The Dental Office Manager Digest column “Dear Boss” is designed for office managers to be able to speak their minds by anonymously writing a “letter” to their boss. Send your letters to [email protected]. Depending on how many are received, your letter may take a while to appear in DOMD.
Dear Boss,
I think it's a good thing that we've been busy, and I'm thankful for my job, but handling all the admin and billing has been stressful with the lack of a presence at the front desk. I know these are trying times to find staff, but I feel like everything is being dumped on me with no appreciation for everything I do. I am often being pulled back and forth between answering phones, greeting patients, filling the schedule, and managing the three staff members we have left. It's a lot to put on one person’s shoulders. Everyone needs a break sometimes, but when I asked to take some well-deserved time off, you declined my request.
I appreciate my job, but I feel I'm being taken advantage of at this point. We desperately need to hire a front desk person. I know we've held many interviews and you prefer to hire someone with experience in dentistry, but when I mention that I'm ready and willing to train someone with no experience, you completely shut down that option, once again leaving everything to me. I've been the first one in the office and the last one to leave every night, often having to make up work I didn't complete during the day.
More "Dear Boss":
- Dear Boss: You're a mean one
- Dear Boss: The pandemic truly brought out the worst in you
- Dear Boss: It pays to treat your employees with respect
This situation results in me spending less time with my family and having less time for myself. In light of everything that's happened these past two years, the lost time matters more to me than anything. I don’t live to work, I work to live.
Sincerely,
The best office manager you ever had
