When everyone at your dental practice is working hard and providing top-quality services, it’s easy to take it for granted. But what happens when someone on your team doesn’t reach certain standards and performs poorly? Dealing with unproductive staff members can be difficult if you don’t know what to do.

Your success in the dental industry hinges on how well your team members perform. So, it’s worth knowing how to respond when performance metrics start trending downward. In this guide, we offer five practical tips to help you improve productivity in your working environment.

1. Identify the Root Cause

Far too many team managers point the finger when it comes to poor performance and a lack of productivity. Rather than casting blame, the best approach is to get to the bottom of the issue. Identifying what the root cause is can help you find the right solution.

Decreased productivity may result from any number of factors. For example, someone might be experiencing relational turmoil or struggling to work with new technology. Asking questions and investigating the underlying cause can often lead to effective solutions in no time.   

2. Determine if It’s Worth the Effort

Sometimes, helping an unproductive staff member only takes a 15-minute conversation. Other times, it may take 15 days, 15 weeks, or even 15 months. You’ll need to decide whether you’re willing to work with an underperforming employee or just let them go.

Not everyone who fits the job description is the right fit for your dental team. You must think about your company culture and how each team member contributes to your long-term business objectives. If someone isn’t performing well and doesn’t fuse with the rest of the staff, it might be time to design an exit plan.

Bear in mind, though: some employees are too valuable to let go regardless of their current performance. In that case, your best option might be to reassign them. A change of pace and responsibilities can help increase motivation and productivity.

3. Come Up with Tangible Goals

It’s amazing what happens when employees get a minimum wage increase, especially when they’re looking for it. Tangible goals, like earning a bonus or pay raise, encourage workers to perform consistently at the highest level. On the flip side, a lack of tangible goals leads to the opposite result.

As you find ways to boost productivity at your dental practice, consider setting team goals. Make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) so that every team member has something concrete to work toward. To take it a step further, you can create competitions and offer rewards as additional incentives. 

4. Stay Positive and Encouraging

Have you ever thought a staff member might be less productive because they don’t feel valued? Maybe they don’t feel like their work matters or feel detached from employee engagement and group goals. One of the best ways to fix this is to provide recognition, praise, and encouragement.

Touching base with each of your employees helps them feel like part of the team and motivates them to work hard throughout the workweek. That's why investing in dental office communication like Team Chat can help your team stay in touch and work together effectively.

Here are some other great ways to create a more positive, encouraging environment:

• Schedule daily team meetings
• Plan out-of-office events
• Celebrate achievements and milestones

5. Respond Appropriately

Last but not least, don’t have a knee-jerk reaction to staff with lower-than-normal performance rates. Your first instinct might be to fire the person instantly or perhaps simply to ignore the issue altogether. Neither of these reactions is healthy and can lead to long-term consequences.

For example, firing an unproductive staff member on the spot could mean losing a valuable asset. What’s more, it won’t solve the problem if the issue lies at the organizational level. Your best option is to stay calm and try to get to the heart of the matter before taking decisive action.

Find Answers for Your Dental Practice at Dental Intelligence

Are you dealing with an unproductive staff member at your dental practice? While poor performance in the workplace is a major concern, it’s not something you need to worry too much about. More often than not, there is a simple explanation with a simple solution.

At Dental Intelligence, we have the knowledge and resources to help grow your dental practice. Schedule a demo today to see how our tools can help your practice be more productive.