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Hiring in a Tight Market Help your dental customers do what it takes to attract – and keep – talented staff.
January 2020
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FOR DENTAL SALES PROFESSIONALS
Editorial Staff Editor Laura Thill lthill@sharemovingmedia.com Managing Editor Graham Garrison ggarrison@sharemovingmedia.com Founder Brian Taylor btaylor@sharemovingmedia.com Senior Director of Business Development Diana Partin dpartin@sharemovingmedia.com Art Director Brent Cashman bcashman@sharemovingmedia.com Circulation Wai Bun Cheung wcheung@sharemovingmedia.com Associate Editor Alan Cherry acherry@sharemovingmedia.com
First Impressions Digital Edition is published monthly by Share Moving Media 1735 N. Brown Rd. Ste. 140 Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8153 Phone: 770/263-5257 Fax: 770/236-8023 www.firstimpressionsmag.com First Impressions (ISSN 1548-4165) is published monthly by Share Moving Media, 1735 N. Brown Rd. Ste. 140, Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8153. Copyright 2019 by Share Moving Media. All rights reserved. Subscriptions: $48 per year. If you would like to subscribe or notify us of address changes, please contact us at the above numbers or address. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Share Moving Media, 1735 N. Brown Rd. Ste. 140, Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8153. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors.
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Hiring in a Tight Market Help your dental customers do what it takes to attract – and keep – talented staff.
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Now Hiring!
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Healthy Reps
Hiring and retaining staff is a universal challenge for dental practices, regardless of their size or model. Health news and notes
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Quick Bytes Technology News
Windshield Time Automotive-related news
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Hiring in a Tight Market Help your dental customers do what it takes to attract – and keep – talented staff. BY LAURA THILL
An increasingly tight job market has made it especially challenging for dental practice owners to recruit and retain quality employees. As a result, in addition to their clinical responsibilities, it is more important than ever for doctors to be team leaders. “In the 15 years we have coached dental practices, we have found the maxim, people don’t quit jobs, they quit managers, to be very true,” says Margaret Boyce-Cooley, Director, Practice Support Team, Burkhart Dental Supply. “In a tight labor market, honing leadership skills can really pay off.”
While it’s true that regional job markets dictate the level of compensation (including benefit packages and sign-on bonuses) necessary to attract talented people, team members – both new and longtime – need clearly communicated expectations in order to succeed, BoyceCooley continues. “They require a clear job description with performance expectations and salary ranges, as well as reliable resources for training to help them learn the processes and systems at a new practice. Positive feedback, honest communication and an environment conducive to helping staff grow professionally will likely make them want to stay.”
An investment such as this not only helps ensure the success of new employees, it ultimately leads to the success of the practice, she points out. “Dentists wear many hats throughout their professional career,” she says. As small business owners, not only must
they take care of their patients but also be experts at finance, human resources, IT and compliance, she points out. Given their hectic work environment, it can be easy for dentists to focus on office challenges with staff members and forget to praise them for a job well done.
“ Depending on the PPO participation level, a healthy staff percentage for general dentists may range from 22-28 percent.” – Margaret Boyce-Cooley
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This, together with a lack of job descriptions and limited growth options, could lead to dissatisfied employees who eventually look for new job opportunities. Supportive coaching and a sincere, heartfelt thank you from time to time can help dentists and office managers avoid difficult situations later on, she adds.
