How do you reduce your risk when hiring or letting staff go?

This post is presented by David Harris, CEO Prosperident.

Jane, your trusted receptionist for several years, has developed health concerns and she has resigned from her position with 2 weeks’ notice.  You now have to find a new receptionist to learn the front desk duties and to communicate respectfully with your patients.  Feeling stressed yet?

Thankfully, you are proactive and start the hiring process immediately and within a few days interviews begin.  To your amazement or perhaps, it’s the perfect planetary alignment, a well-poised, experienced applicant presents and is the front-runner for the position.  What is your first instinct in this situation?  Most busy dental business owners would do the reference check and hire the candidate almost immediately.

BUT, what are the risks?

Let’s look at this real scenario in which an employee of a dental practice was fired in an urban centre for embezzlement. Unbelievably, she continued to be gainfully employed by 10 other dental practices afterwards where she stole from each and every office. The question that begs to be answered is how did she manage to get hired with a “rap” sheet?

Hiring employees can be amongst one of the least favourite yet necessary to-do’s on dentists’ minds. David Harris, CEO of Prosperident, shares practical tips on how to avoid hiring someone who was fired by one of your colleagues.

While there are certain questions that an employer cannot ask during an interview – religion, marital status, sexual preference etc. – there are many others that can be asked to gain insights on how suitable a candidate may be for your practice. Background checks are useful but an often overlooked tool when it comes to vetting a prospective employee.  Here are some tips to consider.

1. Fight the Urge to Hire on the Spot

• Dentists often make “snap” hiring decisions based on immediate need especially when the “perfect” candidate appears.

2. Perform a Background Check

• Written consent from the applicant is required prior to performing some elements of a background check. This can be designed by a human resources or legal advisor as part of an application package.
• Given most front desk employees are handling money, a credit check as well as a criminal records check should be considered. Please note that criminal records checks are, by their nature, incomplete.  This check only indicates that someone has been CONVICTED of a crime, and not that they have been ACCUSED or CHARGED.  After someone is fired for stealing, it may be years before they are convicted of committing an offence.  For various reasons, others are never charged.  Therefore, while a criminal record may be a reason not to hire an applicant, a “clean” criminal records check does not necessarily mean that someone is safe to hire.

3. Drug Testing

• Employees working in dental offices have access to medications, prescription pads and are working with the public, yet are rarely screened for drug use.

4. Reference Checks

• Former employers are the most credible references.
• Don’t ever rely on the phone number listed for the employer as an applicant who is hiding something may actually list a phone number for a friend posing as a former employer. Look up the phone number on your own.
• Ask for exact dates of employment and compare them with the dates listed on the resume – the applicant may be hiding employment gaps intentionally by stretching timelines together.
• Ask closed-ended questions when you want specific information from the reference. These questions assist the reference in giving you the detailed answers you need. Examples:  What position did “X” hold? What dates did “X” work in your office? Who did “X” work for before and after you? If you had a job that “X” was qualified for in your office, would you rehire them?

5. Time out of the Workforce

• Often applicants with something to hide will state that they were travelling through Europe or raising children etc.
• Workforce absences should always be verified by documentation such as passport stamps, photos of the trip, Notice of Assessment from a tax return, Employment Insurance paperwork etc.

The bottom line is hiring the right people for your team plays a big role in your overall success and minimizing your stress levels.

What has been your experience? Do you have a learning experience that you would like to share with your colleagues? Email us oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca or call us 1-855-716-2747