Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Practice Matters DENTAL TRIBUNE | July 20118A f DT page 6A manager’s job description needs to be customized to best fit the needs of the practice, which is why you will not find a generic office man- ager job description on the McK- enzie Management website along with all the other job descriptions. Rather, we recommend profes- sional training geared specifically for dental office managers. This training should teach the busi- ness of dentistry, including each practice system as well as other management specialty areas. From there, the job description is built from scratch with input from the dentist and the office manager so that it serves the needs of the spe- cific practice. Not every practice needs an office manager. Some dentists are comfortable managing the practice as well as doing the dentistry, while others do not want to be burdened with the management responsibili- ties. My advice is that you don’t toss around the term office man- ager lightly. This is a position that carries significant responsibility and requires specific skills. If you do appoint an office manager, give her the tools to succeed via profes- sional training. DT About the author Sally McKenzie is a nation- ally known lecturer and author. She is CEO of McKenzie Man- agement, which provides highly successful and proven manage- ment services to dentistry and has since 1980. McKenzie Man- agement offers a full line of educational and management products, which are available on its website, www.mckenzie mgmt.com In addition, the com- pany offers a vast array of Busi- ness Operations Programs and team training. McKenzie is the editor of the e-Management newsletter and The Dentist’s Network newsletter sent com- plimentary to practices nation- wide. To subscribe visit www. mckenziemgmt.com and www. thedentistsnetwork.net. She is also the Publisher of the New Dentist™ magazine, www.the- newdentist.net. McKenzie wel- comes specific practice ques- tions and can be reached toll free at (877) 777-6151 or at sal- lymck@mckenziemgmt.com. Does a dental practice need an employee handbook? By Stuart J. Oberman, Esq. For a practicing dentist who aims to always deliver high-quality patient care, staff retention is an important value. Staff retention aids the den- tal practice in providing stability and continuity and eliminates the high costs associated with employee turnover. Obviously, staff members are more likely to continue working when they feel they are treated fairly and consistently. In this respect, an employee handbook is important to a dental practice as it documents the practice’s policies and procedures, sets expectations and provides for a framework for uniformity. An employee handbook can be a valuable communication and employee relations tool because it demands consistency among man- agers and clearly dictates employee policies. The employee handbook allows an employer to lay out what he or she expects from employ- ees and what employees can expect from the employer. Clear office policies lend sup- port to disciplinary procedures and reduce any likelihood of discrimi- nation charges. In addition, hand- books often help new employees get acquainted with their new position and let them know what is expected of them. For an employee handbook to be most effective, it should be written in a simple, clear, organized and concise manner to avoid confusion among employees. The employee handbook should be easy to use so that employees may refer back to it as often as they wish. The employee handbook should be distributed to every employee in the dental office. When you distribute your employ- ee handbook, allow all members of your dental practice an opportunity to read it. Each employee should then sign and date an acknowledg- ment form that states they under- stand and agree to be bound by the policies outlined in the employee handbook. An electronic copy of the employ- ee handbook should be stored on a computer that all employees can access, and a bound copy should be kept in the office for general refer- ence. The handbook should also be updated as office policies change and each employee should sign an acknowledgment for each change. Dentists should refrain from using terminology that may imply that the handbook is an employment contract, and from making state- ments such as “your employment will not be terminated as long as your job duties are satisfactorily per- formed,” as this implies a long-term commitment. While employee handbooks will vary among dental offices, there are guidelines for dentists to follow in creating their employee hand- book. There are numerous laws that govern the relationship between employer and employee. Many of these laws apply to even the small- est dental practices. Therefore, it is important for the employee handbook to reflect these laws. In addition, many provisions should be included in the employee handbook to promote uniformity, thus helping employees present a united front to patients and to reduce the risk of an employee initi- ating a lawsuit for unfair treatment. Every employee handbook should begin with an introduction, which should welcome new employees and introduce your practice’s goals, mis- sion statement and history. There should also be a disclaimer stating that the employee handbook is not an employment contract and does not affect the employment-at-will doctrine. After this introduction, the employee handbook should briefly describe several subjects. It would be prudent to include job descriptions in the employee hand- book, so each employee knows what is expected of him or her. Perfor- mance reviews and grievance pro- cedures should be discuss and work schedules and dress code should be outlined. The handbook should identify the days and hours of the workweek as well as schedules for lunch and breaks. Full-time employees’ work sched- ules should be defined and differ- entiated from those of part-time employees. Compensation and ben- efits should be detailed and should inform employees of the payroll schedule, holidays, vacation, sick leave, bereavement, jury duty, mili- tary leave, leave of absence and health insurance. If your dental office has 50 or more employees, you must comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act, and this should be included in the employee handbook. Personal use of the telephone and Internet, procedures for safety and hygiene of dental employees as well as policies on smoking and substance abuse should be included as well. The employee handbook should contain an anti-harassment policy as well as an Equal Opportunity Employment provision stating that your dental practice will not dis- criminate in offering employment. These provisions are extremely important, as they make it clear that you will not tolerate harassment or illegal discrimination, describes the steps that can be taken to report violations of these policies, outlines the steps that the dentist will take in responding to these allegations and confirms that the dentist is an equal- It would be prudent to include job descriptions in the employee handbook so each employee knows what is expected of him or her.