Dental Talent – 3 Possible Outcomes of a Conflict Between Dental Staff Members

Like any business, occasional team conflict even happens in dental practices. You may notice staff members not talking to each other, or some may not be willing to collaborate because of the unresolved conflict. This discord shouldn’t be taken lightly and hope that it will merely resolve on its own. In times like this, you must step in before it affects your dental practice. 

Staff conflicts can inevitably have adverse effects on your practice. However, before you try to sweep things under the rug or turn a blind eye, you must know how discord between staff members can affect your practice.

 

 

In this article, we will share three outcomes of a conflict between your staff members:

1. Your Patients Will Feel Uncomfortable

The tension between members is unmistakable. You can pick up on it the moment you walk through the doors. Your patients will also feel this tension, and this will likely make them uncomfortable. Remember that most patients in dental clinics are already anxious, and the tension and the negativity in the air can aggravate this, which will make them reconsider their decision to have dental treatments in your facility. Worse, they might even leave at that moment and never return. 

Remember that your patients want to be in a welcoming atmosphere. They want a friendly team that is focused on their needs and will make them feel comfortable while they’re there. 

2. Your Customer Service Will Suffer

Customer service is one of the top priorities of a dental practice. However, if there’s discord between staff members, they may find it challenging to create an exceptional patient experience. This is because when team members aren’t happy, it will reflect on how they interact with the patients—they may not be as friendly or as helpful as they should be. As a result, poor interaction with staff members will leave patients feeling defeated and unimportant. 

3. Your Care Quality Will Be Affected

Even if you are cheery and helpful to patients, the staff members in the facility affect the overall customer experience and the level of care your practice provides. Conflicts in the workplace can easily leave staff members feeling distracted and unhappy, which will leave them more focused on counting the time until it’s time to go home – this isn’t professional! 

Staff members should take the time to educate patients about their conditions and talk to them about the services that the practice provides. They should also make an effort to establish good relationships with clients. However, when there’s discord, this doesn’t happen, which is why you must address the problem immediately. 

The truth is that conflicts in the workplace are practically unavoidable—it just happens. What’s important is that these disagreements or misunderstandings are addressed immediately before they affect your practice and makes your patients have a negative experience. As soon as you notice problems brewing between your staff members, work toward a solution and focus on using the conflict to create positive changes in your practice. 

Conclusion

Maintaining the peace of your workplace isn’t always impossible, but you need to make an effort to ensure that everyone is getting along well. Your staff members don’t have to be the best of friends, but they need to be on friendly terms to work together. Address conflicts right away before they have adverse effects on your dental practice! 

Are you looking for private dentist jobs? Dental Talent is a dental recruitment platform in the UK that has a broad pool of dental staff members to complete your practice. Visit our website to see how we can help!