CATEGORY 94 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST Pam McKean By Pam McKean, Director, AB Dental & Medical Employment Agency Staffing conundrums managers will face in 2023 COLUMNISTS Managers have had to face challenge after challenge in the last few years in the ever-evolving landscape of human resources. We are dealing with issues that are standard now that once would have peculiar to say the least. While 2022 has shaped up as a continuation of that, we head into 2023 and just maybe, we starting to find our feet. Here’s a look at some of the biggest staffing at play: Employee health and well-being Employee well-being remains among the top HR issues in 2022, if not the top. A mental health levy was implemented in Victoria to combat mental health issues from their prolonged lockdown, with other states implementing initiatives to try and support employees and co-workers. Business has begun to recognise the need for flexibility when it comes to mental health, with many offering a wider range of benefits with more flexibility. While benefits alone don’t improve mental health, on a management level things like flexible work hours, more paid time off, and regular one on one time with employees to ensure they are not overloaded can make all the difference. Many businesses have experienced high absenteeism rates putting an incredible amount of pressure on existing staff, leaving them overwhelmed. Ask your employees how they can be better supported on their journey to wellness and communicate that their health is a business priority. Encourage employees to use the benefits you do offer and collect feedback about how to improve them going forward. Retaining employees We’re all aware how challenging and competitive the labour market has been over the last 12 months. Filling empty positions and onboarding brand new team members is important but also expensive. Conservatively, you can estimate it cost a minimum $40,000 to recruit and retain someone on a salary of $80,000. Low retention rates can also negatively impact existing staff in terms of motivation and productivity, without the added complication that rates have increased leaving you in a position of having to review wages across the business. Thankfully, there are ways that every business can address and prevent retention issues. Offer incentives that employees actually value, train managers on how to build trust with their teams, and develop an employee value proposition that team members find hard to resist. Adapting to remote work Remote work is here to stay. While this is simply not possible for many practicebased roles in dental, working from home arrangements is a common request. Many employees enjoy the perks of this new reality, including flexibility in how, when, and where they work. While remote work comes with its own challenges particularly with employee engagement, it can be a viable strategy to attract talent. If you have employees working from home ensure they have the tools, technology, and training they need to communicate effectively, collaborate easily with other team members, and feel connected to the business and its culture even if only for a day a two week. Building a winning culture Culture consists of the values, expectations, and practices that guide and inform the team members’ daily actions. A winning culture focuses on positive traits that result in great performance. This requires developing and executing a plan with specific objectives that team members can work towards and measure. By prioritising the five elements of great organisational cultures — recognition, values, employee voice, belonging, and effective leadership — management plays a big part in shaping culture for the better. They should also align your employer brand with key aspects of company culture so it stands out to potential team members from their very first interaction with your practice.
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