Orthotown March 2020 - 18

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Setting Staff Salaries and
Bonuses in a Startup
A new practice owner asks for advice about structuring different employees' pay scales. Can it be done
without causing friction?

NyceBiteR
Member Since: 10/21/08
Post: 1 of 9

Apologies in advance for the long post, but I think the details are relevant in giving advice
to the situation. I don't have a lot of experience in setting salaries and need help. I'm a startup
practice in a large city and have been open less than one year.
There is someone amazing I want to hire. She's in her mid-20s but has been working in the
dental field (general dentistry and ortho) since age 17. She's a college graduate, has both clinical
assisting and front desk/billing/insurance/treatment fee presentation experience. She has a fantastic
personality and is organized, well-spoken and always put together. Furthermore, I worked with
her a few years ago in an ortho office where I associated, where my current TC/financial/front
desk person also worked, so we already know we will make a great team from experience.
The issue is that her current job is paying her $29/hour, which is high for me. She said she
would take $25/hour, though. The problem is I currently pay my TC (whom she's friendly with
from the other office) $23/hour. I don't want my current employee, whom I highly value and has
been working super hard for me, to feel jilted if/when she finds out the new person makes more
per hour, and in my experience she is likely to find out eventually.
How do I handle this so that base pay is not an issue between them, but total salary can
be more based on incentives/bonuses? How can I quantify and reward social media/marketing
successes? By new patient exams booked through her efforts? Should I bonus them both for new
starts above goal per month? Set the bar high but then make the bonus high?
Amazing staff like this doesn't just fall in your lap every day, but I want to act carefully here. ■
10/13/19

ucla98
Member Since: 9/28/07
Post 2 of 9

Your office has been open less than a year. Are there enough patients to hire another employee?
Is there enough work to keep both of them busy? When I first started, I asked my wife's office
manager to help me work both in the front and back. I did all the ortho adjustments by myself
and I didn't start hiring another P/T chairside assistant until the office was able to book more
than 20 patients a day. Does the office generate enough income to pay for two assistants?
To hire this person, you must first have a clear marketing plan for the office. No matter how
good and friendly this person is, she is only going to do things that you ask her to do. As a boss
and a leader, you must have a clear business plan and ask your staff to execute your plan. You are
a coach and she is your quarterback. A good quarterback doesn't help win games for the team,
but a good coach does. If you need someone to help you bring more new patients to the office, it's
probably better to hire a consultant, and then let him/her go once his/her job is done. You won't
have to worry about firing, cutting the employee's hours, following the labor law, etc.
For me, an amazing employee is one who shows up for work on time and doesn't leave early,
who doesn't call in sick or ask for days off too often, who is flexible to work on the days that I
want (i.e., Saturdays and Sundays), who is honest, who I can trust to handle my money. I think
these are more important qualities than being friendly and having good people skills. Patients
choose the office because of the doctor and his/her reputation of doing good work, not because
of the friendly staff he/she has. Do good work on your patients and keep them and their general
dentists happy, and you'll get more referrals from them. ■
10/13/19

MARCH 2020 // orthotown.com

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