With all of the tasks you and your dental staff have on a daily basis, it can be difficult to make team building a priority. However, when looking at what makes a dental practice successful, the top key features are efficiency and attitude of your dental team.

Therefore, it is necessary to spend a little time on your practice culture so that there is always a positive and motivated office that you and your patients can be proud of.

What can you do to build team morale? After long dental days that sometimes can become redundant, it is important to spend time with your staff to grow as a collaborative team.

#1 Take CE together

Invest in CE courses for both you and your staff to take together – whether it is management courses, dental techniques, or leadership skills, it shows you want your team to advance.

CEs are a great way to learn but in a fun environment. Staff that want to continue their education are more likely to want to improve their skills in the office and operatory.

#2 Plan an out-of-the-office activity

Sometimes your dental team becomes more like family, but because you see them everyday in a work environment, it is a breath of fresh air to mingle outside of the office.

Schedule an activity like an art class, yoga, or a fun dinner to get together and take a break from dentistry. Your team will appreciate the effort and will feel more bonded when you have an outside relationship.

Communication exercises with your team can help strengthen their skills and work on any areas that need improvement like scheduling, hygiene coordination, etc. Speak with your hygienists about being most productive during their visit so a patient does not have to return or have radiographs ready when a dentist is doing a clinical exam.

You’ll notice more productivity and better efficiency in the office when you have meetings to discuss your expectations.

#4 Implement practice goals

When you treat your team like valued members, they are more likely to reach target goals for your office. A great team building exercise is having weekly, monthly, and yearly goals along with incentives for production, collections, and new patient scheduling.

Staff  can also be more enthusiastic when there is a sense of belonging and an incentive when a goal is reached. Be enthusiastic by offering a monetary award, gift card, or bonus.

______________________

Employees like a good flow, organized schedules, consistent breaks, and to go home on time. When you work on team building, it allows your office to run more efficiently and ultimately leads to happier employees.