Expert: Identify Trends and Improve Your "Buffer" to Address Pharmacy Staff Burnout

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR, discussed how pharmacists and pharmacy staff can identify and address burnout. In addition to improving working conditions for current employees, burnout must be addressed in order to recruit and retain new employees and alleviate understaffing.

Q: How can pharmacists and pharmacy staff avoid or anticipate burnout?

Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR: Well, first off, I love that we're talking about this topic because it is real. I think all of us probably go through various phases of burnout, whether that's on the lower end or sometimes on the higher end, and it can manifest in many different ways. So, I think the very first important step is acknowledging that it's real. And so, whatever you might be feeling, whatever the stress level is, you know, telling yourself that this is okay and acknowledging it is the first step. I do think there is some more research in the psychology space, in the HR space, in the organizational development space, that has definitely come out post-COVID-19 where we learn a little bit more about burnout. And you can think of burnout in relation also to resilience. So, whenever you look at some of the resilience literature, there's the notion called this buffer. And so, you want to do things that that help with your buffer. So, if you love going outside and taking walks for a quick break, if you can, or structuring your day in a way that if you know you're at your optimal best in the morning or in the afternoon, do those really heavy cognitive tasks.

Now, you might be asking, Elizabeth, how do we do that when our clinics are running and there's a fast pace and everybody needs us to be all things at one time? I would still strongly encourage you to figure out what are those things to have in your buffer. The buffer is going to look different for different folks. So, whatever brings you joy, wellness, also taking care of ourselves with sleep and water and good nutrition. Those are all really, really important things. And also, some strategies that I know you had some other questions as well related to the workplace to kind of handle those burnout issues too.

Q: What does burnout look like and how can pharmacy staff identify and approach it?

Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR: So I think it's going to be unique to the various markets, clinics, organizations. And I think looking at some hints related to the fact of how is the staff feeling in terms of do you see a trend in turnover? Do you see a trend in errors within the pharmacy? Are there things being missed that normally, if you look back, you know, 6 to 12 months, you don't have that trend, but are things being missed that are completely avoidable? And I think, too, that the staffing challenges are very, very real. And so, if folks are working a lot of overtime, I know that's something that we look at [with] looking at different staffing strategies and models, because the current pace at which you may be working is not sustainable for the long term. So, I think sometimes it takes looking internally to see how you're structured, what is the flow? What are the processes if there are issues with technology? Believe it or not, technology can also contribute to burnout. So, it's great and super helpful on so many other levels, but if you have new technology or updates, or the change management of that isn't handled in the right way and it's causing more clicks, or more things that we have to look at and check along the way, you know, those little things can add up over time. So, I always really encourage folks to look at what is the root cause contributing to the particular situation? If you always look at systems and put a band-aid on it, likely you're going to get the same result. So, really taking that time to identify the root cause. There are some very simple tools out there. Asking why 5 times will usually get to there, and that'll take about 60 seconds to do that. And then putting a plan in place and trying to address those things. Now, you're not going to be able to boil the ocean but taking small bite-size approaches at reducing some of that cognitive load and some of the chaos that sometimes ensues a lot of those things over time can help reduce burnout as well.

Q: Maintaining a productive work environment can be a challenge, particularly with high workloads and understaffing. Can you define what a productive work environment looks like?

Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR: I love this question. So, you'll hear a theme that it's going to depend on the leader in the clinic and the environment. But bottom line for productivity, I think it all goes back to your culture. So, looking at the culture of the entire operation, the entire clinic, the entire leadership team, the entire pharmacy team, really looking at that culture. Well, what do you mean by culture? Whenever I say culture, that's how work gets done. It's how behaviors tend to show up in the workplace, even the language that we use.

So, for example, I was talking with a staff member a few weeks ago, and she was saying, you know, “This process is broken, and this person came in late again, and I have to do this evaluation and this policy, this handoff didn't happen the right way.” And I said, “Well, let me stop you right there, you are in a position of leadership. And let's reframe what you're observing to think about what you can control and how to turn what seems like out of your control into a very productive conversation.” So just by reframing that I am the leader, I am in control of the flow of the conversations, I get to have this coaching conversation to help somebody be their best and reduce those errors along the way. So, I think a lot of it can go to your culture, the language that you use, really train to focus on those positive attributes as opposed to those negative attributes. Because when we talk negative, we think negative, we act negative, that's going to reduce that buffer that we talked a little bit to about burnout.

