Zoe Close speaks to Cat Edney about how self-actualisation can help practices to manage flexible working requests and retain employees.
As the post-pandemic desire to work more flexibly shows little sign of losing its appeal, how do practice owners balance the needs of their business and the desires of their employees? Practice Plan head of sales Zoe Close spoke to dental therapist and educator Cat Edney to get her advice.
Flexible working
Zoe: Since the changes to employment law in April this year regarding flexible working, it has become something I am asked about frequently when I visit practices. Many complain that their business just doesn’t work in a way that can accommodate flexible working very easily.
I know that you have been quite smart with what you do, Cat, so what advice do you have for people who are wondering how they can adapt to enable them to grant more flexible working requests and feel less panicked if staff want to work fewer hours?
Cat: When it comes to all these concerns, if we looked at the grassroots reason why people are asking for flexible working, why people might have poor mental health in practice, or they don’t want to be working five days a week, we can fix a lot of these problems before they arise.
I believe a lot of the work I’ve been doing around dental therapy and introducing a dental therapist-led model is about self-actualisation. It’s about every single member of the team being able to achieve self-actualisation, which is being able to develop a working lifestyle where they’re working to a point that they feel that they’ve been fully trained for, and they’re able to deliver the best they can deliver in all the things they’re able to do.
I’m not just talking about dental therapists being able to do fillings and checkups. The dental therapy-led model also facilitates dental associates to focus on what they love to do, and maybe work slightly compressed hours or fewer hours, but still earn at the same or higher level than they perhaps were when they were working as generalists and doing every part of the work in the dental surgery.
Dental nurses
Cat: Also, if you’re looking at dental nurses, employed members of staff, who may be experiencing poor mental health, not feeling like they’re reaching this pinnacle of self-actualisation, then we need to empower those people. As teams we need to be able to give them the tools to work to their fullest abilities.
And how many people do you know that come into their jobs and say, ‘I really don’t want to work as many hours anymore, but I love my job so much’? It’s usually the people who feel ‘work is just work. I really prefer being at home, let me not do so much work.’ The people that are signed up to their full-time contract and are getting everything they were promised and absolutely love being there because they get to do everything that they wanted to do, they won’t be asking for flexible working, or not without a good reason.
For example, how many dental nurses have done radiography training? Often, they’ve done additional training to be able to take radiographs and then they’re not able to do them because no one lets them, or they don’t feel empowered to do so. Radiography training is difficult and it’s extremely hard to pass the dental nurse training on radiography. If you’ve done all that hard work and then you’re not being empowered to use your skills, it’s really disheartening. I can see why those members of staff in teams where they’re not reaching this self-actualisation and not being utilised fully might feel really discouraged.
Are dental therapists reaching self-actualisation?
Cat: It’s the same with dental therapists. We have a shocking statistic of around 70% of dental therapists work as dental hygienists. This means that those 70% of dental therapists aren’t supporting a dentist, or multiple dentists, in the way that they could be to reach their self-actualisation, because every dentist has a particular skillset that they’re better at. We all know that there’s a certain dentist we’d send our mum to for a crown, but perhaps not for perio or endo. So, if they’re not being supported to do the work they love to do, then it has a knock-on effect for the whole team and then nobody’s happy.
I really feel that when you’re looking at mental health in your teams, it’s all about going back to basics. What is that person’s dream role and how can you support them within your business to be the best that they can be and support your business to grow?
Retention
Zoe: This also plays into the retention issue that is still a really hot topic at the moment in dental practices. Getting the best from people and their strengths can be a great help with that retention problem which is a key stress for owners at the moment.
Your point about radiography is a perfect example. It is something that progresses the dental nurse probably to a higher salary, but the chances of them using their skill is very low, and as you say, it is a hard course. So, it’s a missed opportunity.
Cat: Absolutely. And on your point of retention, I would never be leaving a role if I felt that I had everything I needed from the role. I don’t think anyone would. If you were really loving everything you were doing and you felt completely supported and had growth opportunities, you would be happy to stay.
One of the key things most dental practices miss is allowing somebody to grow. Supporting them to move out of one role and into another. We are all worried about losing staff who want to grow. I hear whispered conversations all the time along the lines of ‘that dental nurse is talking about going on the dental hygiene course and what are we going to do? This is awful.’ Well, maybe it’s not awful. Maybe there’s a cycle and if you support people to have that growth cycle and you have a culture of support in your practice, then you’ll have a happier team. Yes, you might have some turnover, but it’s a healthy turnover where people are growing and helping to grow your business at the same time.
Zoe: Really great food for thought there, Cat. Thank you.
Be Practice Plan
A longer version of this conversation is available at practiceplan.co.uk/events/workforce-evolution/.
Practice Plan hasbeen welcoming practices into the family since 1995, helping them to grow profitable businesses through the introduction of practice-branded membership plans.
With over 300 years’ dental experience in our field team, if you’re looking for a provider that has that family feel but knows a thing or two about dentistry… Be Practice Plan and get in touch. Call 01691 684165 or visit www.practiceplan.co.uk/be-practice-plan/.
