I am a dentist. I felt strongly that half my staff was against me (4 of 7 employees). So I fired them. I inherited them when I bought my business a few years ago. I am very ethical but I do care about gross revenue (as any owner should). They never fully embraced caring about revenue production or understanding that bonus pay is tied to profitability. Nonetheless, I feel it is a failing on my part as a leader that they as a group were not on my team. What can I do as a small business owner to display better leadership and engender better office morale. I should mention that I pay above market wages, have better benefits than market competitors, work with my employees to satisfy the number of hours they need and I run a schedule that is very predictable 8-5 with a lunch and we do not deviate. Further, we take great care of our patients and the staff never has to worry about patient satisfaction or quality of care. Thank you for your input.
Before you think of firing your remaining staff, you may want to consider replacing those already fired. Otherwise, you’re going to come in on a busy day and discover everyone has left. You won’t need to fire them. They’ll quit on their own. After the first group was fired, you must believe that the others are polishing up their resumes. Remember, people don’t quit bad jobs. They quit bad managers. https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/106912/turning-around-your-turnover-problem.aspx
I saw it happen at several places where I worked. I’ve actually been part of it. In factories, I’ve seen departments just not show up, departments that could make do by borrowing from other departments. You don’t have that option.
What happens when people quit their jobs? You first need to hire new staff. You can’t just put a HELP WANTED sign in the window and hire the next person that comes through the door. Then you, or your office manager, need to go through the resumes, determine who is worth interviewing, and then the interview process. Finally, choosing the candidate. You call and say, “You’re hired!” And you get the response, “I’m sorry, but I’ve already accepted a position elsewhere.” Now you have to go down the list.
You are aware that it can cost between 50% to 300% of an employee’s annual wage just to train a new/replacement employee? The higher the skill level, the more it costs.
Yes, you are a highly skilled dentist, but it sounds like you lack the skills necessary to be a successful businessman. If you fail to inspire confidence. Firing 4 people since taking over the business? Knowing the axe could fall on them at any time does not inspire employees, which gives you the impression that they are against you.
Based on your writing style, I’m going to say that you have a habit of talking down to your subordinates. You may not notice it, but it’s very noticeable in your writing. I have to wonder if your patients have noticed it. If so, that could cost you patients.
Remember, by operating your own practice, you are not just a dentist. You’re a skilled worker bee, a business owner, and a customer service representative. Just like your staff. You have to labor to produce revenue. You’re the owner who has to make the decisions of products and services to provide. And you have to service your customer base. My experience at AT&T taught me there are two types of customers: external, which would be your patients, and internal, which would be your staff. While their compensation is important, I’ll ask what you did to find out what their needs are?