Evaluate and strategize Before dental owners and their office managers begin the hiring process, they should evaluate whether they truly need additional staff, or whether they’d be best served by taking steps to enhance office efficiency, according to Boyce-Cooley. “This is especially true when hiring front-office personnel,” she says. “Patient demand, the hygiene model of care and restorative scheduling guidelines often dictate the need to hire additional clinical
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HIRING IN A TIGHT MARKET
support staff. Prior to doing so, Burkhart recommends the practice calculate the percentage of collections currently dedicated to staff members’ wages, taxes and benefits. Depending on the PPO participation level, a healthy staff percentage for general dentists may range from 22-28 percent.” Assuming the practice is short-staffed, however, attracting the right people has become more and more complicated in recent years. “Gone are the days when a dental practice could place a generic ad and expect an influx of resumes,” says Boyce-Cooley. Dental practices today that are most successful in their recruitment efforts take a multi-pronged approach to marketing their practice, she notes. It’s important to develop a dynamic website and a strong social media presence that includes Twitter, Facebook and job websites like LinkedIn and Indeed. Dentists must review sites like Healthgrades, and take an objective look at their social media presence, Boyce-Cooley continues. “About 70 percent of people look at reviews before making career decisions,” she says. “What does a website tell prospective employees about the practice and the existing staff? What impression does the practice’s social media presence convey?” That said, dentists should not overlook the benefit of employee
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“Gone are the days when a dental practice could place a generic ad and expect an influx of resumes.” www.firstimpressionsmag.com
referrals, she adds. “Dental owners should consider giving existing employees a recruitment bonus contingent on their referring – and onboarding – prospective employees. “At Burkhart, our account managers regularly discuss the business aspects of dentistry with their customers,” says Boyce-Cooley. “Leadership resources, sample
job descriptions, systems support, ad suggestions and marketing recommendations are all available at no charge to Burkhart clients through our Practice Support Team. Ensuring our dental customers’ practices are referral-worthy for both patients and prospective team members is critical to recruitment efforts in a competitive marketplace.”
TRENDS
BY LAURA THILL
Now Hiring! Hiring and retaining staff is a universal challenge for dental practices, regardless of their size or model. Solo vs. group
Happy patients are key to a successful dental practice. But what does it take for practice owners to ensure that when their patients say goodbye, it’s only until their next visit? Investing in new technology and services certainly is crucial to patient retention. Yet, even the most tech-savvy patients won’t return to a practice if they aren’t comfortable with the dental team. Indeed, a team that doesn’t click – and employees who don’t enjoy working at their practice – can be a turnoff to patients. Which is why it’s so important for owners to hire and retain awesome employees. That, however, may be easier said than done.
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All practices, from solo offices to large dental service organizations, are bound to encounter challenges around hiring and staff retention. In some geographic areas, for instance, there is a shortage of qualified dental professionals available for hire. Depending on the practice culture or the compensation offered, employees may feel underappreciated. At the same time, each dental model inevitably has a lot to offer new employees. Larger practices and DSOs often can offer employees more working hours. In addition, DSOs usually have the means to provide employees with better compensation packages. On the other hand, clinicians and staff at smaller practices may feel in greater control of their treatment plans, making it attractive to stay for the long-term. “It’s all about creating the right environment and a sense of unity by making employees feel like they are part of a winning team, says Steve Desautel, vice president, sales and marketing, Dental Health Products, Inc. (DHPI). “Dental offices that typically have the greatest turnover issues are those where the
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TRENDS
owner is not overly staff centric, can’t clearly communicate performance targets and goals, makes unrealistic demands and is hard to please.” For both solo and group dental practices, knowing where to find qualified potential dental hires, and then properly vetting them to ensure their skills and talents match the needs of the office(s), requires research and planning. Desautel and his DHPI team offer the following guidelines for identifying potential employees who will be a great fit for the practice: » Conduct a working interview. Employers should pay potential employees to work at the office, experience the culture and see firsthand what the job entails. The dental team, in turn, can see the candidates’ responses within their work environment, including their listening skills and ability to follow through. » Evaluate candidates’ qualifications. What value do they bring to the practice? Past certifications and training are important, but don’t discount their future potential. » Identify candidates who have similar treatment philosophies and are proficient in procedures that tend to be referred out. » Collect references. » Personality counts. » Hire slow, fire fast!
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In spite of the many technological advances the dental industry has experienced in recent years, word of mouth continues to be a tried-and-true marketing tool both for dentists seeking new recruits and dental professionals looking for a new position, notes Desautel.
