Some businesses call me for referral before they sign up. I tell them the same things. It’s great to have someone like Peninsula backing me up,

Dr William Rodriguez started his dental practice in 1996. For 25 years now, this Mississauga-based dentist has been providing exceptional dental service to Ontarians. Dr William Rodriguez was the first in the area to provide WaterLase™ Laser Dentistry. This technique not only speeds up healing time, but also eliminates use of needles in most cases.

While Dr Rodriguez takes care of the patients, Joyce Rodriguez, his wife and business manager, is the one looking after his practice. She manages a staff of 20 employees, and the responsibilities of HR and payroll as well.

Dr William Rodriguez DPC has been a Peninsula client since January 2018.

COVID-19

Though a critical service, providing dental care is challenging during a pandemic. There were a lot of engineering and administrative safety controls put into place at Dr Rodriguez’s clinic due to COVID-19. These included procuring extra PPE for staff, installing Plexiglass barriers, training staff on health and safety protocols, changes to waiting rooms and clinic area, and so on.

“Peninsula gave us our COVID-19 policy statement, and also our COVID-19 policy and procedures manual with information on how to handle different scenarios,” says Joyce Rodriguez. This was in addition to the Return to Practice toolkit issued by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Ontario Dental Association.

Joyce says she has put all of it together in one thick manual for COVID-19 protocols. “Right on top of the combined protocol manual is Peninsula’s COVID-19 procedures manual,” says Joyce. “We have placed it in the waiting room in case someone needs to refer to it. All my employees have been trained according to the guidelines set in the manual,” she says.

Peninsula has been assisting the clinic with its health and safety procedures from the beginning. “Peninsula gave me a manual on health and safety when we signed up with them,” says Joyce, “They also provided online resources such as health and safety training courses and certifications for my staff to complete.”

Joyce says she came across Peninsula while searching online for answers to an HR query. When Peninsula pitched its services to her, it made a lot of sense to sign up.

“I am doing a lot of things. I am doing all HR, payroll and getting paperwork ready for accountants. There is a lot on my plate,” says Joyce.

“I don’t have that kind of time to be searching for answers on employment standards web pages. At times, I would wish there was a genie who could just provide me with the answers I need. Peninsula is that genie,” she says.

Once they signed up, Peninsula reviewed their existing HR policies, employment contracts and other HR documentation, and made revisions and updates.

One feature of Peninsula’s service that Joyce enjoys the most is the 24/7 employer advice line.

“I love the 24/7 advice line,” she says. “I do work late, and I work from home. So, I mostly call the advisors after hours. They get back to me right away. In case the query requires some research, I have the answers in my inbox when I wake up the next morning. I like that,” says Joyce.