TALENT

It now takes more than a paycheck to keep good staff

Staffing has gone from headache to chronic condition. We don’t need to tell you that hiring hygienists, assistants, and other clinical staff is challenging—the proof is in the data.

What’s happening: New research from the ADA shows the pipeline for clinical staff may be improving slightly, but we’re still in a sellers market for talent, and good people aren’t afraid to walk. Roughly 20% of hygienists changed jobs in the last year and almost 30% of front office staff did the same, with 35% actively eyeing new roles.

• Associate dentists are the most likely to churn, with 29% job-switching last year and almost 50% searching for new work. 

What it means for you: Hiring is one way to fill staffing gaps, but keeping your people is a lot easier (and cheaper) than finding new ones. So, how can you build a retention strategy that actually works in a market where clinicians and staff know they have options? Start by looking at what they want out of their job.

• Among hygienists considering a job change, 73% want higher income, 40% want better benefits, 30% want more flexibility, and 29% cite office dynamics, according to a GoTu survey.

• The Dental Assisting National Board finds similar patterns in their research: low pay (the vast majority of hygienists and assistants say they’ve never received a raise), shoddy benefits, and workload are all cited as top factors for leaving a job.

• But don’t count out the importance of culture: ADA research found that while DSOs are more likely to offer robust benefits, DSO staff were more likely to feel dissatisfied than their counterparts at independent practices.

What you can do: None of this is rocket science: People want to be paid fairly, supported as humans, and treated as professionals with a future, but making it a reality isn’t always straightforward. Here are four ideas you use to start building retention into your day-to-day ops: 

1. Make benefits non‑negotiable and visible. Set a clear benefits floor by role, then publish it everywhere. Consider making health insurance standard once a team member hits a defined hours threshold. Use your scale to extend at least partial benefits to part-timers and highlight the total package, not just hourly rates, in every offer and review.

2. Build flexibility into the schedule. Define a small menu of approved schedule models, instead of ad hoc exceptions. Think four-day weeks in key roles, staggered start times for parents, and internal float pools that cover vacations and peaks.

3. Show a real career path. Publish visible ladders for each role, with skills and pay bands attached. Fund continuing education and cross training that point directly at those next steps.

4. Manage culture like a clinical risk. Train practice leaders in basic people management and hold them accountable. Standardize huddles, one‑on‑ones, and simple recognition rituals so appreciation is baked into the week, not left to chance.

Bottom line: The labor market for DSOs is likely going to be tight for years to come. Sign-on bonuses and temp platforms might fill a slot in your org chart for a quarter, but a smart retention strategy that matches what your team is asking for will keep it filled for years.