Fifteen Reasons Annual Dental Practice Retreats are No Brainers

Ok, so, you are asking me to give up an entire day of income, take my employees to another location, sit around and talk? Now why in the world would I ever consider that? What is in it for me?

Having organized and participated in Annual Dental Practice Retreats for over 25 years, I have seen first-hand the many benefits of team retreats. But that is just my perspective, what’s really important is: what does the hard-core evidence say?

Payoffs of Dental Practice Retreats

Well, according to Human Resource studies, listed below are a few of the payoffs.

1. Employees who have greater respect for each other and their leaders

2. Employees who understand the complex dynamics of running a business

3. Employees who understand the pressures of owning a practice and being a dentist

4. Employees who know how to think because they better understand the dynamics of the business

5. Employees who stay longer, miss work less, and achieve goals more regularly

6. Less team politics, drama, and stress

7. More engaged and dedicated employees

8. Employees who can relieve you of unnecessary responsibilities

9. Solutions to problems and challenges

10. New ideas to strengthen the practice and attract new patients

11. More effective team communication skills

12. Employees who are better attuned to the patients instead of their personal needs

13. Employees who understand how their duties affect the success of the practice

14. A more successful, rewarding, and enjoyable work environment

15. Team members who want to WIN!

Shall I go on? I could. Why would so many companies in the world pay big money to hold Retreats if they didn’t work? That is proof in itself!

Once employees experience an effective Retreat, they usually look forward to it each year. A Retreat is one of the few times the entire team can interact on a level that is not interrupted by phone calls, patients, deadlines, and other practice related distractions. This allows the whole dental team to interact and communicate on a completely different level. There is time for more in-depth communication, brainstorming, discussions, and problem-solving.

Retreats force everyone to look at the dental practice, patients, and their team form a completely different perspective. They are able to see the forest instead of the trees. Retreats also allow team members to interact with other team members they may rarely see during the work day, to break bread together, to laugh, and to share. The ROI for Annual Practice Retreats can only be described as INVALUABLE!