This Christmas season, Chris Barrow asks which list you are going to live with for the next few weeks – one that’s half full or half empty?
Half-empty
Recruitment is impossible
Retention is an increasing challenge
Potential recruits don’t show up for interviews
New recruits leave after a week and vanish
Clinicians want to work a shorter week and reduce their days
Clinicians want an increase in % or hourly rate
Team members want a pay rise (especially now that ‘living wage’ is going up 14%)
There is white space in the diary for the first time since before COVID-19
Patients are deferring treatment until after Christmas
I’m exhausted.
Half full
Recruitment is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But the needles are there – you just have to look in the right way and in the right places
Retention is a great way of letting your weak links move on and creating a culture that makes a move look very risky
Interview people online, then ask them to complete a psychometric test, then ask them to come in for a work experience day – allow them to triage themselves out
Have a robust onboarding and mentoring process
Call the bluff – we need you for X days or we will no longer be the right fit for you
If you want to earn more money, let’s look at how we can work together to increase your average daily production
The business in its current shape cannot afford pay rises, so let’s look at how we can do things differently to generate more profit in less time – and pay you more
Back to basics on internal and inbound marketing please
We are running a pre-Christmas marketing campaign on hygiene, airflow and whitening to fill our available diary time. We also have a priority list for patients who want their results before Christmas
It’s ‘harvest time’ – I’m going to carry on at this pace until Christmas, then take a break, then balance my time in the New Year.
Which list are you going to live with for the next few weeks?
Catch up on previous Dental Business Coach columns:
Planning for a profitable exit when selling your business
A guide to setting your goals for 2024
Dealing with pay rise demands – from drama to empowerment
Would you want to work full-time for you?
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