5 Steps to Create a Positive Work Environment For Your Dental Front Office Team

Our 2023 DentalPost Salary Survey highlighted that, despite pay increases and improvement in overall job satisfaction, 39% of dental office receptionists and associates will be looking for a new job this year. Additionally, 18% of dental practice managers plan to apply for a new job during this year, and 30.5% of those in private practice plan to look for new positions. Practice environment, lack of appreciation, and compensation were the top motivators for the 18% actively planning to look for a new job this year. 

So, how can you create a positive working environment your dental staff will love in an industry with a high front-office staff turnover rate? These steps will create a positive working environment and empower your dental front office team.

Foster a Positive (Less Stressful!) Environment in 5 Steps

Managing your staff directly impacts their job satisfaction, gratitude, and empowerment. If you want your dental practice to be where people love to work, consider the following five steps:

1. Advocate Open Communication

Encouraging your employees to communicate openly with you allows them to feel comfortable coming to you with any problem they might be experiencing before it becomes a bigger issue that may result in an unnecessary turnover. An understanding environment will help them feel supported and reduce overall stress levels. Furthermore, allowing employees to challenge you healthily will encourage a spirit of teamwork as you all work together to ensure the practice excels. 

2. Encourage Collaboration and Appreciation Throughout Your Practice

Have you noticed a divide between your front office and dental staff? This could be due to several reasons, such as differences in job responsibilities or less time spent as a group, but whatever the cause, uniting your team is essential. Feeling distinct from the dentists, dental hygiene staff, and dental assistants can lead to a drop in job satisfaction for the front office team. In fact, ‘gratitude’ and ‘seeking a more positive work environment’ were listed in our Dental Salary Report among the top reasons many front office employees seek a job change besides their pay. So, to promote workplace positivity, encourage collaboration from all team members through specific team-building schemes or day-to-day work-related activities. Allow team members to get to know each other’s daily roles in the practice and cultivate a language of appreciation, ensuring all staff members know they are equally valued.

3. Empower Team Members Through Greater Responsibility

Emphasize your front office team’s value by giving them more freedom and responsibility within their job scope. This will vary per practice, but a couple of ways to achieve empowerment include making them responsible for the look and feel of the front office and waiting room or taking an active role in your dental practice marketing activities by helping create content for your social media channels. 

Your front office team plays an essential role in putting patients at ease before their appointments; encourage them to engage with those in the waiting room and emphasize the importance of this action. One thing to avoid if you want to empower your team? Micromanagement. Micromanaging your staff increases stress levels (for both parties) and leaves them feeling that their responsibilities and effectiveness are limited. To sum up, leave managing the dental practice to the team member you hired. 

4. Celebrate Your Employees on Dental Holidays

Celebrating Dental Holidays is an excellent way to give back to your employees and highlight how valuable their role is in your team. On these occasions, make the day stand out with decorations, small gifts for your team, or catering in the form of a cake or snack platters. Familiarize yourself with national dental holidays, such as National Receptionist’s Day on May 12th and Office Manager Appreciation month in September, and celebrate accordingly!

Plus, don’t limit your celebrations to dental days to encourage inclusivity. Include Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Women’s Day. And ensure that your practice acknowledges the cultural celebrations of all your staff members, such as Eid, Passover, Kwanzaa, Holi, and Día de Muertos.

5. Take Insurance Out of the Equation

Do you know how much time your front office team spends trying to get what you’re due from insurance plans? Your front office team also has to act as a gatekeeper for your patients’ treatments, checking what is covered and your patients’ financial responsibilities. They’re also fielding calls from prospective patients, turning away those not in network. It’s tedious work that does not bring job satisfaction to your front office. 

Cutting out the insurance middleman means your front office team isn’t fighting with insurance paperwork daily. A membership club can address multiple practice challenges: patient treatment acceptance, retention, job satisfaction, and profit-squeezing reimbursements from insurance. Additionally, with what you save from not sharing your profits with insurance, you can offer attractive salaries and benefits to your team. So your front office stays and has increased job satisfaction, all while you get paid what you deserve.

Retain Your Front Office Staff Long-Term

A team that feels empowered, understood, and supported is likely a team that will work together for longer, so employ these steps in your dental practice to ensure that your front office staff feels valued and included in the long term.

Find more ways to retain your staff here:

5 Strategies to Retain Your Dental Team

4 Tips to Reengage and Retain Your Dental Team

The Top 4 Benefits For Dental Employees

3 Ways to Grow Dental Staff Engagement

Why Dental Employee Benefits Matter

Is Your Dental Practice Doing “Stay” Interviews?