As promised on Monday, we’re following up with some ideas about how to manage employees in common but difficult situations.
What do you say when your hygienist is routinely coming in a couple of minutes late to the morning huddle?
What do you do when two team members don’t get along, and you suspect that one of them might be setting the other one up for failure?
How do you react to the assistant who does excellent work, but has started showing up with wrinkled scrubs and his tattoo showing?
You might have let some of these issues go when they first happened, especially if you wanted to give your team member the benefit of the doubt. But now it’s becoming a problem and it is time to address it.
Why?
As the leader of your team, it’s important that you know how to contain, manage, and resolve team issues quickly and efficiently. Unresolved issues can spread like a virus and will begin to affect your entire team, often with disastrous results: the mood of the practice can rapidly deteriorate, and even worse, it doesn’t take much for patients to pick up on your office tension.
How to Handle Difficult Situations with Your Dental Team Members
The thought of confrontation can be fear-provoking in even the most resilient leader. But with some simple strategies, you can have open dread-free communication with your team whenever problems arise.
- Don’t sugar coat things, and resist the urge to minimize the problem.
For the hygienist who is late to huddle. “Jennifer, you know I don’t really care what time you get to the office, but others on the team have brought it to my attention you are getting to the morning huddle a couple of minutes late every day. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t care, but for some reason, the other team members are fixated on it. Could you try to get to the meeting on time? I know you have a lot to do in the morning, so I get it but if most days you were at the meeting that would be great.”
- A new way – You’re the owner, it’s your dental practice, and your employees aren’t your friends. (That isn’t to say you can’t have great relationships with your employees, but keep it professional). This is also important for other employees in management positions. While working in a close-knit dental office makes it harder not to blur the lines between employee and friend, always keep it clear that everyone’s primary responsibilities are to the office and patients.
- “Jennifer, office meetings are a vital part of our day. Everyone is expected to be on time and be prepared to contribute. That includes me as the owner dentist. I’ve noticed you’re getting to the morning huddle late, and I want to discuss this with you because timeliness is vital to the success of our practice, and the huddle is such a critical part of our day. I want to resolve this issue with you and hear your thoughts and ideas to fix this problem.”
- It’s not a sandwich.
For the team member who doesn’t get along with (and may be trying to sabotage) another. “Nicole, you are the best dental assistant I’ve ever had! Patients love you, and you’re so efficient – I’d be lost without you. But I just wish you and Mary got along better. I feel that you’re making her job more difficult, and it seems like you’re setting her up to fail. If you do it again, I’ll have to let you go. But I really do think you are the best dental assistant in town and we’re so lucky to have you on our team.”
- A new way – Avoid combining positive and negative feedback when you’re trying to tackle an issue directly. Even though it may feel easier to deliver feedback if you sandwich it between complements, this mixed messaging does little more than confuse employees. You can avoid that confusion by telling employees immediately when they’re doing great work. Reserve constructive feedback for 1:1 meetings.
- “Nicole I’m aware you and Mary are having challenges getting along. It’s important to the success of the practice that we get this resolved immediately. I’d like to talk to you and get your perspective on why this is happening. My goal is for us to work together to come up with some clearly defined, measurable goals – this is how we can make sure we’re working as a team and supporting each other’s efforts.”
- Don’t spill everything at once.
For the assistant who isn’t following the dress code.
“Jim, we really need to talk right now! Lately, you’ve been coming to the office with wrinkled scrubs. Your tattoo is showing, too, which you know is a violation of our dress code. You’re also leaving your dirty coffee cup in the sink for others to clean, forgetting to turn off the computers at night, and you forgot to clock in when you got back from lunch last Monday. Plus, the other day you spent the whole appointment talking politics with a patient, so he was all wound up by the time he left. Oh, and you didn’t clean the traps last week or fill out the OSHA log.”
- A new way – Believing that small issues will work themselves out only results in problems escalating to the point that you’re ready to explode. Don’t lose your cool. Your criticisms are valid, but when they’re delivered in a massive firestorm of emotion, there’s no way for the person on the receiving end to digest everything you’re saying. Even worse, you’ll look like a poor leader: employees don’t respect managers who seem to prefer tantruming to problem-solving. Therefore, it’s best to address issues in a calm, clear manner in the moment that they happen. Already past that point? If you’ve got a couple of issues grating on your nerves, tackle the bigger problem and let the other one go.
- “Jim, I want to talk to you about your uniform. I’ve noticed you’re not following the dress code. The dress code is in the employee handbook for a reason: proper uniforms are important for the patient experience, and for our overall image as a practice. I’d like to get your thoughts on what’s preventing you from observing the dress code, and perhaps come up with ideas to resolve this issue.”
Be the Leader of Your Dental Practice
When it comes to problems in the office, dentists need to be influential leaders of the practice, addressing both compliments and blunders immediately when they come up. Giving regular and on-going feedback is better for everyone. Timely feedback allows the opportunity and a non-emotional platform to lay out the facts and both positive and negative and focus on solutions when warranted. Moving forward look at these occasions for feedback as a chance to improve everyone’s performance and enhance the entire team. Keeping good employees is in your best interest.
By leading your team and providing an atmosphere of open dialogue allows you to minimize conflict and keep the focus on excellent patient experience where it belongs.
Remember, good leaders:
- Address compliments and blunders immediately
- Give regular and on-going feedback. Timely feedback allows the opportunity and a non-emotional platform to lay out the facts and focus on solutions.
- Treat occasions for feedback as a chance to improve everyone’s performance and enhance the entire team.
Keeping good employees is in your best interests. By providing an atmosphere of open dialogue, you’ll minimize conflict and keep the focus on excellent patient experience where it belongs.
These are just a few ideas. To learn more about developing your leadership skills and creating a successful, stress-free practice, check out our Success Edge program today.
Have you ever had a staff issue that you wish you’d handled differently? What did you do and how would you do it differently? Feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.