2575: How to Keep Your Team Compliant and Supported

Speaker A: Foreign.

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Speaker C: The uh, dentalpreneur podcast. Okay, doctor, it's time to put down that handpiece. You're listening to the show dedicated to helping dentists get their lives back. It's time to decrease your stress, increase your profitability. And regain your passion. Now introducing your host, dental doctor Mark Costas.

Speaker D: Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Dental Ponor podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Mark Costas. How you doing, my friends? We are still here at Thrive Live

Speaker B: in the exhibitors hall.

Speaker D: 2026 thrive live. Uh, man, it's been a really fun show. This is, uh, I think 15 podcasts for me so far in the last couple days. Met lots of really, really great people. Um, and my uh, guests on the podcast have been top notch. And there's another one coming up right now.

Speaker B: Uh, let's welcome to the podcast Rolf

Speaker D: Tamandle, who's the COO of HR for Health.

Speaker B: How you doing today, my friend?

Speaker A: I'm good. Thanks for having me.

Speaker D: Thank you so much for being here. You got to tell me a little bit about, uh, your backstory and how it is that you got into the dental realm and how you got into the HR realm.

Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I, I am what you would call a, uh, lifer in dental. I kind of accidentally stumbled into it. Um, uh, started my, my first job really here, uh, with a company called 1-800-DENTIST.

Speaker D: Oh yeah.

Speaker A: Um, like 25, almost 30 years ago.

Speaker B: Who is the founder again?

Speaker A: Ah, Fred Joyle.

Speaker D: Yes, Fred, been on my podcast before.

Speaker A: Great friend of mine and uh, and um, longtime mentor. So, um, um, worked for 800 dentists for a while and then, um, had the luck and good fortune to work for several startups and other businesses in the dental industry, mainly in tech, allowing, allowing both businesses and, or products to be brought to market by me. So, um, uh, have been working with dentists for dentists for a long time. Um, and the last time1,800 dentists was sold was actually to uh, Sirona and I was part of, part of that transition.

Speaker D: I did not know that.

Speaker A: Yeah, so Sirona originally, um, bought them and then they merged with Dentsply. So it was dense by Sirona. And then we. I was there for like two or three more years, um, and then transitioned out to, to a new challenge, which is Ho for Health. Um, and, um, Ali and I, the. Ali Aramchin is first, the founder of HR for Health is an amazing lawyer, um, who also has a eye for what's important in the dental industry. Keeping these doctors. Am I too far away?

Speaker D: Yeah, better.

Speaker A: You're good, you're good. All right. Um, so he created a product around compliance for dental practices and a software solution that is super easy, super, super user, uh, friendly. And um, seven years ago, 2019. Lordy. Seven years ago, um, his company had grown to a level where he was like, look, we need to professionalize and manage this at a level that is, um, allowing us to grow bigger, faster and more. And so that's when I started with him. So that's, that's my, like, high level. Quick, quick story about dental.

Speaker D: How'd you meet Ali?

Speaker A: Um, at one of these conferences.

Speaker D: Really?

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was one of those. And yeah. And, you know, he is an idea man, so he probably, like, like dumped 25 ideas in the first half an hour that I met him.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: And, um, and so we had dinner together and then we had, like, other things in common. And so we had known each other for years prior. Um, and then, um, when, when the time was right, like, we, we started talking to nurse about how can we, how can we make this, this a real impact for the dental industry? And here I am.

Speaker D: Amazing. Yeah, amazing. Yeah. It's funny because HR is the.1 of, of those things that I think people take for granted. You know, I'm going to look online and do my own handbook. And people get themselves into some trouble when they try to do it yourself. There's so many things that could be, that could go wrong if you're, if you're doing a do it yourself HR manual.

Speaker A: Um, for sure. And look, I think. Yes. For granted. Yes.

Speaker D: And.

Speaker A: Or it is not being taken serious.

Speaker D: Right.

Speaker A: And I look at it from. Obviously, compliance and all these other issues are very important, but really what it comes down to is we're in health care at 100% employment. That is, the market is very much in favor of the employee, so they can jump from place to place to place. I think it is absolutely vital for every dentist to have a place where they can offer a full benefit, strong position that allows their people to not just get paid and then hope for the best, but have a full setup that allows them to have what we call a career arch. Right. And so that's. So, yes, compliance is important, but it's also important to take care of your employees, because if you have happy employees, guess what? They stay. And so that is a core function of what we're trying to achieve with HF Health as well.

