staffing
LEADING WELL POST-PANDEMIC
by Haylee Davis and Audra Morris
W hen the pandemic began , no one knew how long it would endure or how lasting its impact would be on our personal and professional lives . More than sixteen months in , the dust is beginning to settle and the situation surrounding COVID-19 has left an undeniable mark on nearly every crevice of society . One of the most greatly impacted areas of dentistry is the way in which dental healthcare professionals ( DHCP ) are approaching their careers .
As the pandemic loomed , millions of workers across the country ( and billions across the world ) were sent home to work remotely or , if their job required them to be in person but was non-essential , they were simply sent home often without any idea of when , or if , they could return . The period of either working from home or being at home while awaiting a return to work brought mixed thoughts and emotions , including serious reflection about life , both professionally and personally . For a variety of reasons , many decided that working in a clinical setting in dentistry was no longer right for them and many more learned that their work and life balance was far more optimal if working from home could be made possible . Those DHCPs who chose to return to the clinical setting returned with fresh perspective , needs , and demands for the continuation of their clinical careers .
Companies across the world , and particularly in the United States , found themselves hard pressed to encourage employees to return to work , especially during the time when the unemployment benefits in the U . S . allowed employees to earn more than they had been earning while in the workplace . As such , employers were forced to get creative to entice people to not only choose to return , but to return to work for their organization . These efforts have included enhanced safety , increased wages , signing bonuses , robust benefit packages , additional paid time off , flexible schedules and more . While this is difficult for the average private practice to provide comprehensively , doing so to the largest extent possible is critical to retaining or attracting top talent .
A concern commonly expressed by private dental practice owners is the reality that affording to provide what the post-Covid workforce demands is challenging , if not impossible . However , it is possible – and accomplishing this is not as difficult as it seems . Following are suggestions and first steps toward being the employer needed by today ’ s DCHPs :
Consider partnering with a staffing agency or other third-party employer which provides benefits and additional desired elements to employees . This can be the best of both worlds for the employer and employee because often , agencies are more suited to provide desirable benefits to its DHCPs , which will relieve a practice owner from having to shoulder the costs of such benefits on his or her own .
Practice owners should be educated on current market rates for their teams and take the initiative to align salaries with market rate . While the cost of doing so may seem daunting , don ’ t forget
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