I find it amusing that my last post incited so many responses. Some people thought it was not appropriate to write a post discussing that staff members might flirt with patients or vice versa and how should a dentist/owner deal with that situation in the real world.
I think we should be mature and understand that our offices are filled with people. Some of those people are staff and others are patients. In the real world, adults will often flirt and be social with one another– this is just the reality of people being people. You can make rules to discourage in office flirting but it will only reduce it – not eliminate it. Social interaction is just part of who we all are – we cannot escape being humans.
I 100% agree that neither staff nor patients should act crudely, say hyper-sexual things or act in an inappropriately manner. If that occurs, it needs to be stopped immediately. Luckily most of the interpersonal exchanges between staff and patients are rather harmless and light-hearted. It is just regular, well-meaning people being social – nothing out of bounds or inappropriate.
I think everyone needs to lighten up a little and stop trying to create a rule for everything. Inappropriate conduct should not be allowed in the office place- period. Any staff member who feels they are being harassed should be able to stop that conduct immediately – and no staff member should act aggressively or offensively to a patient. BUT – regular, normal, social, people-being-people, welcomed, two-way social interactions are fine and cannot be over-regulated.
I’ll say it again – if the conduct would be appropriate at a church social event – then it is fine in a dental office environment.
Dr. Corey Gold
President – Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Monday, March 18, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Flirting in the Office with Patients???
Yet another grey area in the dental office – lol.
Our offices are typically staffed by young, energetic people who are social and outgoing. Often they will meet patients who they have an interest in and a little harmless flirting will occur. It is not uncommon for staff members and patients to date. I even had one staff member meet her husband in my office. This natural social interaction is fine and not inappropriate when the flirting is not excessive or over-sexual in nature.
I also had one staff member who was constantly inappropriately flirting. She was a very attractive girl with a full figure and she would make sexual jokes and innuendos – making her intentions over obvious. Her conduct often left both patients and staff uneasy. Eventually we had to have a very challenging staff meeting about appropriate office social behavior.
It is not possible to set hard and fast rules about flirting and human interaction in the office. What one person sees as harmless flirtation another sees as hypersexual conduct. My advice to my staff – think you are flirting in church – would your social interaction be appropriate in church – if the answer is NO then it is inappropriate in the office.
Dr. Corey gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www,aces4ce.com
Our offices are typically staffed by young, energetic people who are social and outgoing. Often they will meet patients who they have an interest in and a little harmless flirting will occur. It is not uncommon for staff members and patients to date. I even had one staff member meet her husband in my office. This natural social interaction is fine and not inappropriate when the flirting is not excessive or over-sexual in nature.
I also had one staff member who was constantly inappropriately flirting. She was a very attractive girl with a full figure and she would make sexual jokes and innuendos – making her intentions over obvious. Her conduct often left both patients and staff uneasy. Eventually we had to have a very challenging staff meeting about appropriate office social behavior.
It is not possible to set hard and fast rules about flirting and human interaction in the office. What one person sees as harmless flirtation another sees as hypersexual conduct. My advice to my staff – think you are flirting in church – would your social interaction be appropriate in church – if the answer is NO then it is inappropriate in the office.
Dr. Corey gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www,aces4ce.com
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Dentist Wants More Time Off – How to Deal With the Staff?
A dentist recently told me that he was going to take five weeks of vacation this year and did not know how to deal with his staff. In the past he had given his staff members two weeks of paid vacation and he did not know how to approach the situation with his six staff members.
His first thought was to give them all an extra week of paid vacation (for a total of three weeks of paid vacation) and then to take the other two weeks of his vacation time as non-paid time away from work. He felt if he closed for five weeks and increased their paid vacation by one additional week that they would be happy. He approached his staff about this idea and was nearly burned at the stake! He called me and asked for my advice.
After laughing for quite some time at the picture that he painted of the mutiny in his office, I asked him to look at the situation from his staff’s perspective. His staff relied upon their income from his practice to keep their households afloat. Two weeks of reduced pay was a hardship for them. He was asking them to take a pay cut so that he could enjoy longer vacations.
I suggested that he PAY his staff for all five weeks of his vacations. That they use that time to – clean the office, restock, clean up charts, call patients, make sure the hygiene schedule was on track, take continuing education courses, talk at elementary schools about oral hygiene (bring the big teeth) and do other activities that would make the practice nicer and run better.
They decided that each staff would get one extra week vacation (for three weeks away), that each staff member would use five days to do their continuing education units and that they would use the remaining five days to do additional work in the office pertaining to their job.
The dentist will get his five weeks of vacation, the office will be in better condition, everyone will be up to date on their continuing education needs and most importantly – there will be NO STAFF MUTINY!
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
His first thought was to give them all an extra week of paid vacation (for a total of three weeks of paid vacation) and then to take the other two weeks of his vacation time as non-paid time away from work. He felt if he closed for five weeks and increased their paid vacation by one additional week that they would be happy. He approached his staff about this idea and was nearly burned at the stake! He called me and asked for my advice.
