- Email: [email protected]
Contractual agreements between dentist and auxiliary
Contractual agreements between dentist and auxiliary RALPH H . CAMPBELL, D.D.S., DETROIT
Recognition of the importance of the dental auxiliaries has resulted in numer ous studies concerned with the sources, education, licensure and duties of these important personnel. One facet of devel oping capable auxiliary personnel, how ever, has received little attention to date; it concerns their economic status. In any attempt to obtain and main tain competent personnel, dentists should keep in mind that they are competing di rectly with business. In this competition, dentists are at a severe disadvantage since large businesses today have personnel de partments the principal purposes of which are to secure and retain the right kind of employees. In spite of the constant efforts by busi ness to solve its problems in obtaining competent personnel, the struggle to reach an adequate solution still continues. Numerous strikes over issues of varying complexities, relating to every aspect of the employee-employer relationship, sup ply the evidence of an inadequate solu tion. Dentistry has one important advantage in this struggle with business— there are few dental offices which employ more than two girls. The dentist has a better oppor
tunity of becoming well acquainted with his employees, and he is in a better position to see that discord is kept at a minimum. Understanding can only be accom plished, however, if the dentist possesses a basic knowledge of the management of personnel and then applies this knowledge to his particular situation. If the dentist does not apply basic information to his relationship with his employees, then he can expect them to seek employment where these basic principles are prac ticed. At the time of hiring a new employee there should be a thorough understand ing or agreement between the employee and the dentist. This understanding be comes especially important in regard to conditions that concern the method of compensation. The contractual agree ments may be verbal or written, but un der no circumstances should their impor tance be ignored.
WORKING AGREEMENTS Among the questions which must be thor oughly discussed and agreed upon are the following:
C A M P B E L L . . . V O L U M E 64, J A N U A R Y 1962 • 105/91
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Hours of work Arrangement of hours Compensatory time Salaries and bonus Vacations Sick leave Dental care Time for attending meetings Uniforms
Hours of Work • The number of hours of work per week on which the salary is to be based is the first decision about which there should be a thorough agree ment. The number of hours does not seem to be as important as the fact that an agreement has been reached pertain ing to the number of hours. Thus the basic salary may be figured on a 36, 40 or 44 hour week, depending on the con ditions prevailing in the office and in the community in which the dentist prac tices. Business has found that a working week much over 40 hours is not advantageous for either production or cost. In an at tempt to compete with business, there fore, it would seem reasonable for dentists to set a basic work-week for their per sonnel of approximately 40 hours per week. Arrangement of Hours • Once there is a decision on the number of hours of work per week, there should then be agreement on the arrangement of the hours. Indus try has found it increasingly difficult to hire people to work a six day or even a five and a half day week. The preference for a five day week extends to the point that the average person would rather work a greater number of hours in a five day week than a fewer number of hours in a five and a half day week. A complete day to oneself is a motivating factor in human desires. Whenever possible, den tists should try to fulfill this desire of their employees by arranging a five day work week.
Compensatory Time • Although a 40 hour, five day week may be desirable, many occasions arise in a dental office that make it impossible to maintain such a schedule. For this reason there should be agreement for compensating the em ployees for any additional time worked beyond the basic number of hours per week. It is advisable for the employee to keep a daily record of her working hours. The hours are totaled weekly or monthly and recorded as a plus or minus number of hours due to the employee as compensa tory time. If the number of hours re corded is less than the basic number of hours, the record then would indicate the number of hours due to the dentist. Many dentists have found, when the employee is given the choice of either accepting payment for her over hours at the regular rate of pay or accepting time off, she invariably chooses the free time. This experience again emphasizes the importance of the number of working hours per week. When an emergency arises and it is necessary to work beyond the regular schedule of hours, the employee is more inclined to do so willingly if she knows that at a later date an equivalent amount of free time will be granted. It is to be understood also that this compensatory time must be taken at a time convenient to the schedule of the office. Compensatory time and the flexibility of arranging this time is one of the big advantages that a dentist has over his competitor in business. Examples of this flexibility in arranging compensatory time can be listed: 1. Adding the time to the employee’s vacation-time 2. Taking the time when the dentist is out of the office attending meetings or postgraduate courses 3. Adding the time to the employee’s sick leave
106/92 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N DEN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
