Empty Promises - Studio Shift Lead Tend Employee Review

2.0
Dec 8, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Dynamic culture, looking to change the stigma on dental industry, aesthetic and trendy

Cons

The PTO accrual is abysmal for hourly staff. 1.6 hours every 40 hours is nothing. The benefits - especially medical are awful. There is a huge deductible and most offices are out of network with BCBS of Tennessee. This is especially upsetting because Tend advertises having "impressive goodie bags". It also feels like there is very little empathy coming from corporate. There is a point system in place that feels very demeaning. We are all human, there are days when we have emergencies. We should be able to take a day off in the event of a true emergency, with studio manager approval without having to use our PTO or getting a point marked against us. Also, there needs to be at least a 3-5 minute grace period when clocking in -- as there are a multitude of factors outside of our control that can lead to being late, especially when you live in a metropolitan area. Additionally, the raises have also been severely lacking, a 3% raise barley makes a dent in your paycheck, especially with the rising inflation and cost of living. Additionally, Tend does not offer any mental health services and it is unacceptable that sick leave does not include mental health days. All of these issues need to be addressed, as there has been an increasingly high turnover rate, especially in the last few months. It is also worthy to note, there is no holiday party and no holiday bonus. In all the years I have worked in dental, I have never not received a holiday bonus. It is also not conducive to a positive work-life balance to have us open on Christmas eve and New years eve. It goes without saying, this is time that should be spent with one's family. Furthermore, in order to help with the work-life balance that Tend claims it offers, Saturday hours should be from 8-12 PM. This is pretty standard in dental offices in DC, as Saturdays are most usually reserved for emergency appointments. I would also like to see more opportunity for the admin staff in the studios to be promoted to the operations teams. Other side notes: Sometimes it seems like Tend just does things for its image, but does not fully execute. For example, we give out recyclable water cans, but there is no recycling bin.

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Tend Response
3y
Thank you for sharing your perspective. We are glad to know that you enjoy the culture at your studio and that you are aligned with our mission to positively change the way people think about the dentist. Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We value employee feedback and appreciate the time you took to share. Our PTO policy includes both sick time and personal time to allow employees to take time away from the office how they need it. This includes use of mental health days. Additionally, throughout the interview process we are upfront with candidates regarding our schedule requirements. We offer appointments when other dental practices may be closed in order to best serve our members. We are always looking for ways to celebrate our team. This includes big and small wins throughout the year and various holidays and awareness dates. We hear your concerns and will continue to listen and improve. We'd welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation. Please reach out to the team at people@hellotend.com or access our anonymous internal portal to tell us more. Thank you.

Explore other reviews about Tend

5.0
Jun 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Plenty of growth opportunities, pay, flexibility

Cons

I’d love to see us use even more technology

1.0
Apr 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are none. It's all fake.

Cons

If you're a dentist make sure to hit quota. It's not about health It's about margins. If you're a hygienist be prepared for burn out and also hitting numbers or you get placed on a PIP. If you're a manager be prepared to not have leadership elevate you yet make you know you are a bad performer if you can't make your office hit numbers. Nobody cares. Tend is so toxic. So toxic. It runs on toxic people. But on a good note we all pay the piper and someway or another even in your career consequences meet you at a crossroad. They had so many chances to fix the ill will. But look who's still standing in certain positions 🤔 Who's the common denominator... To everyone at Tend, it's true some people are not cut out for some jobs. Thats okay, but you should never let anyone disrespect, belittle or take away your grit. That's what Tend does do their employees. Without transparency, conversations with HR, documents, documents, to avoid getting sued, almost giving cult vibes lol, at the expense of human understanding, growth and development which they swear they have. Personally I wouldn't sit in a chair as a patient knowing my hygienist os under pressure. I would second guess all the treatment. Humans are being put in ortho with doctors that have no experience. Its like open the gates for the cows. Come one come all. But as mentioned, the intent can be hidden behind the pretty walls but the industry is small and like I said everyone pays the piper. Tend is toxic to employees and public.

2
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Tend Response
1mo
Thank you for taking the time to share this. I want you to know it was read carefully and not dismissed. The feelings you've described — of not being supported, of pressure without recognition, of wanting more transparency — are things I take seriously. That is not the experience we want anyone to have at Tend, and when it happens, it matters. I won't try to address every point here, but I do want to say directly: our people deserve to feel respected, developed, and heard. Where that hasn't happened, we have work to do. I'd genuinely welcome the chance to hear more from you. Please reach out to me directly at people@hellotend.com if you're open to it. Miriam Scholes, Chief People Officer
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