Employee engagement and motivation is often an important part of a successful dental practice.
1.Communication
A happy nursing team will lead to a well run patient centric environment. One of the most important is mutual respect between the clinical team in five areas. These are communicating expectations to the team, valuing contributions, rewarding initiative, fostering personal strengths of individual team members, and handling mistakes properly.
2. Weekly team meetings
Everyone should have the opportunity to grow and learn. You can help make this happen by focusing on employee training, continued education, advancement opportunities, performance improvement, and individual job growth:
- Do you have annual reviews to discuss performance?
- Encourage your team members to set goals to grow and improve.
- Identify training opportunities that would enable your employees to learn new skills.
- Do you provide raises and bonuses to recognise high performance?
3. Appraisal
Staff appraisals are often met with apprehension and anxiety, but in reality they are an integral part of employer-employee relations and achieving your business objectives.
There are many ways to perform an appraisal and there are multiple systems and processes in place to ensure it is held effectively. Some people like traditional appraisal forms based on objectives identified during employee training whereas others advocate for a 360° feedback form. Any type of appraisal can be effective if performed correctly and done by both someone who understands the process and someone who is used to being appraised.
4. Focus on training and growth
Team training is becoming essential for highly successful dental practices. As you know, continual training helps employees do their jobs better, faster, and more efficiently. When someone first trains in their position, they’re often overwhelmed and trying to comprehend as much as possible. The focus is on understanding the foundation of the job role and how they fit into the practice.
Once the employee is confident in the role, help them thrive with continual training and personal development.
5. Create a healthy and pleasant work environment
Having a healthy and pleasant work environment can be just as motivating as having the tools to do your job. Create an environment where people will want to work.
- Inside the clincial setting and waiting area: Is it time for a spring refresh?
- Maintain the common areas for the clincial team such as kitchen and changing area.
- Do you provide fruit and snacks for your team?
- Encourage your staff to take walks and breaks outside when the weather allows for it.
6. Engage in team-building and social events
Team-building exercises or spending time outside of work as a group can bring people together, making your team more effective and efficient. Get-to-know-you exercises help people connect with each other, while games allow your team to relax and have fun together. Try to engage in team-building exercises, or even a group lunch, on a regular basis.
7. Show them you care
There are many things you can do to show your staff that you care about them. Bring in treats, celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries.
8. Recognise Achievements
Recognising employee achievements, even if you're only giving verbal praise, is a good way to emphasise the important role employees play in your work environment. Whether you're praising an employee for devising a new system, honouring an employee-of-the-month, or having lunch with employees who went above and beyond their role, find ways to make people excited to do a good job.
Work with your employees to create a good workplace
Your employees know what will make them happy better than anyone. Talk to them regularly to find out what else they need to feel motivated at work. Make a plan, and then make it happen. Taking the time to invest in your team could improve overall productivity, employee retention and the success of your work setting itself.