Dental Practices Are Prime Targets For Employee Lawsuits
A true Human Resources Department is the first line of defense, which is why large corporations have ample HR functions. It can act like insurance against employment problems and compliance shortfalls that lead to penalties and lawsuits. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
A full HR department for your dental practice
A senior HR expert for compliance, an HR manager for day-to-day issues, and payroll support, each with backup coverage. Call or text when something comes up. Answers usually arrive within a couple of hours, and practices within a two-hour drive of our Matawan, NJ office get on-site support for sensitive matters such as terminations.
“I can’t tell you how comforting it is to have an HR department so that I don’t have to do payroll or worry about employee issues anymore.”
General Dentist, Northern New Jersey
You trained for years to care for patients, not to manage HR. A dental practice carries more HR exposure than most small businesses: licensed and credentialed staff, mandatory training, patient privacy rules, and a team small enough that one bad hire or one mishandled termination affects everyone. Hiring is hard as well. The American Dental Association Health Policy Institute tracks how difficult dentists find it to recruit hygienists and assistants, quarter after quarter. Dental practices face the same employment claims as any employer, with fewer people to absorb them.
Seven HR problems dental practices bring to us
- Hygienist and assistant turnover. Each departure means recruiting costs, a thinner schedule, and overtime for the people who stay.
- Overtime and classification. Most dental staff are non-exempt. Exemptions are narrow and depend on duties and pay method under the U.S. Department of Labor overtime rules.
- Required training. OSHA bloodborne pathogens training and HIPAA workforce training must be delivered, documented, and kept current for every employee.
- Credentials. Hygienist and assistant licenses and registrations need tracking and renewal reminders. The New Jersey State Board of Dentistry is the starting point for license verification.
- State employment law. Earned sick leave, pay transparency, family leave, and wage rules apply to small practices too, as does separation paperwork such as New Jersey’s BC-10 form for departing employees. See our New Jersey employer compliance guide and the NJ Department of Labor.
- Small-team dynamics. Conflicts between front office and clinical staff, scheduling disputes, and performance problems need to be handled quickly and fairly.
- Payroll. Hourly staff, overtime, bonuses, and multiple locations make payroll errors easy and costly. See our outsourced payroll administration.
“I am glad you guys know what a New Jersey BC-10 is and what to do with it, because I never even heard of it before.”
Dental Practice Owner, Hoboken, New Jersey
Why My Virtual HR Director is right for your dental practice
We manage HR and employment across multiple dental specialties and practices around the country. We have supported large and small dental offices since 2013, which adds 13 years of dental management experience to our 30+ years of HR expertise. We understand the dynamics of a dental office, the technical duties of each professional, and the pitfalls of employee relations. We protect you from the risks that come with employing people.
“I won’t practice anymore without a competent HR department and someone who can deal with high level employee situations.”
Dentist with 10 New Jersey locations
A full HR team for your practice
My Virtual HR Director gives your practice an outsourced HR department: a senior HR expert for compliance, an HR manager for day-to-day issues, and payroll or HR admin support, each with backup. It costs about the same as one senior HR director, without the benefits, payroll taxes, or recruiting costs. Not sure what to ask before you hire? Read 12 questions to ask before you outsource human resources.
How We Get Started
- You call. A senior HR expert talks with you about your practice, your team, and what is happening right now.
- We collect your documents. Our implementation checklist covers your handbook, policies, and plan documents.
- We shadow your payroll process for one or two pay periods and take it over for you.
- Your HR team is in place. This typically takes one to two weeks after we receive your materials. From then on, calls, texts, and emails are unlimited.
Staffing and time off in a small dental team
In a dental office, one absence changes the schedule. Written rules for time off, coverage, and cross-training settle who covers what before two people ask for the same week. We write those rules into your employee handbook and apply them the same way for every employee, which also protects you when a decision is challenged.
Payroll and administration handled for you
Our dedicated U.S.-based team also takes payroll processing, benefit enrollments, and other administrative employment tasks off your plate. You hire the right people and we handle what follows.
- HR compliance consulting
- Employee handbooks written for your practice
- Outsourced payroll administration
- Discipline and termination support
Dental practice HR questions
Is my dental practice too small for outsourced HR?
No. Small practices benefit most, because one hire, one conflict, or one compliance gap affects the whole team. You get a senior HR expert, an HR manager, and payroll support without hiring a full-time HR director, and every role has backup coverage.
Who is exempt from overtime in a dental office?
Most dental employees are non-exempt and must be paid overtime. A few roles, such as a true office manager, may qualify as exempt depending on duties and pay method. We review classification before you decide, because misclassification is a common and costly mistake.
Can we use unpaid working interviews?
A candidate who performs productive work is generally owed pay, so unpaid working interviews carry wage-and-hour risk. We help you set up a paid trial shift with the right paperwork and review the approach against New Jersey and federal rules before you use it.
How do you help with OSHA and HIPAA requirements?
We manage the HR side. Training is assigned, completed, documented, and tracked for every employee, including OSHA bloodborne pathogens and HIPAA workforce training. Your clinical compliance program stays with your compliance provider, and we coordinate with it.
Can you reduce hygienist and assistant turnover?
We address the causes you control: structured onboarding, clear job descriptions, consistent handling of conflict, written scheduling and time-off rules, and exit interviews that surface the real reason people leave. A pay review is part of that work.
How fast do you respond, and do you come on-site?
Calls and emails are addressed within 24 hours, and usually within a couple of hours. For sensitive matters such as terminations or corrective actions, we provide on-site support for practices within a two-hour drive of our Matawan, NJ office.
“Thank you for doing what you do, so I can do what I do without unnecessary hair loss.”
Oral Surgeon, Monmouth County, New Jersey
Talk to an HR expert about your practice today:
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My Virtual HR Director provides human resources support and experience-based HR guidance, NEVER legal advice. We do not provide legal, tax, or financial advice. Benefit plan design and strategy consulting is provided by our licensed senior HR leadership. Insurance quoting, marketing, and placement are provided separately by licensed partner agencies. For legal questions, consult a licensed employment attorney.