3 Ways to Support Employee Well-being in the Workplace

3 Ways to Support Employee Well-being in the Workplace

Beautiful, healthy smiles are a top priority that drives patient care at your dental practice. But what about your employees? Staffing your dental team with capable and compassionate individuals isn’t easy, which makes it all the more important to create a work environment that allows them to thrive.

By taking conscious steps to support employee well-being in the workplace, you can increase job satisfaction, reduce burnout, and help your team reach its full potential. Let’s explore three strategies you can implement at your practice to set employees up for long-term success.

1. Provide wellness resources and initiatives.

In a survey conducted by the American Dental Association, 84% of dentists reported physical pain or discomfort while working, and the majority indicated that they experience moderate or severe stress in their roles.

Encourage your dental team to take better care of themselves by providing resources such as:

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). Provide confidential counseling services for both personal and professional issues, from stress to financial concerns. Research EAP providers that align with your team’s needs, privacy considerations, and availability. Look for relevant credentials and metrics, such as utilization rates, to assess the quality of potential providers for your workplace.
• Flexible work hours. Allow employees more freedom in managing their time by establishing flexible work hours at your practice. For example, you could permit team members to choose 10-hour shifts for a 4-day work week if that works best for them. Consider implementing these arrangements in a trial period of three to six months to see how employees feel about them before you finalize the details.
• Gym memberships and apps. Provide discounted or free gym memberships to encourage employees to stay active and relieve stress. Additionally, you can give them access to various apps that track nutrition, offer guided meditations, and provide customizable workouts.

Encourage your dental team to work together to improve their wellness by hosting interactive workshops and launching challenges. For example, you might partner with a nutritionist to organize a healthy eating workshop for your employees, then challenge them to try a new healthy recipe every week for a month.

2. Set up a workplace giving program.

According to Uncommon Giving, volunteering leads to better physical health and lower rates of depression and anxiety. However, many of your dental employees might not volunteer because they can’t find the time or they don’t know what cause to support.

Help your team get out in the community by creating employee giving opportunities such as:

• Volunteer grants. When an employee volunteers a certain number of hours with a nonprofit, your practice will donate to that organization. The amount you give depends on the hours the employee has served.
• Volunteer Time Off (VTO). VTO refers to paid leave that employees receive in addition to their normal vacation and sick time, which they can spend volunteering with a nonprofit. A VTO policy ensures that employees can find chances to volunteer without sacrificing their hard-earned free time.
• Team volunteering. Volunteering can be a social activity that strengthens bonds within your dental team. Partner with local nonprofits to organize a volunteering day for all your employees to participate in. Consider following up the event with a free meal that everyone can enjoy together.

“Some dental offices, for instance, foster  a culture of giving by providing Free Dental Care Days to their community every November. Beyond volunteering, you can also help employees support the causes they care about by matching their donations to nonprofits and allowing them to set up payroll deductions that automatically donate a portion of their paycheck to a charitable organization.

3. Build a strong culture of recognition.

While your practice may reward its employees with fair and generous compensation, you should have additional recognition methods in place to ensure that they continue to feel motivated and proud of the work they do.

Some popular employee recognition ideas include:

• Hand-written thank-you notes
• Social media spotlights
• Corporate gifts, like branded merchandise and gift cards
• Annual team awards, such as Smile Superstar
• Team appreciation party
• Professional development opportunities

Infuse recognition throughout your workplace by providing opportunities for peer-to-peer recognition as well. For example, eCardWidget recommends designing a set of eCards that team members can send to one another to acknowledge their peers for a job well done and celebrate important life milestones. Doing so creates a culture where everyone feels supported and appreciated.

Simply taking the time to make wellness a higher priority at your workplace can go a long way. To facilitate your efforts, look into tools that will streamline your processes, such as workplace giving software. Survey your dental team before and after you start implementing wellness strategies to ensure that they resonate with their specific needs and preferences. Before long, you’ll be able to nurture a workplace with smiling patients and employees.