A good work-life balance is important for our physical and mental health, and can help to guard against burnout, too. So how can we help to keep our team members in good shape?
1. Plan In Advance
Regular rotas, or rotas that are available some time in advance, will allow your team members to plan their lives outside of work, whether that’s caring responsibilities, sports, hobbies, or vacations.
2. Stick To Shifts
Work toward a team ethos that encourages hard work in the clinic, but discourages staying late unless absolutely necessary. Your staff should be confident that when their shift ends, they can leave.
Your staff should be confident that when their shift ends, they can leave.
3. Encourage Flexible Working
Part-time working, job shares, and flexible hours can all help staff to balance work with the rest of their lives.
4. Hire Relief Workers
If your clinic is too busy for your staff to keep up with, don’t expect them to use their breaks or overtime to sort this. Hire more staff – and get relief veterinarians or techs to fill the gaps until the new team members start.
5. Make Time For Charting
It’s easy to book up veterinarians’ time with clinic work, procedures, or surgery, and forget that there is a certain amount of paperwork and record-keeping that needs to be done. Charting is a common reason for vets staying beyond the end of their shifts, so be sure to make time for it during the day instead.
6. Discourage Presenteeism
If your staff are sick, you want them resting at home, so that they can get better more quickly and don’t pass any illnesses on to other members of staff. Paid time off for illness will help to encourage this.
7. Get Feedback From Your Team
You can’t work every role in your clinic, so you often don’t have first-hand experience of all the problem areas. Make time to listen to your team members, and act on their feedback, to make sure you are caring for all parts of your clinic.