Avoid making mistakes Why do some dental practices make hiring and retaining staff look so easy, while others face constant turnover? Although practice owners are likely to make a bad hiring decision at some point in their career, there are ways to avoid doing so. Providing candidates
Attracting – and retaining – talented clinicians and staff. Clinicians and dental staff look for a work environment that is supportive and affirming. As such, dental practices must offer their employees: » A clearly communicated vision, where employees know the goals and expectations. » A positive culture, where others can express opinions and empower others to act on those ideas. » Competitive salaries. » Benefits, such as a 401(k) program, health insurance. » The potential to grow skills and receive increased compensation. » Flexible hours. It may sound like common sense, but dental practices that make their employees feel like a valued part of the team are more likely to retain talented individuals and succeed.
Marketing through social media and networking are key to attracting new talent. “Many younger professionals rely on dental social media portals,” says Desautel. with clear job descriptions up front, carefully vetting them to ensure they are qualified to fill a position, and then making them feel valued once they join the practice, go a long way toward fostering a happy, productive culture. “Employees leave organizations that lack vision, or because they don’t have the tools to perform their
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duties and/or feel unappreciated,” says Desautel. One of the worst mistakes a practice can make is to hire a new employee simply to fill a spot, rather than holding out for the right candidate, according to Desautel. “In many instances, practices become desperate to find help and they don’t take the time to identify the right
candidate,” he says. At the same time, it could be a mistake to overlook a candidate who lacks some skills, but appears to be a great match in other areas. “Inexperienced candidates can be further trained and educated once they join the practice,” he says. “Office managers should be constantly interviewing candidates and building a team of prospective hires. And it’s important to remember that candidates who lack certain skills, but appear to be a great fit, can be trained moving forward. There is never an off-season for identifying talent.” Without a clearly defined job description, dental practices will have a difficult time finding qualified team members, according to Desautel. Similarly,
without proper training, new employees can’t carry out their responsibilities to the best of their ability. “Whether an experienced individual or an industry rookie, anyone starting a new position requires proper training and education,” he says. In addition, all organizations need good systems in place to support a company vision, direction and intercommunication between leadership and employees, he explains. “Weekly staff meetings can help eliminate any issues.” Finally, it never pays to underpay! “Offering employees a competitive salary is a must,” says Desautel. When clinicians and staff are not compensated for the value they contribute to the practice, they tend to feel unappreciated and eventually leave the practice, he notes, especially in the dental industry, where it’s easy to network and find a new position. All this said, even the most diligent employees need – and want – to have some fun from time to time. “While a clear company vision and competitive compensation are a must, fun days, such as potlucks, barbecues in the parking lot, team events and charitable events have a profound effect on company morale and go a long way toward retaining employees,” says Desautel.
Attracting talent Marketing through social media and networking are key
to attracting new talent. “Many younger professionals rely on dental social media portals,” says Desautel. But, whether the practice connects to potential candidates through social media or word of mouth, it’s important to portray a strong vision and culture to candidates. Dental groups often recruit talented individuals from other organizations, notes Desautel. “When building a brand, communication and trust of leadership are essential.” When employees have a good experience at their practice, they are more likely to refer new candidates, he adds.
Distributor reps: A partner to the practice Distributor sales reps may not be professional recruiters, but they can still help their solo and small-group dental customers address challenges around hiring and staff retention. Reps hear what’s going on in their customers’ offices and they know which candidates are qualified and looking for new opportunities. Here are a few tips: » Partner with your dental customers. Share fresh ideas and best practices from one practice to the next. » Stay in touch with placement firms, which may have individuals looking for dental employment opportunities. » Use social media, such as a professional Facebook page and LinkedIn, to help connect industry people. Above all, stay impartial. As sales reps know all too well, it’s one thing to support a customer; it’s quite another to play favorites!
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HEALTHY REPS
Health news and notes Stay agile Over time, everyone's body ages and shows signs from natural wear and tear, says Mayo Clinic. Regular exercise helps delay the process. However, many people forget to include mobility exercises in their routine. Both flexibility and mobility are important to how your body functions. Flexibility refers to the ability to move a joint through the full range of motion, or fully lengthen a muscle. Mobility involves a bit more. It includes flexibility, as well as strength, coordination and balance. Staying active and preserving mobility are important as you age. Here are three ways to do so: 1) Stretch every day; 2) use a foam roller for selfmassage as a way to release tension in muscles and connective tissue; and 3) take advantage of your body’s natural movements by doing things like climbing, carrying, throwing, catching – even crawling.
