Raise your hand if dental school gave you extensive training on hiring, managing employees, compliance, or pregnancy leave. I didn’t think so. Most practices are too small for a full-time HR professional, yet every dental system depends on people. Technology is useless if your team is distracted, overworked, or constantly turning over. Proper HR isn’t a luxury—it’s the foundation of your practice.

Just like OSHA or HIPAA, Employment Compliance requires manuals, training, forms, and regular updates. In the past 5 years alone, there have been 259 federal and state labor law changes. Add to this the tightest labor market in history, and today’s HR is about two things: staying out of legal trouble and keeping great employees long-term.

Unfortunately, dental practices often run into the same costly HR problems. First, outdated or illegal policies. For example, if your handbook forbids employees from discussing pay, you’re already out of compliance with the National Labor Relations Act. Second, wage and hour violations are rampant—like misclassifying workers as contractors, paying salaries to avoid overtime, or not paying for CE travel time. Myths and old advice circulating in dental forums perpetuate these mistakes.

Third, discrimination and disability violations. Dentistry’s demographics mean age discrimination (threshold age: 40) and pregnancy leave issues are common. Protections vary widely by state, covering everything from medical conditions to hairstyle to mental illness. Fourth, poor documentation. In HR, if it’s not written down, it didn’t happen. Without proper records, most lawyers will advise settling even when you’re in the right. With solid documentation, most cases vanish before they progress.

Finally, termination mistakes. Many dentists believe “At-Will” means you can fire anyone without consequences. Not true. The first At-Will law passed in 1884, and federal and state protections layered since then mean firing without proper documentation can still lead to serious liability. Other mistakes include waiting too long to fire toxic employees, trying to make them quit, or fearing unemployment claims more than workplace damage.

The bottom line: HR risk in 2025 is too high to ignore. The laws are complex, the stakes are real and doing it all yourself is incredibly time consuming (with major risks if you make a mistake). Just as you wouldn’t draft your own legal contracts or do all of your own business taxes, HR compliance requires professional support. Partnering with a dental-specific HR company helps you stay compliant, reduce stress, protect your team, and keep your focus where it belongs—on patients, not paperwork.

Want to learn more about protecting your practice?  Connect with Bent Ericksen!