Part 3

Determining salary

• Start by considering what the wage would be for this particular position once they are fully vested. This would mean that they have successfully accomplished all necessary tasks, proven their ability to work well with others, show true responsibility for the position they hold, stay on time, and basically prove to be the “model” employee we all hope to find.In the way of an example, at this point you are comfortable to compensate this “valuable” employee at $23.00 per hour once these areas are reached.  
• Review the areas that the new employee will be required to attain in either skills or completing proper licensure requirements, etc.
• I typically recommend that the goals required do not exceed 4 major skill sets with 4-6 weeks to meet them. With this in mind, the increments to reach each milestone might be $2.00 per accomplishment.So in the case of our example, the starting wage would be $15 per hour for the initial hiring wage with $2.00 increments once goals have been successfully met. At the completion of one month this new hire would be earning $23.00 per hour. 

Offering the position

• After gathering the above information, you should have enough to make a well educated initial offering. It’s important to consider what the wage would be for this particular position once they are fully on board, successfully accomplishing all necessary tasks appropriately, proving their ability to work well with others, show true responsibility for the position they hold, and basically prove to be the “model” employee we all hope to find.
• Based on the Skill Assessment Day(s), you should know where you see them fitting within your initial incoming pay scale. Obviously if they did very well, their compensation should reflect this and they should start at the higher end. But keep in mind that everyone has their own learning curve yet no one should ever start at the top, with the example I’ve given this would be $23 per hour.
• This initial salary is VERY temporary and it is important to let the new hire understand this and be totally aware of this. The owner and potential new hire should sit down together and discuss the areas that will need to be worked on (example: learning the software, getting x-ray certification, total understanding of the insurance products offered, etc.)
• I recommend that no more than 4 goals be set (the rest will come over time). Make these goals the ones that are most critical and need to be gained sooner than later.
• With these goals in mind and listed on the Hiring Agreement (do you have one?), the time frame for reaching the goals should be listed along with the dollar amount that is connected with the skills once they are attained. Acquiring each goal should not take longer than 4 full work days/ one work week (other than the licensures).
• As a goal is met, the salary increases by 1-3 dollars per hour depending on the degree of accomplishment and how meeting their set goals has positively affected the business/bottom line. Keep in mind that the salary that you designate as a wage reflects someone who has proved themselves, reached their goal successfully and in a timely manner and have great value to you, your team, and your practice.

This system might appear to be time consuming, but honestly in the end you not only have an employee that is worth the compensation they are receiving, but you will also find that they will be able to prove to you and your team that you will not later feel any “buyer’s remorse”, or that you have overpaid them. They will be worth every minute invested, and they too will appreciate how this structure helped to integrate them into your practice fairly.

This method will also cut back on the huge amount of turnover that occurs in dental practices everywhere on a regular basis. It is an example of a major component when it comes to hiring slowly as it resolves many concerns for you the employer.

You will find that your team replacements will be reduced both from your need to dismiss for lack of performance, or due to the new hire’s need to move on due to frustration from poor direction as a new team member.

As you continue to maintain team longevity, don’t forget to conduct regular reviews both for growth purposes and salary increases. Continue to utilize this system as new skills are required that may warrant additional increases based on increased employee value.

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