Benefit Packages for Staff

My last few blog posts have been on the topic of office policy manuals. I would like to continue that discussion with some thoughts regarding employee benefits and the necessity for including them in your manual. Staff benefits usually involve some combination of vacation days, personal days, paid holidays, dental benefits, continuing education, retirement plans, and health care.

I feel that the cost of staff benefits should be thought of as part of your overall marketing budget. Marketing most often is a combination of strategies to attract more new patients – obviously very important. But if assembling and keeping a talented, loyal, hard working staff is a major component of the success of your dental practice, why not market your benefit package as a way to find and retain these valuable employees?

These benefits are usually offered to full-time employees, so it is essential to clearly define the hourly requirements to qualify. And if you intend to offer a scaled-down package of benefits to part-time employees, be very clear on the distinctions. It has been my experience that in many practices, the manual has been inconsistent thereby creating confusion and dissension. How ironic-the dentist in trying to be generous ends up being the bad guy or gal.

Over the next three to four weeks, I will examine these benefits in detail, and share my thoughts of what works- what doesn’t work- and why. Make no doubt about it-even though the recession and the weak economy have created a deeper labor pool of talented people seeking jobs, an attractive well managed package of benefits may often be the key to finding your next superstar.