Compressed 4-day workweek for dental faculty retention and recruitment
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Dental Education
Abstract
Faculty recruitment and retention are major concerns faced by dental schools across the country. This increase in faculty shortage impacts training the next generation of clinicians and oral health care delivery in dental institutions, which together will exacerbate challenges related to access to dental care. The objective of this paper is to propose a compressed workweek as an incentive to improve recruitment, retention, and faculty well-being. There are several well-documented benefits of the 4-day workweek which include employee wellness, increased job satisfaction, happiness, and improved perception of personal worth. Cost savings may be also realized with this schedule, as expenses related to transportation and dependent care costs could potentially decrease. Altogether, these benefits have been shown to lead to reduced absenteeism, anxiety, stress, and burnout. This perspective piece will discuss how the 4-day workweek could be implemented in dental institutions, along with the benefits and challenges. Given the shortage of clinical faculty throughout the United States, we recommend this approach not only as a means to attract recent graduates to academia but also to ensure the retention of those who provide clinical instruction.
First Page
1108
Last Page
1112
DOI
10.1002/jdd.13234
Publication Date
8-1-2023
Recommended Citation
Afshari, Fatemeh S.; Guajardo, Leticia; Kramer, Jill M.; Musawi, Ammar; Regasamy Venugopalan, Shankar; and Sykes-Smith, Anita, "Compressed 4-day workweek for dental faculty retention and recruitment" (2023). MOSDOH Faculty Publications. 57.
https://scholarworks.atsu.edu/mosdoh-faculty/57