Congratulations on your new hire! You went through the painstaking process of reviewing resumes, multiple interviews, and reference checking and your new employee is ready to begin.
Even if the candidate is experienced, the culture and methods of your practice may vary. Once the HR paperwork is complete, it is important to onboard correctly, so that you are not setting up your new employee to fail. Many of our clients are owners of their own dental practice and often do not have a formal training set-up for new professionals.
How Can a Small Dental Practice Onboard a New Employee?
Taking the time to set expectations and train properly will reduce mistakes and thwart bad habits. Assumptions get many practices into trouble. Instead, provide your vision, instill guidance, and lend your leadership skills, to paint a picture of your practice, share current and future goals, and explain how your team can work together to meet these benchmarks.
Before an employee begins, policies, procedures, and job descriptions should be reviewed to make sure they are current and updated with any needed changes. Go over these documents, and highlight information while the new employee is shadowing a current employee. Once they step out to take the reins themselves, check in, encourage questions, ask about any issues and revisit these documents. Ask the employee if and where they think they need additional training to be successful.
When you first hire a new employee, you should have more frequent reviews/feedback sessions. During these first reviews, ask the employee how they understood their role coming in to the practice, and if it matches what they are currently doing. Connect with the employee to see how they are melding with the team and patients.
Learning strategies to train as well as keeping a pulse on employees and how they are working as a team, will help your practice be more successful. Listening to needs, and taking time out to share with your staff your vision and expectations, demonstrating how each person is a vital part of your practice, all go a long way to creating a cohesive team. This team can move forward together to increase your patients trust and loyalty which will help your dental practice’s bottom line.
If you are in need of dental consulting, HR help, or are looking to fill positions, contact Strategic Practice Solutions.
Strategic Practice Solutions, LLC