Speaker D: Got it. Can you tell me a little bit about, um, I guess the nuances from state to state?

Speaker A: Oh, yeah, right.

Speaker D: I mean, there's. We're in 50 states and there's probably 50 different, uh, major differences, uh, among states. So. Yeah, and that's the problem again, with this attempt to do it yourself stuff.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker D: California, we all know is way different than, you know, Iowa.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker D: So talk to us about that.

Speaker A: Yeah. So I think one of the easiest ways to, to look at this or understand it is that every employee, when they're being onboarded, should start with, um, being introduced to what the company wants from them and vice versa. That is, they need a handbook. And that handbook should be updated on a regular basis, not just for what you want out of the employee, what time do you start, how much do you want to get paid, etc. Etc. But also have an updated handbook for all the laws that are changing. And that is very different in California than, for example, in Georgia. But step two is, is that you bring on a new employee. You have employee documents. Um, in California, you need over 22 documents. 24, I think, exactly. To onboard an employee. 24. That have to be signed and have to be filed and have to be updated. In Georgia, it's nine. Right. And so, so when you ask a dentist, they probably can name two if, if we're lucky, three. Right. Like, which is like the, The. The standard answer. So those are the nuances that get dental practices or doctors in trouble. Um, and. And it. That's where it starts. Right? Like, never mind. Like, for example, um, how do you. How do you sign up your employees? Are the W2? Or is your hygienist insisting on being a 1099? Well, since COVID I think we've all learned that lesson that, um, hygienists need to be declared properly as a W2 employee, not a 1099. So those are the easy pitfalls that a lot of doctors jump into or fall into, um, that need to be taken care of.

Speaker D: Tell me about, um. Would you consider yourself a technology company?

Speaker A: Yeah, 100%.

Speaker C: Okay.

Speaker D: Talk, uh, to us about the software and the technology behind human resources.

Speaker A: Yeah. So the, the idea for a dentist is we want you to have time to spend with patients, time on your clinical excellence. And the idea for the software is for it to be set properly and then set it and forget it. Right. Like, it runs automatically behind the scenes. So let me give you two or three examples. Example number one, your time. Your time clock, right? Like, your employees need to punch in and out. Um, that needs to be managed and. Or needs to be smooth behind the scenes so people get paid properly and you don't have to sit there manually filling out spreadsheets of when people are getting paid. Well, the derivative of a time clock is you have a rule of how much or how many hours of, um, PTO or vacation time they Accrue. So that's math. That's what a software needs to do and can do automatically. The next part is um, if you, you have let's say a larger practice with five doctors and or um, other people that are all either certified or have need to track CE credits or their licenses need to be managed. So we track that behind the scenes and remind them, look, it's time for you to renewal your license, et cetera, et cetera.

Speaker D: That's cool.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So those are all things that you should never ever have to do manually. Um, and, or on paper. Right. Like it needs to be done digitally. And that's what we are our solutions Solution provides behind the scenes.

Speaker D: Yeah. With all the nuances uh, of human resources especially. I mean we're already talking about state to state to state, the, the common nuances. But you know, as mom and pop shops, small businesses can't afford a director of HR in their practice. Um, does HR for help for health have the ability to help people if there's a one off issue that they're experiencing in the practice? Like uh, for instance, this is probably one of the most common ones that we see in dentistry. But for instance there's, there's a team member that's underperforming and you're just about to let them go. And the day that you're about to let them go they say that they're pregnant. So they're, you can't touch that now. So um, is there a way to get ongoing advice in lieu of just,

Speaker A: just making the mistake of firing them poorly or improper? Yes. So as much as we are a technology company, this is where Ali's being a founder, being a uh, being a thinker outside the box is really beneficial. Right. Like, so we provide a HR service that comes with our program that allows you to call us frankly anytime and get advice. And it is for the owners, right. Like for you to be educated and, or understand what you can, cannot do, what you should do, how you should do it, how you should say it, how you should document it. When do you, when do you document, et cetera, et cetera, in order to not fall into that trap of it is now too late. I want to you know, fire this person. And you have zero documentation. So, so yes, so we have that available. Um, it is also the, the, the one of the areas where we are the most most advanced, um, on A.I. um, so obviously we have humans that answer the phone from 9 to 5 every day, Monday through Friday. But if you happen to have a call or a need for, for information on a Saturday at 10pm you can also call us and, or, or contact us and we have an AI, um, support, uh, system called Harvey HRV that allows for you to get answers. Right. You can ask it, ask it anything and it will, it will give you answers as well.

