Dec 28, 2020

How to Build a Hybrid Workforce

You have likely seen and heard a lot about the hybrid workforce that is destined to be part of the new World of Work for the foreseeable future. As we get closer to a vaccine and the end of the pandemic, it’s unlikely that you will go back entirely to the old way of doing things. So, what should you be doing to facilitate the safe transition to a hybrid workforce in your DSO? Although the prospect offers many advantages, it also comes with complications and difficulties that you should be preparing for now.

“Not all employees succeed as remote workers, while others will thrive in a remote workspace,” states Carl Guthrie, Talent Advisor at ETS Dental. “Employers must recognize where their employees succeed or struggle, then adjust accordingly. A hybrid workforce plan is going to be a huge factor as DSO operation teams continue to grow.”

ETS Dental offers the following advice on navigating the transition with the least amount of disruption:

Start with your leadership team. Will they work from the office, remotely, or both? Top organizational leadership will need to be present and visible to their teams. Plan and communicate throughout the organization where leaders can be found or how to effectively communicate with them.

Reevaluate your team structure. Of course, your clinical teams members will need to be in the office, serving patients on a daily basis. Many DSOs have had remote work forces for years. If your organization has centralized operations, it is vital that you look at your team structure and how it will operate in the future. Who works best where? How will you maintain accountability? How will teams communicate and continue to succeed while physically separated? What will happen if you are your employees change their minds in how they want to work?

Confirm your communication platforms. The pandemic has already forced most companies to beef up digital communication and enhance their collaboration tools. Going to a hybrid workforce means that technology will continue to evolve to meet employee and employer needs. Determine how your communication frameworks need to change to reflect your new team structures and to ensure employees don’t fall out of the loop or burn out from the pressure of being “always on.”

Your IT folks will also need an infrastructure that enables them to manage a remote workforce. This can include increasing cloud storage for more remote storage, enhancing security solutions to manage cyber threats, and implementing remote IT solutions to troubleshoot employee tech issues remotely.

Monitor your allocation of tasks. If your hybrid workforce is going to remain productive long-term, you must ensure that tasks are spread evenly and fairly across both in-office and remote teams. We tend to approach those we see in front of us to assign tasks. Now we must reference a list of employees and evaluate who is doing what. You will want to create or adopt a project/task management system.

Be wary of favoritism. Not only can a hybrid workforce lead to imbalance workloads, it can also lend itself to favoritism. We like to reward our teams with fun activities, lunches, etc. You’ll need to adapt using video conferencing and other tools to continue including your entire team, not just those working in the office. Use interactive activities that will encourage participating and help everyone to bond. You must create a culture of inclusion for everyone.

The pandemic has abruptly thrust many companies into this hybrid situation, and while some have seen this time as a growth opportunity, others are floundering. Those companies that can adapt to the current circumstances with resiliency and flexibility are most likely to outstrip their competition in our new World of Work.

 

News/Insights

Social Media Tips for Dental Offices Industry Trends

Social Media Tips for Dental Offices

Mar 20, 2024

Social media is a powerful tool for businesses, including dental offices! Connecting with patients online is crucial to growing your practice. Here are 7 tips for using socia...

How to Handle Negative Patient Reviews Practice Management

How to Handle Negative Patient Reviews

Oct 7, 2021

Bad reviews are a part of the landscape in a digitally connected world, but they can hurt your practice and your ability to attract employees. What do you do if you get a bad ...

Motivating Top Performers In Your Dental Practice Practice Management

Motivating Top Performers In Your Dental Practice

Jun 18, 2021

Top-performing employees are a critical force at your company, capable of 400 percent greater productivity than the average worker, according to research published in Personne...

Dentists: Tips for Successful Mentoring Practice Management

Dentists: Tips for Successful Mentoring

Jun 9, 2021

Being a mentor has many rewards, but like every other skill you have achieved in your career, it requires attention, the ability to adapt to a situation, and a willingness to ...

Breach of Contract: What Happens Next? Practice Management

Breach of Contract: What Happens Next?

Jul 1, 2020

Most practices have some type of contract with associates. For the most part, these agreements work well. But sooner or later, you are likely to have an employee seek to leave...

Rebooting Your Dental Practice After the Virus Practice Management

Rebooting Your Dental Practice After the Virus

Jun 11, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has had an enormous impact on the dental industry. We saw one of the biggest unemployment rates of any industry with over 500,000 dental jobs lost, bu...

Perks That Don’t Always Work Practice Management

Perks That Don’t Always Work

Mar 4, 2020

As a practice owner, you're probably already aware that you can save yourself a lot of headaches if you can retain good employees instead of retraining new ones. While employe...

Building an Employer Brand for Your Dental Practice Practice Management

Building an Employer Brand for Your Dental Practice

Feb 19, 2020

Unless your practice exists in a place where there is virtually no competition, you probably already understand the importance of branding in terms of attracting new patients....

Alternative Holiday Celebrations That Will Delight Your Team Practice Management

Alternative Holiday Celebrations That Will Delight Your Team

Nov 27, 2019

How times have changed. For some professional organizations, the big holiday party no longer has the same appeal as it did in years past. An open bar can present more legal an...

Avoiding Staff Instability and High Employee Turnover Hiring

Avoiding Staff Instability and High Employee Turnover

Aug 15, 2019

Studies have demonstrated that office culture and the relationships developed between staff play a major role in job satisfaction and employee stability. In an interview with ...