Improving the Bonus System for Your Dental Employees

Bonuses are a great way to help keep your staff motivated. When your staff knows that a bonus is possible, you’ll see them work harder, improve customer service, and you’ll be able to watch as overall practice performance improves! 

Unfortunately, there are many dental practices that do not offer bonuses to employees or have bonus systems in place that are not effective. Taking the time to implement or improve your practice’s bonus system can be done with minimal effort and maximum benefit! 

How to Improve the Bonus System in Your Dental Office 

Below are 4 ways to improve your bonus system: 

1. Make sure the system is clearly defined – Clearly defining your bonus system can minimize miscommunications and misunderstandings. Let your employees know the rules, and ask yourself the following questions: 
   1. Does each employee have a specific goal or is the goal for the whole team?
   2. How much is the bonus? 
   3. Who is eligible for the bonus? Both full and part-time employees? 
2. Keep the time frame short – Typical bonuses are given annually, but very few employees can stay motivated by a bonus for an entire year. A month or two-month goal can seem much more achievable and keep motivation high. 
3. Measure progress during huddles – During the morning huddle, one of the agenda items should be to address the bonus progress. It may also be a good idea to create a sign or poster that shows the progress towards the bonus goal. This serves as a reminder to keep working towards the goal! 
4. Provide training to help win the bonus – Lastly, provide extra training in the areas that the bonus is based on. For example, if you’d like to improve customer service, provide some customer service training. With a bonus as a motivator, your employees will work harder towards implementing the new training. 

An effective bonus system can help both your staff and your practice improve. Once the goal is achieved, have an employee party to celebrate!

For more tips on helping your dental practice run smoothly or dental transitions, please contact CTC Associates. We want to help you learn how to make your practice profitable and successful! Looking for dental equipment for sale, contact us today!