Safety Needs

Safety needs are not limited to satisfying OSHA guidelines.  Under this need the employee is looking for health insurance, job security, and childcare.  Many dentists feel that providing health insurance to the staff is an expense the practice cannot afford.  However, if the dentist considers it can cost a practice in excess of $20,000 to train a new employee, the annual premium for health insurance is well worth the benefit of retaining a motivated and productive team member.  Furthermore, the dentist can control the cost of health insurance by setting minimum hours for staff to qualify for health benefits and requiring employees to share in the premium costs.

Staff allegiance to the practice increases in proportion to job security.  The high production generated by Japanese workers can be partially attributed to the promise of a life long job by their employer.  Successful American companies are taking the same initiative.  When FedEx discontinued its company's Zapmail program in 1986, all 1300 of the employees who had worked in that department had first priority in acquiring other internal job opportunities.  Those employees who could not find positions with equivalent salaries could accept lower level jobs and retain their previous salary for up to 15 months, or until they found another higher salary job.  It is not surprising that FedEx is considered one of the top companies in customer service.

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