Cliff's Notes

Time Change Making You Grumpy?

Fall back, spring forward is something most of us grew up with. Daylight savings time was just converted back to standard, maybe for the last time, I hope! First established in the late 1800’s it was designed to get more hours of daylight for work. The concept took one hour of daylight and moved it from morning to night. It also has a big effect on people that work on a time slot schedule like in a dental office. Unfortunately, the psychological adjustment also effects the boss.

The Boss … This is when a team leader needs to step-up and show why you are an All Star! That hour will affect you as much as anyone else but unlike your team you have no choice but control your emotions while dealing with theirs’s.  Lead by example and do something special to lighten the environment.

Lighten the Environment … For the next few weeks or so your team will be grumpy. Your patients will be grumpy. Your family will be grumpy. Everything in your life will be “out of it” however, it will get better. But you can’t let your team’s “blahs” add to your patient’s grumpy day. So, carve out an hour and buy them lunch. Smile, be overly upbeat to compensate for the time change blues.

Time Change Blues … Daylight Saving Time (DST) messes with our body clock. Changing the clocks does not create extra daylight, but it shifts the time the Sun rises and sets. This can cause disruptions to our body clock, otherwise known as the circadian rhythm. Generally, adjusting to the time change in the spring is more difficult than when the clocks go back one hour in the fall. But losing an hour of sleep may do more than just make you feel groggy — it could have a serious impact on your mood, motor skills, appetite, and even your heart. Understanding the effects of time change is part of employee management and the Total Health Concept.

The Total Health Concept … The key to success if finding the positive that is in every negative and use it for the overall good. Question: What is the positive in a biannual time change? Answer: Asking your patients how they feel…  How many people ask you how you feel with the time change? Nobody… so it is something different that a patient will not expect but remember. Have a conversation about the concept. Ask your team to bring up the subject with the patient and you will see how it helps them to understand that time change effects everyone. You are also creating a small WOW factor because nobody ever spoke to your patients about total health and sleep deprivation.

Sleep Deprivation … Don’t you just love how everything comes full circle? The real positive of the time change conversation is that it opens the discussion of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Now you may have a clinical treatment plan that fits and advances you overall marketing plan.

Your Overall Marketing Plan … Everything feeds everything else. Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns.

Cliff.Marsh@dcdental.com

November 9, 2022 - Posted by Cliff's Notes Blog | Uncategorized