Speaker D: Got it, Got it. Is there, is there some blanket advice that you could give business owners that don't have, you know, uh, an HR background?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: On certain things they can do to protect themselves from, uh, from HR issues internally.

Speaker A: Yeah. So, so I think that, um, the easiest to, to the place to start with for me would be to have a, an understanding of how you, you set up your employees. You want to make sure that you properly set them up for a W2 and not a 1099. So that's number one. And number two, that, that is like a close second in my mind is, is the idea of how you track your, how people are being paid. Like, don't make them, don't make them, uh, salaried employees if they're not truly management. Um, right, like they're, they're hourly employees. Employees because the laws around that are very clear to pay overtime, etc.

Speaker D: Etc.

Speaker A: So that calculation is the number one reason why healthcare practices are getting sued. Like the wage, the wage and hour claim is, is a much higher, much, uh, higher claim than you being sued for malpractice, for example. Yeah, that's why you, you, you have malpractice insurance. You don't have wage and hour claim insurance. Right. Like it's, like it's, um, insurances will not, will not allow that because it's too, too common. So it would, it would, that would be my starting point. Right?

Speaker D: Yeah, you've mentioned 1099ers twice. This is kind of a hot topic in dentistry because a lot of associate dentists want to be classified as 1099 and hygienists too. Um, what truly does qualify for a 1099 and what's the benefit? Why are people trying to qualify themselves as a 1099 when. If, if the IRS was looking at, at, they'd probably be classified as a W2.

Speaker A: Right. So the, the background is, is that, um, a hygienist. Let's start with the hygienist. The hygienist is typically an employee of a practice the way it is defined, um, usually by state law. Right. And the, the idea behind, behind that is, is, is that if their functions are repetitive and or in a way built out, um, where another hygienist can do that then then they are not unique in that, in that setup. When you have a ie, they are W2 employee, they're, they're um, not in a management position. And with that they have a very um, basic understanding they need to be paid on a per hourly rate, et cetera, et cetera, which comes with both benefits for the employee. But also where they think they have a benefit is this is by the taxes not being withheld and, or Social Security, etc, etc, all these other withholdings. Right. And what we found a lot of doctors did across the country and how this actually surfaced was during COVID when all the dental practices had to shut down and then these 10 to nine employees wanted to get unemployment. Obviously they are not paying into unemployment. They weren't eligible. Right. So not only did they not get the unemployment development payment, but they went then after the doctor saying look, you're misclassifying your employees on the associate doctor. Look, there are exceptions to the rule, as there always is. There are certain um, agreements that you can have and how you work with your associates where you absolutely can have them set up as a 1099. But you then need a properly written agreement between the owner of the business and the associate doctor.

Speaker C: Got it.

Speaker A: But if they are in a general. If you look at, look, it's common, it's common sense mainly. Right. Like if you bring somebody in, you pay them a regular salary, they're not in a management position, they're a W2 employee. That's just what it is.

Speaker D: That's right.

Speaker A: Just. That's the, that's what the court has decided. So.

Speaker D: Got it. Got it. You know, more, more and more people are, are counting on remote employees.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: Um, and then there are certain rules. I've heard some stories of, of remote employees, uh, in California, say for instance that brought suit against their uh, place of work because they weren't quote unquote granted a 15 minute break or something when they were at their own home.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: How do we guard against silly things like that?

Speaker A: So the silly things is, is what our software prevents. Okay, you or protect you from. Right. Like, so there, there are, um. That's the basic function of software. It needs to remind the employee and, or very clearly states it's time for you to take your lunch break. It is time for your regular, uh, break. Now the nuance on a meal break, like a lunch break, a half hour break that you have to take where you clock out and clock in, that's by law required for you to do. You as an employee do not have to take the, the 15 minute break, but you as an employer have to offer it. Offer it and say it is time for you or you should take it. If the employee goes like, I don't want to take, that's fine.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker A: But our software reminds them and or should proves that it was offered to them.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker A: And those are the nuances that get you right again. Wage and hour claim. That's all under that umbrella.

