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The Dental Marketer
The Dental Marketer
The Dental Marketer | The Best Business Advice for Your Dental Practice Listen To The Dental Marketer Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts!
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The Dental Marketer
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Your Hygienists Want More Than a Raise: What Your Team Actually Wants | Dr. Delaney Spaulding | 626

Your Hygienists Want More Than a Raise: What Your Team Actually Wants | Dr. Delaney Spaulding | 626

9/24/2026 9:05:00 AM   |   Comments: 0   |   Views: 46
Dr. Delaney Spaulding bought the condo above her dental practice and turned it into childcare for her team.



At first, it sounds like a really generous employee perk.



But after talking with her, it became clear that there was a much bigger idea behind it:



Sometimes it’s easier to change the practice around a great employee than constantly replace great employees.



Here’s what I learned:



1. “Employees tell the truth when they know the truth won’t be punished.”



If every request or concern is met with frustration, people eventually stop bringing things up.



That doesn’t mean the problems disappeared.



It just means the owner stopped hearing about them.



2. “Flexibility works best when communication is nonnegotiable.”



Dr. Spaulding gives her team plenty of flexibility, but they’re expected to communicate quickly and clearly when something changes.



That keeps flexibility from turning into chaos.



3. “The best employee benefit solves an actual life problem.”



For her team, childcare didn’t just save money.



It removed commuting stress, reduced time away from their children, and made returning after maternity leave more realistic.



4. “A great benefit chosen for the wrong person is still the wrong benefit.”



One team may value a 401(k).



Another may care more about childcare, massages, flexible hours, meal subscriptions, or a gym membership.



Owners don’t have to guess. They can simply ask.



5. “If the schedule can never bend, the people eventually will.”



A temporary scheduling inconvenience may be far less expensive than losing an experienced employee and starting over.



6. “Keeping the wrong person can push the right people out.”



Being people-first doesn’t mean tolerating poor effort or behavior that damages the rest of the team.



Protecting the culture sometimes requires making a quick decision.



7. “A raise request is a conversation, not an attack.”



Before assuming someone is only motivated by money, it’s worth asking how they arrived at the number and what they believe they’re contributing.



There may be more behind the request.



8. “Not every resignation needs to end with goodbye.”



When a valued hygienist wanted more time with her child, Dr. Spaulding didn’t assume she had to choose between full-time and gone.



They created a smaller role that worked for everyone.



9. “Patients experience retention as familiarity.”



They see the same hygienist.



They don’t have to explain themselves again.



And they feel like they’re returning to people who actually know them.



Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Delaney Spaulding here: https://thedentalmarketer.site/podcast/626

Watch here: 
Category: Marketing, Office Design, Practice Management, HR and Accounting
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