Structuring Office Hours Around The Holidays

Every year in our offices there seems to be this age old debate on holiday hours. Practice owners can get tunnel vision where we end up focusing on dollars and cents and “bottom lines.” We get a little hung up on how much we think we will be “losing” if we close the office on certain days. While office closure can affect our bottom line, with proper planning we can figure out ways to work around that issue and make it so the bottom line isn’t affected at all.

There are some holidays in which it is customary for the office to be closed. Some closures depend on where you practice (City and State) and others will be at the owner’s discretion. For example, it is customary to be closed on holidays such as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Other holidays like Veterans Day and Inauguration Day will be dictated by state. District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia are usually closed on Inauguration Days.

Below are the 2020 US Federal Holidays and the closures I plan for my Office:

Dr. Patrice Smith’s 2020 Holiday Schedule

In discussions with other dental professionals about holiday closures, we have different philosophies on when and how to handle closures. For me personally, the week of Christmas is a vacation week. This is the time of year I take to be with family, to relax, unwind and get ready to hit the ground running come January 2nd. I have found that team members also appreciate this time off to do the same. Some of my other dental colleagues feel differently.

Using Dental Benefits

Some of my colleagues argue that the week of Christmas is not ideal for closure since this is when patients have an opportunity to use their dental benefits which typically “run out” at the end of the year, or on December 31st.

Paid or Unpaid Holidays

This again is up to the employing doctor but can sometimes be dictated by labor laws.

• Associate Doctor (Salaried) - Paid Holidays

• Associate Doctor (Per Diem) - Unpaid Holidays

• Full Time Staff Member - Paid Holidays

• Part Time Staff Member - UnPaid Holidays

Plan Ahead & Be Creative

If you have an idea that you will take time off from the office / vacation for extended periods, one thing you can do is add one extra day per month to the schedule to make up for that anticipated time off.

Be considerate of your team, properly plan and enjoy time off. Everyone will be happy and the team will be energized and more than willing to give their all after a break.