will cover your legal costs to defend a lawsuit relating to improper firing or sexual harassment. It will–in the unlikely event of a judgment against you- also cover that cost up to–depending on the limit of the policy–250 to 500K.

• Stay current with OSHA regulations and get certified annually. It seems like the only time that OSHA even gets involved with a dental practice anymore is when there is a complaint from a disgruntled staff member.

The bottom line is that it is very expensive to stumble  and realize that you have hired the wrong person. Training is a big investment of time and effort. So it is important to do everything you can to be successful the first time around. But when you do make a mistake- and of course it is bound to happen – it is imperative to know the rules of hiring and firing. Bite the bullet. Take your medicine.  Move on and take the appropriate action. You owe this to yourself and to your other staff members.