Dress to Impress: Dental Edition
With the ever-growing shortage of auxiliary and office personnel, creating an enticing employee perks hiring benefit package is more important than ever.
Have you ever thought about a scrub allowance? How about a sneaker/shoe allowance? It’s an easy win-win because it is mutually beneficial for the employee and employer.
What about taking it one step further and having weekly themed dress days—because who doesn’t love Hawaiian Friday? And even more importantly, aren’t we ready to consider moving away from basic black scrubs into the world of color? Maybe check out the Pantone color of the year.
By following a few easy steps, your team can be dressed for success!
Scrub Allowance
An easy place to start is with an allocated yearly scrub allowance. The allocated yearly scrub allowance pays for the base layer pants and shirts, and each team member chooses any brand or style as long as it stays in a family of a certain color.
You may choose to set a dollar per-day worked amount or a flat dollar rate for employees to make as many sets as they can. If purchased outside of the office, employees will bring in their receipt of purchase for reimbursement. The flat per-day amount allows both part-time and full-time employees to have this perk, which is especially important for part-timers who do not have as many benefit options available. The doctor and manager can work together to create a tone of colors or a specific color palette to stick to.
Enabling the employee to choose the fit and brand allows the employee to feel comfortable with their “style.”
Don’t forget to think beyond the white jacket; clinical staff may need the required PPE, but we all know our front office teams run a certain level of artistic blood in their veins!
Mixing It Up
Next, go online or to local scrub stores and look for bright/cheerful lab jackets in all sizes, which can be traded out for the seasons and holidays. You may want your team to completely match or have an overall visual that fits your brand.
Remember to purchase in high volume to start, as both clinical and nonclinical team members will swap out lab jackets several times a day. With a minimal amount of cross-training and having all team members in the office wear scrubs, the ability to help out and jump in wherever needed in the practice at any given time is also a huge perk, without the patient wondering why Sally from the front office is holding the suction in her pantsuit.
Themes also help create both a pleasant aesthetic and a relaxed atmosphere. In October, the color pink for breast cancer awareness month, paired with pink ribbon earrings purchased in bulk from Amazon, is both easy and cost-effective. Hawaiian Friday can be made a snap by purchasing synthetic leis and hair clips. Team members can wear floral lab jackets or Hawaiian shirts and can give the patient a lei at the end of their visits.
The theme ideas are endless and can be repurposed throughout the year. You can celebrate “Christmas in July” wearing winter lab coats and setting up a simple Grinch tree. The parents, children, and team members alike love it!
Bonus point for the budget: If you remember to search for the lab jackets just as the season ends, discounts are at their highest.
Scrub Organization
Once you have the jackets, find a space to store them. A rack in a closet works great, but a mini-wheeling clothing rack in the staff lounge can be an easy fix if you’re short on space.
Deciding to launder in-house with the investment in a combo washer/dryer might not be an option to start, but local laundering companies can deliver a short turnaround time and pick up and drop off directly to you. A combo washer/dryer eliminates the team’s forgetting to transfer the laundry from one machine to another and helps in a pinch when fluoride varnish gets on a jacket.
Market Your Office
Another great way to promote your practice outside of the office is with brightly colored logo t-shirts. Logo t-shirts, both long sleeve and short sleeve, are an easy go-to and team favorite. You can work with both local merchants and online websites, where it is simple to upload your logo and create a design on your own. Just like the lab jackets, these can be purchased in multiple sizes and stored in the office.
New hires can choose their desired size at orientation and feel like a part of the team early on. Think about patient giveaways as well; try smaller sizes that your patients can wear and create a walking billboard.
Confidence Looks Good on Your Team
When the team “dresses to impress,” they project a feeling of confidence and happiness that trickles down. It is not just a morale boost for your team; it also makes a sterile dental office come alive and feel more cheerful.
Maybe you decide a Hawaiian shirt is too much. Maybe it is simply wearing fun sneakers or venturing out to a vibrant color once a week. Think about your brand, create your style, and have fun. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
About the Author
Melissa Furrow, MAADOM
Melissa is a Pediatric Dental Practice Manager who has worked in nearly all aspects of the dental office for over 20 years. Melissa lives north of Austin with her husband, with whom she helped build a ground-up dental practice, and her two elementary school children.
Melissa is a lifetime member of AADOM and earned her fellowship designation (FAADOM) in 2013 and her MAADOM in 2025. She is a member of her local DPLN, Central Texas Dental Managers Association, and a member of the Dental Spouses in Business Network.