Salaries • The salary that a dentist should pay his assistant is one of the most diffi cult of all decisions regarding personnel. It should be remembered that only the right kind of an assistant can help a den tist build and maintain a good practice. The dentist must be willing to pay a salary comparable to that paid to person nel by business in the community in which he practices, for the same age group, ex perience and ability. If a girl has the qualifications of a good dental assistant, then she also has the capabilities to ensure her success in the business world. The dentist would do well to seek a decision on the salary which he should pay his assistant from the business men in his community rather than from his profes sional colleagues. Increases in Salary • It is an axiom of employment agencies, that small increases in salary at frequent intervals are more appreciated than large increases at long intervals. The top salary of a girl will depend on her qualifications, and the dentist’s ability to use her abilities properly. Bonuses • In an attempt to justify an otherwise unreasonably low level of com pensation, dentists in the past have re sorted to every imaginable form of bonus. It is safe to say, however, that for every plan which seemed successful, there have been ten which have accomplished more harm than good. The larger the number of employees, the more difficult it is to arrange a bonus which all of the employ ees will consider equitable. One exception to the usual failure of bonuses is one which is based on the employee’s length of service. For example, an employee may be given a longevity bonus of $10 or more for each year of service. An assistant who had been in the doctor’s employ five years would receive a lump sum of $50 in addi tion to her regular salary. This sum could be paid to the assistant at the end of each
year of service, at her vacation time or at the end of the year. Vacations • Another decision closely as sociated with the decision regarding hours of work, is that of the length and the scheduling of the employees’ vacations. Although practice may vary widely from office to office, it is extremely important that there be agreement on this matter. Since it is common in most businesses to day to allow two weeks of paid vacation at the end of the first year of employment, it seems wise for the dentist to follow this particular pattern rather closely. A sug gested formula for arriving at this time would be to allot one day of vacation for each month of work. If this formula were followed, the employee then would re ceive 12 days of paid vacation at the end of the first year of employment. Since this policy would be more liberal than most businesses follow, the dentist would more than meet his competition. This formula has helped many dentists answer the per plexing problem of how much vacation to allow the employee who has not been with him for an entire year. An assistant who started working in January would be entitled to five days if her vacation were taken in June, or six days if it were in JulyAnother way for the dentist to com pete with most businesses is to allow three weeks of paid vacation after the employee has been in the office for five years. This policy may prove to be a strong factor in the satisfactions of many employees, and, since it is a policy not usually fol lowed by business, it may gain strong appreciation. Sick Leave • It is important that a defi nite policy be adopted regarding time away from the office caused by illness. A suggested plan that closely follows the one used in determining vacations is to allow a half day per month for each month of work. The employee should un-
C A M P B E L L . . . V O L U M E 64, J A N U A R Y 1962 • 107/93
derstand that this time is set aside to help her meet an emergency should it arise, and is not to be dissipated by taking a half day of sick leave every now and then. Such short absences from work should be deducted from her compensa tory time or, in some instances, deducted from her salary. It is important to the operation of this plan for sick leave that both dentist and the assistant agree if she leaves the den tist’s employment, that the unused ac cumulated sick leave will be paid to her at the termination of her services. Health and Accident Insurance • With increasing realization of the importance to employees of some form of insurance to cover sickness and accidents, the dentist should consider this facet seriously. He either should insist that the employee carry such insurance and pay for it her self or the dentist should agree to pay a portion or all of the cost of such insur ance. Dental Care ’ The importance of dental health for assistants cannot be over em phasized, and the dentist should insist that his employees have regular dental care. The financial responsibility for such care can be solved by a variety of plans. The dentist may agree to provide all the dental services with no cost to the assist ant, to provide services at one half of the usual fee, or the assistant may pay for the original rehabilitative services and the dentist then agree to maintain the assist ant’s dental condition at no additional cost as long as she is in his employ. Time for Attending Meetings • Compen sation for the time taken to attend dental meetings will depend largely on the im
portance which the dentist himself places on the value of attendance at professional meetings. The dentist should decide which meetings he considers important and which portion of each meeting he wishes the assistant to attend. Uniforms • There is a wide divergence of opinion among dentists regarding the furnishing and laundering of uniforms. For this reason his policy in this matter should be explained to the dentist’s new employee. Fringe Benefits • For the employee who has been with a dentist for at least five years, some consideration should be given certain other fringe benefits. Because of the many variables in planning, however, the dentist will have to use his own de sires and initiative to arrive at decisions in this area.
