How to communicate, delegate, and adjust while you find a new hire

When an employee leaves, it can feel impossible to find a timely replacement. This often leads to increased stress and an overwhelmed team.

There are ways to counteract this response, such as those recently applied in my office when an employee had a life event resulting in her resignation. I knew my remaining staff would be looking to me for guidance, so I approached the transition with two main goals in mind: to mitigate the stress placed on the team and to ensure patient care was not compromised. Here are the ways I achieved those objectives.

OPEN COMMUNICATION

After the outgoing staff member’s last day, I began having weekly meetings with my other employees where we reviewed a handful of business items and allowed the staff to express any concerns, questions, or frustrations. I made it clear that our key to success was dependent upon their well-being, so their honesty with me concerning their workload and stress levels was vital.

I also used this time to give staff insight into the recruitment process. Specifically, I explained that I wanted to ensure our new teammate would be specific to the practice’s needs. Allowing staff to understand my methods and how a deliberate approach benefits the entire office helped them to exhibit more patience with the hiring process.

DELEGATION

Leading up to my team member’s departure, I worked with her to guarantee her tasks would be accounted for and began to formulate a reassignment list. Delegating this list amongst all other staff ensured no one felt taken advantage of and that these additional items could still be accomplished with their normal duties. When dividing up the tasks, I looked at each member’s skill set, cross-training, and current workflow to evaluate which duties will be most easily integrated into the day.

Importantly, I also allocated tasks to myself. It is impactful for staff to see that leadership can step up in times of strain and work with them to accomplish the goals of the practice. When they see management picking up the slack alongside them, it motivates employees and helps prevent undue stress. I certainly saw the impacts of this in my own office.

CLINIC ADJUSTMENTS

The final step I took was to adjust our clinic flow. I evaluated areas that would likely become backed up due to staff shortage, and I altered the schedule slightly to help alleviate problems before they arose.

For example, instead of always double-booking certain time slots, I educated my staff on which times might cause issues and how to work around those. We staggered patient arrival times, extended visits that demanded more staff or doctor time, and limited certain appointment types to specific time slots within the schedule. I was not afraid to change these instructions as needed. I also jumped in to work up patients and utilized cross-trained employees when possible. These changes kept the impact on patient care to a minimum.

NAVIGATING THROUGH CHANGE

Avoiding increased stress during staffing changes can be a daunting task. By taking the action steps outlined above, I was able to navigate this time with minimal impact on staff and patients. Hopefully, the next time you encounter this inevitable experience, you can try these steps with success, too! OM

DR. FULMER opened her practice, Legacy Vision Center, in Huntsville, Ala., in December 2020. She also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Alabama Optometric Association and the Optometric Advisor on the Board of Directors of HEALS, Inc, a local non-profit organization.