Can you imagine baseball without any rules? Or driving in rush hour traffic with no laws or guidelines governing what to do when a light turns green or red? The obvious result would be confusion and chaos. This same logic applies to any organization. If there are no guidelines and rules for employees to follow they will not know what is expected of them. Frustration, confusion and unnecessary disagreements ensues.

For these reasons, it is vital you have a General Policy Manual and individual staff training manuals for each position in the office as part of effectively managing your practice.

In addition to achieving your goal of improving your patient’s oral health, you want to maintain a comfortable and fun environment. This can only happen if everyone knows the specific expectations and procedures for their job.

Policies should cover such items as staff bonuses, time off, uniforms, benefits, etc. You may decide to change these policies as necessary in the future. If a change occurs you should notify your staff, in writing, of the policy amendment or cancellation. If employees discover no policy exists to cover a specific situation relating to their jobs (or to the office in general), your employees should be encouraged to propose a policy to cover that particular situation. Any proposed policies should be provided in writing to the office manager or doctor who will review and then forward (when appropriate) the proposal to the doctor for consideration.

If employees have concerns with a policy they should see the office manager or doctor for immediate clarification. Policies should be followed exactly to avoid confusion or problems that could arise from misapplication. If an employee doesn't understand something they should get it clarified.