DCA understands that organizations are strongest when team members are comfortable embracing their full selves at work. Embracing differences, celebrating cultural traditions, and recognizing observances that may fall outside a standard holiday calendar are all important ways to build a productive and supportive culture within an organization.
Recently, DCA introduced a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council and enhanced its employee engagement strategy in an effort to better support employees and drive institutional change and sustainable organizational growth. “Ensuring the development of under-represented employees and ensuring equal opportunities for them is paramount to the future success of our organization,” stated Jeff Koziel, Dental Care Alliance’s President and member of the Council. “We are committed to Unleashing the Potential of our entire workforce.”
As part of the DEI Council’s goals and in observance of Global Diversity Month, “Ally Day” was recently announced at DCA. Ally Day is a new floating holiday intended to provide flexible time off and encourage individuals to celebrate the holidays and traditions that are most important to its team members. The council recognizes the important role that actions like this have in creating a more equitable and inclusive environment, and additional plans to expand these efforts are in the works.
In addition to internally focused programs, external-facing industry leadership is an important way to signal support and engagement to its own employees. DCA recently became a founding member of the industry group Women in DSO®. The mission of Women in DSO®, to highlight and support contributions of women and to empower women leaders, aligns closely with DCA’s DEI Council mission. This partnership a big step for the industry and for DCA in supporting the growth of women in leadership positions.
Championing DCA Employees at All Stages
Team member engagement is a key priority at DCA and plays a critical role in keeping team members connected to their place of work. In 2021, DCA made significant investments in programs and resources to drive continued improvement in engagement and team building for its network of 4,800 team members. In March, the organization launched smile!, a recognition and reward platform powered by Reward Gateway and designed exclusively for DCA to recognize professional contributions and achievements in the workplace.
The smile! program provides DCA team members with fun and unique opportunities to share important news, celebrate victories, and simply say ‘thank you’. DCA recognizes the unique role that each person plays in the success of a practice, and honors them through major industry days – or even months – of recognition, such as National Dentists Day, Dental Assistants Recognition Week, and Office Manager Appreciation Month. Customized resources like eCards, available in smile!, make these celebrations visible and more meaningful to all.
“This new program reflects the spirit of our people and is a central, accessible, virtual community where allies from across the country can connect and grow stronger together,” shared Kelly Stillman, Vice President of Communications and Culture
Even with the challenges of COVID-19 and the implications of The Great Resignation, team member engagement has improved at DCA in each of the last two years, as measured through the annual engagement survey. With a continued focus on engaging team members throughout their entire journey, the Dental Care Alliance team is confident that it will continue to attract, support, and retain the industry’s best dental professionals. DCA is, in fact, stronger together.
With over 30 years of experience in the industry, DCA is one of the largest and oldest Dental Support Organizations in the country. It is the organization’s goal to continue that trajectory by investing in and championing the one thing that makes that possible; people. Far from empty promises, the organization is implementing programs and initiatives to drive change and growth.
