Specialist Dental Accountants for over 28 years - Call 020 8346 0391 

He (Mac) has helped me as my practice has expanded from single-handed to a six surgery/8 dentist practice.

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M5 - Happy staff are productive staff

If you have a high staff turnover, there may well be a few small changes you could make to your practice environment that could rectify the position.

Staff are generally not so difficult to please, but if you get on the wrong side of them, the results can be awful.

If your receptionist, for example, is unhappy at how, even during her lunch break, she has to answer the telephone, she may complain to other staff – both wasting time and bringing their morale down too.

That’s not even the worst of it. One time I was in a shop, and as I paid for my goods, the cashier was busy telling me how her boss didn’t appreciate her, how when she was ill, he questioned her and refused to pay her sick pay, and how she was looking for anther job. Needless to say, that didn’t do much for the shop’s image!

Wherever possible try to encourage participation. From choosing wall colours when decorating, to deciding on the wording of a new brochure, getting your staff’s views will make them feel valued, costs you nothing, and may even yield some excellent suggestions that you would not have thought of!

Provide a staff room. It doesn’t have to be huge, with an array of entertainment facilities. It just needs to be a simple room, which is nicely decorated and belongs to the staff.

It gives them a private place to change into their uniforms, relax during breaks, and will also make them feel valued, as they have their own room.

Ensure it is not a dark, damp room, which no one has got around to doing up yet! Decorate it using subtle greens which will provide a relaxing atmosphere (or get their input as to what colour they think it should be painted!)

Depending on your budget, you could provide:

Whatever you provide, try to make the room look like a room in someone’s house and not like a practice waiting room. This creates a relaxing atmosphere.

In the past, We have seen some practices operate very successful "employee of the month awards" with the chosen staff member receiving a bottle of wine, or gift vouchers, and getting their name and photograph displayed in the waiting room under the title, "Our employee of the month." Staff feel valued and motivated and morale can shoot up with the introduction of such schemes.

However, it can also lead to nightmare scenarios, where petty allegations about favoritism are made, the employee of the month is "bullied" and bitterness and hate prevail.

Obviously each practitioner needs to judge what may work in his/her own practice. There could also be practical constraints such as lack of space, or very few staff!

We take great pride in our service, and would be delighted to invite you for a free 1 hour, no obligation meeting at our comfortable offices. Simply call us  on 020 8346 0391 to arrange a mutually convenient time.

This web-site was last updated on 29/07/2008

Specialist Dental Accountants for over 27 years.

Copyright © 2003-2008 Mac Kotecha & Company. All rights Reserved. The information on this site is for general guidance only. It is essential to take professional advice on specific issues about their impact on any individual or entity. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omission or for any person acting or refraining from acting on the information provided on this site.

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