After laughing for quite some time at the picture that he painted of the mutiny in his office, I asked him to look at the situation from his staff’s perspective. His staff relied upon their income from his practice to keep their households afloat. Two weeks of reduced pay was a hardship for them. He was asking them to take a pay cut so that he could enjoy longer vacations.
I suggested that he PAY his staff for all five weeks of his vacations. That they use that time to – clean the office, restock, clean up charts, call patients, make sure the hygiene schedule was on track, take continuing education courses, talk at elementary schools about oral hygiene (bring the big teeth) and do other activities that would make the practice nicer and run better.
They decided that each staff would get one extra week vacation (for three weeks away), that each staff member would use five days to do their continuing education units and that they would use the remaining five days to do additional work in the office pertaining to their job.
The dentist will get his five weeks of vacation, the office will be in better condition, everyone will be up to date on their continuing education needs and most importantly – there will be NO STAFF MUTINY!
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Inappropriate Staff Dressing?
I received an email from a male dentist who was unsure of how to handle the situation of a young, attractive dental assistant who was dressing inappropriately.
The first thing I asked him was to be more specific as to what he meant by inappropriate dress. He said she was well endowed and would wear revealing clothe that showed too much top and shorts that did not cover enough bottom. He said that her attire would work in a night club or on the beach but was not what he wanted for his office. He was worried that by talking to her that he might offend her or get a harassment law suit. Additionally – the rest of his staff was not happy with her appearance either!
I told him that he could choose to create a dress code that demanded that the entire staff (or just clinical staff) wear scrubs while they work. If he did this he would have to either provide the scrubs or uniforms for the staff or give them a uniform cash allowance.
Another option was to create an office dress code that allowed more freedom of choice but set limits as to sleeve length, cleavage exposed, stomach exposed, pant or skirt length, etc… This method would require more staff buy in but would also work. The dentist might have to give the staff a clothing allowance because staff would be ruining their own clothe during work. I personally opted for having scrubs and providing them for my staff. I let the staff pick out the outfits and we all loved them. They often picked really funny colors or patterns.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
The first thing I asked him was to be more specific as to what he meant by inappropriate dress. He said she was well endowed and would wear revealing clothe that showed too much top and shorts that did not cover enough bottom. He said that her attire would work in a night club or on the beach but was not what he wanted for his office. He was worried that by talking to her that he might offend her or get a harassment law suit. Additionally – the rest of his staff was not happy with her appearance either!
I told him that he could choose to create a dress code that demanded that the entire staff (or just clinical staff) wear scrubs while they work. If he did this he would have to either provide the scrubs or uniforms for the staff or give them a uniform cash allowance.
Another option was to create an office dress code that allowed more freedom of choice but set limits as to sleeve length, cleavage exposed, stomach exposed, pant or skirt length, etc… This method would require more staff buy in but would also work. The dentist might have to give the staff a clothing allowance because staff would be ruining their own clothe during work. I personally opted for having scrubs and providing them for my staff. I let the staff pick out the outfits and we all loved them. They often picked really funny colors or patterns.
Dr. Corey Gold
President - Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Dentist vs. Front Office in Collecting Money and Setting Fees
While the dentist often owns the business during the day they are just an employee with specific job descriptions. If you want your front office staff to be able to collect money from patients then you as the dentist can NOT enter into negotiations over fees or payment plans – NEVER!
If the patients know that the dentist will enter into a financial conversation with them, they will go to them when they are not getting the answers they want from the front office staff. If the dentist overrides the fees and arrangements made by the staff then your staff no longer has any real authority. The patients will simply go to you when they want to lower the price or change arrangements – you render your staff impotent.
Dentist should direct the patients to the front office staff in ALL matters related to money, fees and insurance. Simply tell the patient that you would just screw up their arrangements if you got involved and tell them the staff is much better at this then you are. Make the patient interface with the front office staff in ALL matters financial.
Show your staff respect and confidence – entrust them to do their jobs and you stick to doing great dentistry!
Dr. Corey Gold
President
Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
If the patients know that the dentist will enter into a financial conversation with them, they will go to them when they are not getting the answers they want from the front office staff. If the dentist overrides the fees and arrangements made by the staff then your staff no longer has any real authority. The patients will simply go to you when they want to lower the price or change arrangements – you render your staff impotent.
Dentist should direct the patients to the front office staff in ALL matters related to money, fees and insurance. Simply tell the patient that you would just screw up their arrangements if you got involved and tell them the staff is much better at this then you are. Make the patient interface with the front office staff in ALL matters financial.
Show your staff respect and confidence – entrust them to do their jobs and you stick to doing great dentistry!
Dr. Corey Gold
President
Advanced Continuing Education Systems
www.aces4ce.com
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