High blood pressure and pregnancy: Not a good match The number of pregnant women with chronic high blood pressure is on the rise, says Cleveland Clinic physician Dr. Salena Zanotti. If you are pregnant and have high blood
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after stroke is essential to help reduce disability severity and to address depression, which can often occur as a result of stroke.
Your lymph system: Take good care
pressure, it could adversely affect you 10, 20 or 30 years down the road, as it can increase your risk for stroke and heart attacks. Blood pressure can be controlled with good diet and exercise, and by not smoking. But sometimes medication is necessary. Talk to your doctor.
Improved quality of life for adults with stroke Cardiorespiratory training, repetitive task training, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may improve activities of daily living in adults with stroke, according to a systematic review for the 2019 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of
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Defense Guidelines (DoD) for Stroke Rehabilitation, published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may reduce symptoms of poststroke depression, but use of SSRIs to prevent depression or improve motor function was not supported. Stroke is the fifth most common cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Approximately 44 percent of younger individuals, aged 18 to 50 years, who have had a stroke experience moderate disability, and require some assistance with activities of daily living or mobility. Early rehabilitation
Your body relies on your lymphatic system to remove waste, like bacteria, viruses, toxins and abnormal cells that can lead to cancer, according to MD Anderson. And every step you take helps it do its job. That’s because the lymphatic system lacks an organ like the heart to pump fluid around your body. Lymph fluid relies on movement and the contraction of your muscles to make it flow. The lymphatic system is stimulated by moving your muscles and getting your heart rate up,” says MD Anderson Senior Physical Therapist Sarah Cleveland. “All these things stimulate the lymphatic flow.” The contraction of your muscles becomes the pump that helps the fluid get around your body. Exercise can help the lymphatic system flow more effectively and potentially help prevent infections and other diseases, like cancer. “Any exercise is helpful for the lymphatic system,” says Cleveland. “Exercise under water is especially helpful because of the pressure from the water.”
QUICKBYTES
Editor’s Note: Technology is playing an increasing role in the day-to-day business of sales reps. In this department, First Impressions will profile the latest developments in software and gadgets that reps can use for work and play.
Technology news Google works to improve texting Google wants to catch up to the iPhone in the texting category, says CNET. The company is working with U.S. carriers to make text messaging more powerful, more consistent across Android phones and more fun to use. Carriers will have to adopt a messaging protocol called Rich Communication Services, or RCS. When it's widely available, RCS will replace SMS, the text messaging standard that's been used since the 1990s. RCS messaging will let you share high-resolution photos, videos, GIFs and texts over Wi-Fi as well as over your phone's data connection. You'll be able to see if contacts are available, when they're typing to you and when they've read a message. Group conversations will also see improvements.
Play your emails Grab your headphones, press play, and groove to the sound of your email inbox, writes GeekWire, whose editors call Microsoft’s new “Play My Emails” feature for the Outlook app on Apple’s iPhone “a surprisingly useful and well-executed tool for keeping on top of your email.” The new feature uses Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant to provide
updates on appointments and events, summarize how many important messages have come in since last check, and say how long it will take to get through them, before reading them. With voice commands, users can flag messages for follow-up; archive, delete or skip messages; and dictate and send short replies. It is said to work smoothly with Apple AirPods and Microsoft Surface Headphones, pausing playback when you remove them, for example. It also works normally with other Bluetooth-enabled wireless audio devices, including in-car infotainment systems, integrating with basic media controls in the vehicle.
