By: Eric Recker
You get that call. Again. Lately, it feels like it’s every week.
Your hygienist isn’t coming in because of a migraine, a sick kid, another illness, a family emergency, a last-minute appointment they forgot to tell you about, or some other vague reason.
You look at your schedule and realize you have no backup, no other options, and you are booked out for three months. You know the cascade well:
- Your front desk will be upset.
- The rest of the team will be frustrated because, yet again, they are called on to absorb some of the load or help with assisted hygiene.
- The ripple effect hits, and everyone feels it.
Your morning huddle is tense. Everyone has questions and frustrations but doesn’t want to air them in front of the group. Meanwhile, your schedule is chaotic, and you just have to get into the day.
It feels like it happens every week.
Can you relate? Or are you one of the fortunate few who never has to deal with sickness or the absence of key team members?
Understanding the Why Behind Absences
So, what can you do about it? Is it just the way it is?
Recently, I was talking with a coaching client who felt disconnected from his team. He knew he was their boss and wanted to respect that boundary, but he didn’t really know his team personally. He had recently acquired the practice and was searching for the right balance of knowing his team both personally and professionally, without crossing any lines.
We discussed a few simple strategies to get to know them better. One of my favorites is really quite simple:
Strategy: Celebrate Wins
- At your morning huddle, ask everyone to share a win from the previous week.
- Make a mental note of a couple of those wins.
- Later, go find that team member and ask them to tell you more.
For example:
“Hey _____, I loved what you shared at our morning huddle. Tell me more about that experience.”
Simple. Easy. Non-threatening.
He tried this strategy for a month and felt like he had made a year’s worth of progress in relationships.
Addressing the Absence Directly
Now, back to our hygienist. Everything that happens has a reason.
Ask yourself:
- Do you know the reason?
- Are you willing to learn the reason?
- Are you willing to have what might be a hard conversation, or will you remain frustrated and let the whole office feel the ripple effect?
Try this line of questioning:
“Hey ____________, I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. How is everything? How is life in general? Anything I can help with?”
What’s great about this approach is that it’s non-threatening—unlike:
“Hey, we need to talk about you missing work.”
The first line communicates support and concern, while the second feels like a reprimand.
The Iceberg Analogy
What you may not know is that your hygienist’s life could be falling apart behind the scenes:
- A broken marriage
- A rebellious or seriously ill child
- Mental health challenges
Their behavior is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the mass of the iceberg is below the surface. You won’t ever see it if you don’t ask good questions.
You may find that:
- The issue is simple or complicated.
- You can help—or maybe not.
- You won’t know unless you ask.
Ultimately, the answer may be that this is not the right person to have on the bus.
The Key Takeaway
You won’t know until you learn what is going on below the surface, the “why” behind the behavior. You might be able to step in and make a tough situation significantly better. All it takes is a couple of thoughtful questions.
What do you think? Is this a good approach, am I crazy, or somewhere in between? I would love to hear your thoughts and strategies. Together, we get better!
