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Nine Things We Hate About Our Employees Rhonda R. Savage, DDS

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by Rhonda R. Savage, DDS

I met Dr. Frank Simmons on a snowy day in December 2007 in Minneapolis. He approached me after my presentation and groaned, "I came here to learn how to control my thermostat! You know," he said, scrunching up his face, "trying to keep 16 women happy all at once is like spitting into the wind!"

If you're like Dr. Simmons, there are employee-driven pet peeves and frustrations you deal with on a daily basis. If you've ever managed a team, you've likely had to deal with bad manners or behavioral issues. The problem is, while most of these pet peeves start off as small frustrations, they can turn into bigger problems for you and the practice in the long run. The question is, as a boss or office manager, what can you do to change these behaviors so they don't negatively affect the practice? Here a few of the pet peeves that dentists have about their staff and solutions to quell frustration.

1. We hate when they are only nice to us on special days.
"Why are they only nice to me on my birthday?" you ask yourself. You know this isn't really true, but it's how you feel sometimes. You feel unappreciated for all you do; some days it seems like it's never enough! Dial up the praise and appreciation in your office by personally making a daily effort to recognize the good efforts of your team members. Chances are, your team feels the same way you do… like things are never good enough. Praise and appreciation, done well, is genuine, specific and timely. The more you dial up the praise and appreciation, the morale of the practice will go up! When morale goes up, production goes up. At your office meetings, let them know you're working on changing the office environment and ask if they've noticed a change. Ask for their help. The 90:10 rule applies: If your boss behavior is good 90 percent of the time, but 10 percent of the time you blow it by acting in silence or exploding in anger, they remember the 10 percent that is bad. Work on changing and ask if they've noticed!

2. We hate when we have to nag for things to get done.
"They brush their teeth in the hallway. I've asked them not to, but they still do it," you exclaim. Other pet peeves: a dirty break room, clutter and personal items lying around and employees not following through with directions or job responsibilities.

Asking for something over and over leads to frustration. Small things matter! You need to be careful not to micromanage, but if someone isn't doing what they need to do, respectfully correct them. Make certain they know what they need to do and ask them to write it down. Have your team members carry a small pad of paper with them and anytime you ask them to do something, ask them to write it down. Set a date for them to report back to you (a mutually agreed upon deadline) and then you won't have to wonder whether the task was accomplished. This eliminates the need to constantly nag them regarding a task.

Most leaders believe they over-communicate. Leaders actually under-communicate by a ratio of 1:10. Employees need detailed, specific instruction, coaching, feedback and appreciation or correction. If someone doesn't do what they need to do despite your efforts, the next step is to sit down with the employee, one to one, and resolve the issue.

One employee understood how annoying his habits were when the boss told him a personal story: Dr. Sam Johnson told the employee that his wife had been upset about the laundry. One day, she took him aside and said, "I've asked you a number of times to separate the whites from the darks. When you get lazy and don't do it, you're disrespecting me!" He changed his habits when he knew how much it bothered her.

At work, your team is like a big family. Everyone needs to pull their weight and respect others concerns, or you're disrespecting the other person or place of business.

3. We hate when they chew gum.
Chewing gum is unprofessional, especially in front of a patient. One manager recently complained to me: Nancy, her assistant, enjoyed chewing gum. She would forget and chew while she was working. Nancy would get "the look." Is there a "look" that you give your employees when you are annoyed? The look can be intimidating and especially worrisome if you don't spend the time coaching the person that very day. Employees need to know what they need to change. Be sure you have a chewing-gum policy and any other personnel policies in your office manual. Be clear about your expectations with your employees and hold them accountable, fairly and consistently, for their actions.

4. We hate when they don't check the floor after cleaning a room.
Cleanliness matters to most patients, especially your female patients. Explain to your team that women make many of the purchasing decisions in today's world. Women are very keen on attention to detail. A dirty floor means the entire facility is dirty. The team needs to know the reasons why they need to change their habits. Explain it to them in "black, white and green!" Our patients are spending their paychecks with us! We need to cater to our patients.

5. We hate when they don't introduce us to a new patient.
When we walk in for treatment and no one offers up an introduction, it's awkward. Introductions are common courtesy. Also, if we've already seen the patient for a quick appointment, emergency or consult, and now they're in the office for a thorough new patient exam/consultation, we might need to be reminded that we've already met the patient! Also, your staff should ease your way into getting to know the new patient by saying something like, "Dr. Savage, you and Kevin both played soccer in college!" Introductions don't have to be difficult and they are a great way to make patients feel comfortable.

6. We hate when they don't help us get to know the patients.
Every patient has a story and female patients usually aren't shy about sharing! Your staff has a better opportunity to get to know the patient better than you might be able to, due to time constraints. Their job is to get the story and summarize it for you. This connects the patient to the practice and makes the patient feel "heard." Listening skills are the number-one sales tool. Consider training your team to be better presenters, either with in-house training or training through a professional organization. ToastMasters International (www.toastmasters.org) is a very inexpensive way to train your team to be better presenters. ToastMasters will improve your staff's speaking skills, develop their listening skills and teach them to answer questions without getting flustered.