Not a keyword. A real key! You probably keep a lot of sensitive information in your Google account -- bank account numbers and balances, email addresses, photos of your face, your friends' faces, your family. If you want the highest level of security you can get for your all that important data, you'll want to check out the Google Advanced Protection Program, says CNET. It relies on something very old but real: A physical security key, similar to the kind of dongle you use to start a car with keyless ignition. You don't need to plug it into
your phone, laptop or desktop, but you do need to keep it nearby whenever you access your Google account, like on a keychain or in your pocket. What’s the point? One of the common denominators among most data breaches is that attacks are carried out
the USB charger scam, in which hackers try to infect the smartphones and other electronic devices of unassuming travelers through the free USB charging stations in public places such as airports and hotels. Juice jacking attempts see hackers loading
remotely, over the Internet. That's why physical security keys are said to be an effective defense against online hackers. Even if a scammer did steal your username and password, they still couldn't get into your account without that physical key.
malware into the charging stations, or in cables that they leave plugged in at the stations. The malware may either lock the smartphone and hold it as hostage, or forward sensitive information such as passwords to the attacker. The DA’s Office recommends travelers plug their own charging cables into AC power outlets. Portable chargers, which comes in many different forms and price points, are said to be a safer alternative to public USB charging stations as well. Bottom line: Travelers should stick to the safe side and only consider public USB charging stations a last resort.
Juice jacking
Travelers who need to charge their smartphones while on the go might want to avoid public USB charging stations, due to the security risk known as “juice jacking,” reports Digital Trends. A Nov. 8 advisory from the District Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles County warned against
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WINDSHIELD
Chances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s some automotive-related news that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.
Automotive-related news Watch out for bicyclists The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for a major policy overhaul to combat the rise in bicyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles, after completing its first study of bicyclist safety since 1972. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s most recent census of fatal motor vehicle crashes, 854 bicyclists were killed in collisions with motor vehicles in 2018. That’s a 38 percent increase since the low point in 2010 and the highest number of fatalities in 30 years. Including pedestrian fatalities, which are up 46 percent over the same period, people outside of motor vehicles now account for a fifth of all traffic deaths. Most motor vehicle collisions with bicycles occur at intersections. However, crashes are more often fatal at midblock locations, where vehicles are generally traveling faster, the board noted. It called on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to include protected bike lanes and safer intersection designs in its list of proven safety countermeasures.
Electric cars: Make some noise! Starting September 2020, the United States will require all fully electric vehicles and
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hybrids operating in electriconly mode to make a sound at speeds below 18.6 m.p.h. , which is the number at which the electric motor and tires make enough noise to alert pedestrians in time to avoid a mishap, reports The New York
was quoted as saying. “As blind individuals, we learn to travel across streets and maneuver through cities by reading the sound of traffic around us,” she said. “But the silent nature of electric cars suddenly robs us of such clues.”
mimic the distance you keep between your vehicle and the car in front of you. It also takes into account acceleration, as well as how you respond to changes in traffic. Where Hyundai thinks its new cruise control will improve on any existing system is that it won't take a single approach to every situation. The company claims SCC-ML will be smart enough to know that you don't always keep the same distance from another car, and that you accelerate differently depending on your current speed.
Canceled!
Times. In the European Union, an alerting system that sounds like an internal combustion engine and generates noise at speeds below 20 kilometers per hour (about 12 miles per hour) must now be installed in every new electric vehicle. Existing electric vehicles are required to incorporate the device by July 2021. Equipping such vehicles with audible alerts is vital, Claire Stanley, an advocacy and outreach specialist for the American Council of the Blind,
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Don’t fear the cruise control Hyundai believes it can make the experience of using cruise control more intuitive by adding machine learning, reports Engadget. The South Korean automaker thinks drivers will be more likely to use its new machine-learning-based Smart Cruise Control (SSC-ML) because it will be able to match your own driving style. Hyundai says the feature adjusts for a couple of factors. First, it will
Hyundai Motor Group announced the development of a Road Noise Active Noise Control (RANC) system, said to dramatically reduce noise within the cabin of a vehicle. RANC builds on the Group’s current Active Noise Control (ANC) technology, which actively reduces noise by emitting soundwaves inverted to incoming noise. The new system can analyze various types of noise in real-time and produce inverted soundwaves. For example, there are different types of road noises that the new technology can process, such as resonant sounds created between tires and wheels or rumble sounds coming up from the road.
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