7 Keys to a Happier Dental Practice

What does it mean to practice positivity in your dental office? Before we go into the many ways to do this, it is important that we understand what positivity is first. Elizabeth Cabrera, author of “Six Essentials of Workplace Positivity” calls positivity “the frequent experience of positive emotions such as joy, hope, gratitude, interest, serenity, or inspiration.” But being happy at work isn’t plausible. It’s work. If this is how you and your team are thinking right now then some detrimental changes need to be made. Believe it or not, some workplaces are actually known for their positive and uplifting atmosphere. Glassdoor.com conducted a survey to find the top five best places to work in 2016. And even though monetary compensation was a noted factor in the success of all five, it was not the factor that really stood out. Most employees commenting and voting mentioned job satisfaction first, including being respected, cared about, trusted and supported. Is your staff happy? Are you? If you aren’t, but you want to be, below are a list of 7 suggestions that will promote a much more positive atmosphere, most of which are consistently utilized by the top five.

Practice Transparency

Transparency is providing a window into the way your practice operates. This develops trust between you and your team in so far as you can share everything with them and they don’t feel like they’re being excluded. Andre Lavoie writes in his blog post on transparency that “Employees who are kept in the loop and understand their role in the overarching purpose and goals of the company are, understandably, more likely to put their trust in their employer.”

Focus on the value of your team

Providing an amicable environment in the office is crucial to creating a positive atmosphere, and if you are the dental office manager or the dentist, make time to recognize the value of your team and the accomplishments they’ve made as actions like this will promote positivity. Most people feel good when an employer compliments them on their accomplishments, or even just recognizes them for the job they’re doing and how important that job is to the bottom line. Inc.com suggests thanking your staff and congratulating them for their contributions. In their words, “Your goal should be to create an environment where people realize their work is appreciated.”

Involve everyone on the team

This is a good way to let your staff know that their opinions are noted and respected. Involving your staff in the big decisions allows them to feel like they play an essential role in the dental office. As “lame” as people insist Walmart’s morning huddle is, it is actually conducive to creating a positive atmosphere as it not only gets people singing and laughing but it also invites the employees into the important discussion about sales, budgets, and the overall direction the company is heading. People might groan in the beginning, but in the end, most of those people will be smiling.

Provide a Q & A meeting

Facebook, voted number five for best place to work, has their CEO conduct a weekly morning meeting every Friday to update everyone on the changes made to the application. But that isn’t all; he also opens up the floor to questions from everyone on the team, creating that very important attribute to positivity, a sense of community. It is important that everyone gets a say and everyone contributes to the bigger picture; and even more important that the team knows they are a part of the bigger picture.

Provide opportunities to de-stress

Stress breeds negativity in the office, which is why taking breaks, lunches and vacations are so critical to production. Emphasize just how important it is to take those breaks by taking those breaks yourself to set an example. Also, providing opportunities to de-stress will make for a happier and more optimistic work environment. Some practices you can implement in your dental office include a half hour Yoga session, a few minutes of stretching before work, or just allowing a few minutes for your team to chat amongst each other.

It all starts with you

As a leader, generating a positive atmosphere starts with you. Inc.com’s blogger, Jayson Demers writes “Positive mentalities are contagious and compounding.” So be enthusiastic, resist that sometimes overwhelming urge to be sarcastic, and look for the good qualities in all your coworkers. Once you are thinking positively, you can start to apply this to your actions. You can choose to say positive rather than negative things, smile, and personally greet people when they arrive at the dental office. This attitude will then create a ripple effect throughout your dental team, encouraging the same positive-invoking behavior.

Make time to have some fun!

You might think that taking an hour out of a random Friday to have fun isn’t productive, but you’d be wrong about that. Providing BBQs, organizing games, and just encouraging your dental staff to have a good time is the perfect way to enhance productivity. Positive emotions motivate people to work harder. Demers writes “A few minutes away from the desk can improve productivity for hours and provide consistent increases to morale worth far more than those few lost minutes of work.” Even more than that, fostering a positive work environment can lead to a whole host of other benefits, including but not limited to

Better decision-making
Ability to be more creative
Willingness to think outside the box
More productivity
More staff resilience
Better interpersonal skills
Able to enhance wellbeing and personal success
stronger connections and longer lasting relationships
More self-confidence

With all these benefits and more as a result, you can’t afford not to foster a more positive atmosphere in your dental office. Below I have provided a list of resources for yours and your staff’s reading pleasure. I hope you will all take a break to indulge.

Resources

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