It can be annoying when everyone doesn’t pull their weight in an office. If your coworker is constantly coming in late and leaving early, you might be ready to pull out your hair. A dentist’s office involves a lot of depending on each other to make things work smoothly. If one person is constantly throwing off the office schedule, a team cannot work at their best. We’ve got some tips about how to work with a dental hygienist that takes off a lot.
Talk To Them Directly
It may seem like a no-brainer, but many people go to the top first instead of talking to the person directly. Instead of complaining to management about their behavior, try to see if you can solve it first. Tell them how their constant management of time impacts the office. Speak in a firm, yet calm tone. If the problem still continues, take it to upper management.
Establish Consequences
There are rules for a reason. When someone is acting selfishly on their own schedule constantly, they must have consequences for breaking these rules. You can get together with the team to determine the consequences. Of course, people are going to run late on occasion or need to leave early at times. If people abuse the rules, they must face consequences. This could be things like fining the employee or taking away certain privileges in the office.
Ask For Better Communication
The employee may be oblivious to the fact that their constant coming late or leaving early is driving you all crazy. By communicating with them and ask them to send you a quick text or give you a call if they aren’t going to be on time or need to leave early that day. This will hopefully make them better aware that they’re causing an issue in the office. You can also document their behavior this way.
Show Them Proof
An employee might think it doesn’t matter if they come in a little late or leave a little early. They don’t realize the impact it makes on the day. Show them what all you had to do because they weren’t there. Explain how their tardiness pushed back the day meaning all of the appointments were late. Explain to them how you had to stay an extra hour because they weren’t there to help organize for the next day or put everything up from that day. Without the entire team, you cannot function to your full extent. Make them realize this with proof.
Respect Honest Issues
It’s important to keep an open mind about the employee unless you know their real issues. They could be a selfish person that just wants to do whatever they want, but they could also be an honest person that has a lot going on in their life. Sometimes they have good reasons for their constant behavior. Respect this if upper management knows and accepts this behavior. It’s usually for a reason. It can be difficult, but employees must respect each other’s private lives.
Explain How They Can Help
Sometimes co-workers leave early without doing all of the side-work. They may not realize the little things get everyone ready for the next day. Talk to them about helping around the office before they walk out the door. These might be small tasks like vacuuming the floors or setting up all of the tools for the next day of work. The little things add up. If everyone helps with the side-work, the next day will start on the right foot.
Don’t Blow Up
One of the most important things to remember when dealing with a difficult co-worker is to keep cool. If you start screaming at the person as soon as they walk in the door, the whole day is shot. Don’t let the issue get to a point where you even need to boil over with emotion. Talk to them about the problem before it gets worse. Remember, they may not realize they’re creating an issue and there could be a relevant excuse. Take these things into account before you fly off the handle. When you speak with them, stay constant in your emotions even if you’re angry.
A dental hygienist is a crucial part of the dentistry team. Everyone works together to ensure the patient is happy and healthy. Every person in the office must give and take. The number one thing to remember when it comes to any issue in an office is that communication is key. Working relationships only work if everyone does their part. You can solve issues as a team and move forward towards further success in your company if you communicate with an open heart and mind.