Speaker D: That is really, really cool. Okay. So, um, there's many, many other things, but one of the things that I wanted to ask you specifically was about, um, when there is a performance issue or something like that, or there is a counseling session to try to, uh. Or an action plan put in place to try to improve performance or output.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker D: Um, is it important to always document that in all states or only in some states?

Speaker A: Always in all states. The better the documentation, the better the case will be. Right. Um, so let me give you two sides of this.

Speaker D: Sure.

Speaker A: Um, the one side is the legal protection. You want to protect yourself. You want to communicate in writing and acknowledge that this is occurring. What for me, as a leader of an organization is much more important is the effective communication with the employee. Employee. To tell them what their goals are and how they can achieve those goals are m. In my opinion, much more important than to come in after the fact when it has been poorly communicated to them and they are underperforming.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker A: Right. So I think that that is part of a happy employment or happy employee. To be sure and show them is like, there's two sides to this. Right. Here's your, here's your benefit, here's your responsibility. Here's how you need to do this. Getting to the point where you have to write somebody up in my mind is too late. But you should start with, hey, these are your goals. This is how you can meet them. And then let us help you get there. That's the idea.

Speaker D: For sure. For sure. How prevalent are lawsuits, um, in the workforce nowadays? Is it better, worse?

Speaker A: About the same, I would say it's about the same. Um, look, you can't, you cannot be inoculated against someone suing you.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker A: Um, so, so it, it's about the same. But like, there's, there's no. I, I have not seen a, like, landslide of more or less. Um, but, um, it's silly for you to not have the level of protection you need when it's so easy to get.

Speaker D: Right.

Speaker A: And so, so that, that is really where this comes in. Um, and so, but no, it's the same. This employee will sue you when they feel wronged.

Speaker D: Yeah, I think, I don't know what the percentage is, but it's happened to me and it didn't feel good. Especially when you think you're doing everything right. But there are some very, very basic things that I think, especially with this type of technology, that could protect you against a long day.

Speaker A: Absolutely. Look, and I think that the other thing to come back to and, or, or to your example from earlier, um, a lot of doctors think they're doing something good, for example, when they give, um, gift cards or they hand out other forms of bonuses that are not properly guided through what the real rules are. And so if you don't do this uniformly for other people or for all your employees, that can be a problem. If, um, you just do it randomly and, and don't have a, have a place of how people get a bonus or a gift card or whatever it is and then they don't get it the second time, then they don't understand. So those are all the nuances of the little things that you just, you, you need to have buttoned up. And it sounds silly, but you never know. When you walk in, when, when someone walks in the door and really cares about this and then feels wronged and you're like, no, no, no, but I'm, I'm trying to do something good for you. And they're like, no, I don't see it that way.

Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. No good deed goes unpunished.

Speaker A: That's true. That's true.

Speaker D: Well, Ralph, what's the best way for people to reach out and learn more about HR for health? If they need help with a handbook or they need some support with HR in general?

Speaker A: Yeah. So the easiest way to get a hold of us is just go to hr4health.com and uh, there's a plethora of information for our services, educational material, and you can also request a demo from us to, to get, walk through all the details of what we offer.

Speaker D: How important is it for people that are not supported right now, uh, to get supported in, in terms of hr?

Speaker A: Uh, do it today. Do it now. Yeah, it can be. Look, it's, it's one of those. You, you don't drive a car without insurance. You don't drive a car without a driver's license. Right. Like why, why do you run a business? Why do you go to school school for, for 20 odd years and, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in the education. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of opening a practice and then not do the very basics to protect your time, love and investment in that. Uh, yeah, it's just, it's a, it's a minimum. It's, it's table stakes. Right. So do it. Get it right, get it done.

Speaker D: Good stuff. That's a great natural place to stop. I appreciate you, Ralph.

Speaker A: Thank you.

Speaker D: Have a great day.

Speaker A: Great good day.

Speaker D: Meet you. And we will continue to, uh, push people towards your service. It's a great service. Ollie's a great guy.

Speaker A: Yeah, thank you. I agree.

Speaker D: Talk to you soon. All right, ladies and gentlemen, Ralph to Mendel.

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Speaker A: Foreign.

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Speaker C: Thank you so much for joining us today on the DentalPreneur podcast. Check out truedental success.com for full recaps of every show, a, uh, schedule of our live events, free video tutorials, and a whole host of practice building resources. Resources.