How Dental Practice Owners Can Thank Their Staff for a Wild 2020

The year 2020 was wild, to say the least and completely unexpected, to be sure. 

It has also been challenging in many ways for the valued employees of dental practices. Now is a good time of year to thank your staff for all their role in ensuring your practice survives (and perhaps even thrives) during the most tumultuous year imaginable. 

Here are a few ideas to consider:

Snacks & Meals

Food is always appreciated. Still, everyone has different taste, preferences, and dietary restrictions, so food in the office isn’t always a universal win. 

One way to still provide food, though, is through gift cards or covering the cost of a catered meal. You could also have a local food truck set up shop in your parking lot to serve your employees and maybe even your patients as they leave. 

Health & Wellness

Though you can’t give the gift of physical or mental health or wellness itself, you can help your employees pursue their personal goals by offering a health and wellness stipend. This shows you not only value them as employees but that you also care about their emotional, physical, and mental health. 

To do this, give your employees a gift that they can then use to pay for various services, like online fitness classes, meditation classes, or yoga. Of course, every employee is different and not all of them will appreciate this type of class, which is why the stipend to be spent at their discretion is likely a better option than paying for a specific service for your employees.

Handwritten Thank-You Notes

In an age of email and text messages, handwritten notes have become rarities — including in business. Since it is so rare, getting a handwritten note is extremely special. Consequently, if you feel comfortable writing your employees handwritten messages via a thank-you note, explaining how valuable they are to your practice, it is a special way to let them know you care.

Paid Days Off

Everyone enjoys a nice day off from work, no matter how much they love their job. This is especially true this time of year when virtually everyone’s to-do list exceeds the hours in the day they have available to complete the tasks. 

If you can do it, a great way to brighten an employee’s day and let them know you truly do value them is giving them the gift of time, allowing them to stay home with pay for at least one workday.

Unique Gifts

How about giving your employees a fun gift they will treasure forever with an artistic caricature? Hire a talented caricaturist and have them come in and draw/paint a unique drawing of each of your employees. They can take this caricature home and remember the experience forever. 

If you aren’t sure your employees would appreciate this type of art, you can always hire a professional photographer instead to create some amazing headshots, or gift your employees with a family portrait session with a local photographer. 

If you go with the headshot option, consider bringing in a professional makeup artist and hairdresser to ensure your employees love the way they look in their photos.

Staff Appreciation Day

Create your own dedicated staff appreciation day for your employees. You can organize a fun ceremony and give out fake awards, or you can all go do something together as a staff on a specific day. The idea is to set aside a day where you show your staff how valuable they truly are to your practice. 

Don’t worry about this being a specific date already on the calendar — make up your own date that will work best for your practice.

Learn More about Managing a Dental Team

Are you looking for more ways to help your dental team come together and feel valued? 

Download your free copy of our ebook, Managing People in Your Dental Practice. 

In this free ebook, you’ll find tips and practices that may help you and your staff become a more effective team. 

Get your free copy now!

Treloar & Heisel and Treloar & Heisel Property and Casualty are divisions of Treloar & Heisel, LLC.

Insurance products are offered through Treloar & Heisel, LLC.

Treloar & Heisel, LLC. and its divisions do not offer practice management advice. Please consult a professional concerning this topic.

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