The COVID-19 pandemic of the past two years has magnified the need for work-life balance and forced all of us to think differently.
We’ve learned greater empathy, we’ve learned how to quickly move to action, and collectively we have a renewed focus on finding ways to improve ourselves, our relationships, our work, and our communities.
For the health care industry, the pandemic has been particularly challenging – as health care workers are facing historic burnout, while caring for patients and balancing mounting stress at home.
It’s time to solve the challenge. The pressures on health care workers cannot continue to be pushed under the surface. To achieve flexibility, we need to create new norms, build robust teams, invest in technical resources, and embrace the values expressed by those who have made it their life’s work to provide quality care to patients who need it the most.
The future of the dental industry will be shaped by these driving forces, namely the needs for true work-life balance, shared purpose, and the ability to take empathetic action.
Flexible Work Promotes Personal Health
Last year, California Congressman Mark Takano introduced the Thirty-Two-Hour Workweek Act, which proposes downsizing the standard forty-hour workweek to thirty-two hours. In December of 2021, that piece of legislation was endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, marking widespread recognition that many Americans are stressed, suffering from burnout, and looking for that elusive work-life balance.
At Aspen Dental, we recently introduced a four-day workweek model because we know providing schedule flexibility enhances work-life balance. Aspen Dental practice owners are able to embrace a flexible schedule that empowers doctors and their care teams to focus on providing quality patient care, offering extended hours to patients, while still attending to their personal goals – for themselves, their families, and their communities. In practice, that means offices may be open seven days a week, with longer hours to accommodate different patient schedules, but each location has at least two doctors who can stagger their shifts—making that four-day workweek a reality while staying true to our mission of providing affordable, accessible care to patients.
Giving doctors the time and support they need to take care of themselves and their families is paramount. And, while the four-day work week is not a new concept in dentistry, we know it is an important offering. Because with the right support, doctors and their care teams can achieve their career aspirations and provide quality care to more people, while also being able to balance their personal interests. Our focus is on building strong teams that deliver great patient care, which includes surrounding dentists with a support structure that enables their growth and development over the long term. In short, we take care of the business of dentistry so doctors can strike the right balance between taking care of themselves and taking care of their patients.
Shared Purpose Makes The Work Meaningful
Especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve all been looking for ways to make our work more meaningful, give back to our communities, and embrace self-improvement. By bringing forward a shared purpose within a network as large as Aspen – with nearly 1,000 privately-owned branded offices and more than 3,800 health care professionals – doctors and their teams across the nation can feel the tangible impact of their collective work in contributing to that mission.
Everything starts with an extensive mentorship network. Aspen dentists have access to thousands of doctors all over the country, who can share knowledge about unique clinical situations, offer guidance and support, and help sharpen new doctors’ business acumen and industry leadership capabilities. We also provide advanced clinical training to doctors and their teams – through our world-class education and training facilities and educators. By offering mentorship, training, and development opportunities, we help doctors be the best they can be.
We assist dentists in expanding their impact even more by helping them give back to their communities. Through our Healthy Mouth Movement, we provide free dental care to those in need, including more than 30,000 veterans since 2014 as well as patients overseas. With more than $23 million in donated dentistry, the doctors and their dental care teams get to give back and engage in meaningful work every day.
The Future Of Dentistry, Built On Empathetic Action
As we transition to life after the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to create industries that thrive and sustain our economy and health will depend on how well we can show empathetic action. How can we truly listen, and then apply and address what we’ve heard?
At Aspen Dental, we listened to doctors who shared their needs with respect to work-life balance, and that led to the creation of the four-day workweek model, for example. This strategy continues to take time, investment, and planning, but we believe it’s worthwhile because it allows the doctors who we support – and their teams – to function at the highest level, provide quality care to even more patients, and truly find the ever-elusive work-life balance.
We also know that innate in every health care professional is a life-long learner with the innate desire to care for people and serve their communities. This has reinforced our commitment and brought about a new found passion for investing in mentorship, development opportunities, and community impact initiatives such as the Healthy Mouth Movement, Day of Service, and Overseas Outreach Program, which allow doctors and care teams to serve those who are underserved.
More than all of this - we listen to the patients, seek to anticipate and meet their needs, and continue to break down barriers to better care. Doctors, clinicians and staff on the ground play a critical role in this - and by cultivating our ability to listen, we can evolve in partnership with the people who we support, to ensure our success and achieve our mission of bringing the best dental care to as many people as possible.
The past two years have magnified the need for work-life balance and forced all of us to think, and listen, and take action differently than we ever have before. When we embrace these lessons, we can create a more dynamic, engaging and supportive work culture that inspires and facilitates the ultimate goal – better, quality, accessible patient care.
About The Author
Arwinder Judge, DDS, is Chief Clinical Officer of The Aspen Group (TAG) where he’s responsible for developing, implementing, and leading programs that support the dentists who own and operate Aspen Dental branded practices.
A member of TAG’s executive leadership team, Dr. Judge serves as a clinical liaison to more than 1,200 dentists across the country, providing professional development, support and mentorship to dentists at various stages of their careers, from new dentists to experienced professionals. In his role, he leads a team of clinical support doctors who support and develop new dentists in all areas of their clinical, business and leadership endeavors.
Before joining Aspen Dental in 2008, Dr. Judge owned and operated several dental practices, which he supported as president of his dental services organization, East West Management Services.
He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from New York University College of Dentistry and holds a certificate from the Executive Management Program at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management.
Specialties: General Dentistry, Implants, Prosthetics, Practice Management, Clinical Support, Leadership Development, Global and Veteran Outreach