Kunal Thakker explores the tricky topics of recruitment and retention as part of his series on developing a successful squat practice.
Everyone knows that recruitment is a real challenge in dentistry right now. So how do we deal with it at Tooth Club? Here are my tips and guidance.
Firstly, before we even think about recruitment and bringing new people in, I’d like us take a step back and really think about why we have vacancies. We need to make sure that we’re plugging the hole at the bottom of the bucket before we start adding more water to it. What I mean by that is do you understand why people are leaving in the first place?
There are some natural reasons why people need to leave – they want to move on or they have other career opportunities. But making sure that you’ve got a real good culture in your business where people want to come and work for you is really important. Otherwise it’s just going to be a constant revolving door where people come and go.
Once you’ve got your culture right and you’re pretty clear about what your expectations of a particular role are, then it’s time to recruit.
Picking the right candidate
Every role can be extremely challenging to recruit for, whether you’re looking for a dentist, a receptionist or a dental nurse. At Tooth Club, we use a lot of different platforms to search such as Indeed, Linkedin and Total Jobs.
We also make use of our own network with a referral scheme within our practice. If one of our employees knows a colleague to bring in, they get a reward for referring that person to the business.
Once you’ve sourced that candidate, making sure you pick the right person goes beyond the competencies of the job. It’s also about the attitude and the behaviours. If you bring in someone that’s going to be toxic, or change the culture or dynamic of your practice, that’s going to lead to more issues in the long term. So make a decision that goes beyond just the skill set.
Retention
Now we have the right recruit, but how are we going to retain them? That all comes down to training.
We often choose to bring people in at Tooth Club who have the right attitude and behaviours, but they don’t quite have the skill set. We then spend a lot of time in investing in training and ensuring that we upskill them – whether that’s through a course or one-to-one clinical support within our practices. That really helps to build long term loyalty and hopefully reduce the number of vacancies that come up.
Pay can often be a really sensitive topic within dentistry, particularly for nurses. Making sure that you’re rewarding your staff for the work that they’re doing is really, really important. If they’re taking on extra responsibility, ensure there’s a bonus scheme to make them feel appreciated.
I also think the working environment is really important. For this reason, the interview process is really important. It’s always a two way street: while we’re interviewing them, the candidate is actually interviewing us as well. When someone comes in for an interview, they can feel the environment. They feel how they’ve been greeted by the receptionist and how the manager has made them feel. Did you keep them waiting? Did you make them feel comfortable?
Speed is also important following the interview. You don’t want to come across desperate, but equally, you don’t want to keep candidates waiting. Your communication should be rapid while ensuring you’re making the right decision when it comes to the actual offer.
In summary, make sure you recruit the right people using the right channels, but retention is just as important as recruitment. Make sure there isn’t a hole at the bottom of your bucket by creating a good culture in your practice and rewarding employees well.
Catch up with the rest of the Developing a Squat Practice series:
- The key to achieving operational excellence
- Buy and build versus squat practice
- Top tips for opening the perfect squat practice
- The dos and don’ts of opening a squat practice
- Funding a squat practice – everything you need to know.
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