SUMMARY The importance of a thorough agreement between a dentist and a new employee pertaining to the various factors and methods of compensation has been em phasized. Contractual agreements can be either verbal or written but never ig nored. Among the important questions regard ing which there must be agreement, are those dealing with hours of work, ar rangement of hours, compensatory time, salary, vacations and sick leave. Flexibility in arranging the time for vacation and compensatory time are two ways in which the dentist can compete effectively with most businesses in an at tempt to secure and to retain good auxil iary personnel. 18595 Grand River Avenue
Recognition of the importance of the dental auxiliaries has resulted in numer ous studies concerned with the sources, education, licensure and duties of these important personnel. One facet of devel oping capable auxiliary personnel, how ever, has received little attention to date; it concerns their economic status. In any attempt to obtain and main tain competent personnel, dentists should keep in mind that they are competing di rectly with business. In this competition, dentists are at a severe disadvantage since large businesses today have personnel de partments the principal purposes of which are to secure and retain the right kind of employees. In spite of the constant efforts by busi ness to solve its problems in obtaining competent personnel, the struggle to reach an adequate solution still continues. Numerous strikes over issues of varying complexities, relating to every aspect of the employee-employer relationship, sup ply the evidence of an inadequate solu tion. Dentistry has one important advantage in this struggle with business— there are few dental offices which employ more than two girls. The dentist has a better oppor
tunity of becoming well acquainted with his employees, and he is in a better position to see that discord is kept at a minimum. Understanding can only be accom plished, however, if the dentist possesses a basic knowledge of the management of personnel and then applies this knowledge to his particular situation. If the dentist does not apply basic information to his relationship with his employees, then he can expect them to seek employment where these basic principles are prac ticed. At the time of hiring a new employee there should be a thorough understand ing or agreement between the employee and the dentist. This understanding be comes especially important in regard to conditions that concern the method of compensation. The contractual agree ments may be verbal or written, but un der no circumstances should their impor tance be ignored.
WORKING AGREEMENTS Among the questions which must be thor oughly discussed and agreed upon are the following:
C A M P B E L L . . . V O L U M E 64, J A N U A R Y 1962 • 105/91
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Hours of work Arrangement of hours Compensatory time Salaries and bonus Vacations Sick leave Dental care Time for attending meetings Uniforms
Hours of Work • The number of hours of work per week on which the salary is to be based is the first decision about which there should be a thorough agree ment. The number of hours does not seem to be as important as the fact that an agreement has been reached pertain ing to the number of hours. Thus the basic salary may be figured on a 36, 40 or 44 hour week, depending on the con ditions prevailing in the office and in the community in which the dentist prac tices. Business has found that a working week much over 40 hours is not advantageous for either production or cost. In an at tempt to compete with business, there fore, it would seem reasonable for dentists to set a basic work-week for their per sonnel of approximately 40 hours per week. Arrangement of Hours • Once there is a decision on the number of hours of work per week, there should then be agreement on the arrangement of the hours. Indus try has found it increasingly difficult to hire people to work a six day or even a five and a half day week. The preference for a five day week extends to the point that the average person would rather work a greater number of hours in a five day week than a fewer number of hours in a five and a half day week. A complete day to oneself is a motivating factor in human desires. Whenever possible, den tists should try to fulfill this desire of their employees by arranging a five day work week.
Compensatory Time • Although a 40 hour, five day week may be desirable, many occasions arise in a dental office that make it impossible to maintain such a schedule. For this reason there should be agreement for compensating the em ployees for any additional time worked beyond the basic number of hours per week. It is advisable for the employee to keep a daily record of her working hours. The hours are totaled weekly or monthly and recorded as a plus or minus number of hours due to the employee as compensa tory time. If the number of hours re corded is less than the basic number of hours, the record then would indicate the number of hours due to the dentist. Many dentists have found, when the employee is given the choice of either accepting payment for her over hours at the regular rate of pay or accepting time off, she invariably chooses the free time. This experience again emphasizes the importance of the number of working hours per week. When an emergency arises and it is necessary to work beyond the regular schedule of hours, the employee is more inclined to do so willingly if she knows that at a later date an equivalent amount of free time will be granted. It is to be understood also that this compensatory time must be taken at a time convenient to the schedule of the office. Compensatory time and the flexibility of arranging this time is one of the big advantages that a dentist has over his competitor in business. Examples of this flexibility in arranging compensatory time can be listed: 1. Adding the time to the employee’s vacation-time 2. Taking the time when the dentist is out of the office attending meetings or postgraduate courses 3. Adding the time to the employee’s sick leave
106/92 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N DEN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