Ask your staff to let you in on the patient's story – what have they seen? How is the patient doing? Are there any concerns that exist? Train your team to speak for you. They need to feel confident that they're saying what you would want them to say, especially in a difficult situation. Scripting is a valuable training tool. Write down the common concerns and questions of your patients, and then write the answers for the employees. The goal is not to memorize the answer, but rather, internalize the message and make it their own. Verbal cue card training is available at DentalManagementU.com.

7. We hate when we have to do all the talking.
My staff connects wonderfully with the patients, but they don't educate the patients! An employee has an hour with them while you might only have five minutes. Social chitchat is normal in dental offices. We often see 75 percent of conversation with patients to be social in nature, while 25 percent of it is business. We need to flip those numbers. Talk about this at your staff meeting. Let your team know that they are not "just" employees. Provide training sessions with verbal skills. Ask the different departments to give mini training sessions on patient's concerns and your various services. There are certain oral health lessons that patients will only be informed about by their dental office. If the staff doesn't take the opportunity to teach, the lesson could go unlearned.

8. We hate the personal use of cell phones and Internet at the employee's desk.
Cell phone use, texting and personal Internet use are a form of time embezzlement. How many hours a day are you losing to personal cell phone and Internet time during business hours? Make sure you are held accountable to the same rules. Are you personally on your phone or on the Internet during business hours?

All team members need to be held accountable to the same standards. It's up to the owner or manager to limit use of these items. I recommend cell phones remain locked in personal lockers. Continued use of the Internet for personal reasons would require a corrective review. Many offices password control the use of computers to identify misuse. In addition, your IT person can limit access. Some offices have installed security cameras to monitor behavior.

Not only are these habits detrimental to the business and the patient, but resentment will build among your team members that are hard workers. When resentment builds, morale drops and when morale goes down, production goes down too.

9. We hate when they cry.
To understand the emotional response that you might receive from an employee, I'd like to use an analogy. In the book: Switch! How to Change When Change is Hard, the authors Chip and Dan Heath use the analogy of an elephant with a rider on its back and the path that they're on to demonstrate how to get someone to change.

Consider this rider, elephant and path to be your employee. The rider is the employee's intelligence; the elephant is their emotional side; the path is the direction or the action the person is taking. To influence change, you have to touch the emotions, reason with the intellect and change the path that the person is on, making it easy for them to change.

If your employee is crying, the foundational question is why? With this analogy, picture the elephant as the emotions that rule our lives. When our brains get tired, it's much harder to control the emotional response. Ask the employee to take a break, to return when he or she is more collected and schedule a time to talk the next morning.

At times, tears might also be from frustration, anger or fear. Does your employee feel intimidated? Employers or managers who act out in anger by yelling or punish with silence will have more turnover and job dissatisfaction. Belittling or criticizing someone, especially in front of another person, anti-markets the business.

Tears can also be a form of control. You need to reason with this person and change the path by calmly talking about the (perhaps) inappropriate emotional response. I recommend you sit down and discuss why your employee feels the way she feels and how you might help resolve the issue or give tools to cope. The problem with a person who cries is that others will avoid approaching her for fear of her response. Sometimes, this is exactly what this person wants… making crying a form of control. As the leader, it's your job to facilitate the necessary change.

Summary
By following these guidelines, you can prevent innocent pet peeves from turning into big problems between you and your staff. Your staff will respect you for working with them to change these habits, rather than complaining about them to other employees. Helping employees understand their role in making the business successful keeps them involved and dedicated to doing their part. You'll be happier, you're staff will be engaged and the business will be successful!

Next month: Sorry doc, you're not getting off lightly here, as I'll present “Ten Things Your Staff Hates About You!”
Author's Bio
Dr. Rhonda Savage began her career in dentistry as a dental assistant in 1976. After four years of chairside assisting, she took over front office duties for the next two years. She loved working with patients and decided to become a dentist. Savage graduated with a B.S. in biology, cum laude, from Seattle University in 1985; she then attended the University of Washington School of Dentistry, graduating in 1989 with multiple honors. Savage went on active duty as a dental officer in the U.S. Navy during Desert Shield/Desert Storm and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal and an Expert Pistol Medal. While in private practice for 16 years, Savage authored many peer-reviewed articles and lectured internationally. She is active in organized dentistry and has represented the State of Washington as President of the Washington State Dental Association. Savage is the CEO for Linda L. Miles and Associates, known internationally for dental management and consulting services. She is a noted speaker who lectures on practice management, women's health issues, periodontal disease, communication and marketing and zoo dentistry. To speak with Dr. Savage about your practice concerns or to schedule her to speak at your dental society or study club, please e-mail rhonda@milesandassociates.net, or call 877-343-0909.
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