Salaries • The salary that a dentist should pay his assistant is one of the most diffi cult of all decisions regarding personnel. It should be remembered that only the right kind of an assistant can help a den tist build and maintain a good practice. The dentist must be willing to pay a salary comparable to that paid to person nel by business in the community in which he practices, for the same age group, ex perience and ability. If a girl has the qualifications of a good dental assistant, then she also has the capabilities to ensure her success in the business world. The dentist would do well to seek a decision on the salary which he should pay his assistant from the business men in his community rather than from his profes sional colleagues. Increases in Salary • It is an axiom of employment agencies, that small increases in salary at frequent intervals are more appreciated than large increases at long intervals. The top salary of a girl will depend on her qualifications, and the dentist’s ability to use her abilities properly. Bonuses • In an attempt to justify an otherwise unreasonably low level of com pensation, dentists in the past have re sorted to every imaginable form of bonus. It is safe to say, however, that for every plan which seemed successful, there have been ten which have accomplished more harm than good. The larger the number of employees, the more difficult it is to arrange a bonus which all of the employ ees will consider equitable. One exception to the usual failure of bonuses is one which is based on the employee’s length of service. For example, an employee may be given a longevity bonus of $10 or more for each year of service. An assistant who had been in the doctor’s employ five years would receive a lump sum of $50 in addi tion to her regular salary. This sum could be paid to the assistant at the end of each
year of service, at her vacation time or at the end of the year. Vacations • Another decision closely as sociated with the decision regarding hours of work, is that of the length and the scheduling of the employees’ vacations. Although practice may vary widely from office to office, it is extremely important that there be agreement on this matter. Since it is common in most businesses to day to allow two weeks of paid vacation at the end of the first year of employment, it seems wise for the dentist to follow this particular pattern rather closely. A sug gested formula for arriving at this time would be to allot one day of vacation for each month of work. If this formula were followed, the employee then would re ceive 12 days of paid vacation at the end of the first year of employment. Since this policy would be more liberal than most businesses follow, the dentist would more than meet his competition. This formula has helped many dentists answer the per plexing problem of how much vacation to allow the employee who has not been with him for an entire year. An assistant who started working in January would be entitled to five days if her vacation were taken in June, or six days if it were in JulyAnother way for the dentist to com pete with most businesses is to allow three weeks of paid vacation after the employee has been in the office for five years. This policy may prove to be a strong factor in the satisfactions of many employees, and, since it is a policy not usually fol lowed by business, it may gain strong appreciation. Sick Leave • It is important that a defi nite policy be adopted regarding time away from the office caused by illness. A suggested plan that closely follows the one used in determining vacations is to allow a half day per month for each month of work. The employee should un-
C A M P B E L L . . . V O L U M E 64, J A N U A R Y 1962 • 107/93
derstand that this time is set aside to help her meet an emergency should it arise, and is not to be dissipated by taking a half day of sick leave every now and then. Such short absences from work should be deducted from her compensa tory time or, in some instances, deducted from her salary. It is important to the operation of this plan for sick leave that both dentist and the assistant agree if she leaves the den tist’s employment, that the unused ac cumulated sick leave will be paid to her at the termination of her services. Health and Accident Insurance • With increasing realization of the importance to employees of some form of insurance to cover sickness and accidents, the dentist should consider this facet seriously. He either should insist that the employee carry such insurance and pay for it her self or the dentist should agree to pay a portion or all of the cost of such insur ance. Dental Care ’ The importance of dental health for assistants cannot be over em phasized, and the dentist should insist that his employees have regular dental care. The financial responsibility for such care can be solved by a variety of plans. The dentist may agree to provide all the dental services with no cost to the assist ant, to provide services at one half of the usual fee, or the assistant may pay for the original rehabilitative services and the dentist then agree to maintain the assist ant’s dental condition at no additional cost as long as she is in his employ. Time for Attending Meetings • Compen sation for the time taken to attend dental meetings will depend largely on the im
portance which the dentist himself places on the value of attendance at professional meetings. The dentist should decide which meetings he considers important and which portion of each meeting he wishes the assistant to attend. Uniforms • There is a wide divergence of opinion among dentists regarding the furnishing and laundering of uniforms. For this reason his policy in this matter should be explained to the dentist’s new employee. Fringe Benefits • For the employee who has been with a dentist for at least five years, some consideration should be given certain other fringe benefits. Because of the many variables in planning, however, the dentist will have to use his own de sires and initiative to arrive at decisions in this area.
SUMMARY The importance of a thorough agreement between a dentist and a new employee pertaining to the various factors and methods of compensation has been em phasized. Contractual agreements can be either verbal or written but never ig nored. Among the important questions regard ing which there must be agreement, are those dealing with hours of work, ar rangement of hours, compensatory time, salary, vacations and sick leave. Flexibility in arranging the time for vacation and compensatory time are two ways in which the dentist can compete effectively with most businesses in an at tempt to secure and to retain good auxil iary personnel. 18595 Grand River Avenue