I think productivity also can go to some very simple things that you might want to evaluate if you find yourself in this situation. Does everyone know the mission and vision of the organization, period? Can everybody recite that? Does everybody have really clear goals that they're focused on? So, sometimes when we think about burnout for employees, they may not know which way is up. So, how do we provide clarity and direction? Hey, this week, we're focused on X, Y, and Z things. So, a lot of leaders like to have 10- to 15-minute huddles in the morning, working through things just to make sure everybody's on the right track. Sometimes leaders also like to do stretching exercises in the morning for the huddles, get the get the blood going. And that also helps spike some of the dopamine releases in your brain, which is also a buffer for burnout. So, there are some very simple things that I think can help contribute to that productive environment.

Q: How can pharmacists and staff encourage and maintain a productive environment, even if they are not at the managerial level?

Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR: So, I love this question, too, because I think a lot of recent research, I would say in the mentoring space, in that peer mentoring space, there's more and more that's coming out where peers are encouraged to provide that feedback and have that dialogue between each other. And so, what does that look like? That looks like leveraging and knowing each other's strengths and also weaknesses. So, it's less about, you know, I'm doing this over here, you're doing this over here, hey, why don't we turn inward, look to each other, and really figure out, how can we make this work together? And so, I think it is having that open and candid environment, going back to that culture to where everyone, as cliche as it may sound, everyone has an opportunity to perform and contribute on the team. And so, if you're not feeling like your strengths are being leveraged, then I strongly encourage folks to go and talk to their leaders, look for different ways to see if there's a way. Hey, here's a best practice that I learned from another site or webinar, or what's coming down the pipeline in any kind of regulations. For example, let's try this here at our site, at our clinic. And so, I think it is a lot more I would say, co-responsibility and kind of co-architecting with the team and the leader. I think if folks see something, say something, step up [and] step in, lean in and try to be a part of that solution. But also, you know, if there are things that are not contributing to the value of production or quality, maybe you need to reduce some things, really look at waste in your process. So, we have a saying in our organization: do less, then obsess. So, if there are things that you can reduce and they are not adding any value, maybe you need to look at your internal process and see what do we need to do as a team to be more productive? But also, how can we lighten our load a little bit, too?

Q: Attracting staff can be difficult. How can hiring managers overcome this?

Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR: So, this is definitely a loaded question. Because it is it's definitely an issue that continues to rear its head in the workplace. And so, I think some things that we've learned over the past couple of years with the pandemic is that No. 1 folks’ priorities have changed. So, whether that's shifting career, shifting hours, shifting workload, I think we just have to acknowledge that the boundaries of work and home are now together. So, as we think about what we offer in the workplace, how do we think out of the box and creatively to attract talent? And that could be for a variety of different things. It could be looking at your benefits plans to make sure [there are] inclusive, different offerings. We have a wellness program that we offer, for example, different perks.

The second is, I think every single hiring manager, regardless of if you're hiring a pharmacist, pharmacy tech, a nurse, a physician, you name it, any hiring manager should always have a couple of things in their toolkit. So, one, they should have an elevator speech, why come work for our organization? What sets you apart? Two, I think having standard questions that speak to the culture that you're trying to cultivate. So, going back to that culture piece, if you're trying to focus on the positive attributes, the questions that you ask in your interview should be asking about the kind of culture that you're trying to cultivate. So, getting the right folks in the right room at the right time is so critical. And the last couple of pieces, I would say, are getting creative with either residency programs, school partnerships, things of that nature, because I think we do have to shift from planning for the short term, and really shifting to the long-term. So, this is where either organizational development specialists, HR folks like myself can help partner from a workforce planning standpoint of where do we see ourselves in the next 10 years? And what do we need to do in order to get there? So, I think we have to shift our mind and plan and then work backwards to address some of those more urgent burning platforms today.

Q: Is there anything you want to add?

Elizabeth Spurlock, MA, PHR: I would just say definitely sharing a word of encouragement, that if you're feeling burnt out, you're not alone. Reaching out to various resources, getting the help that you need, I strongly encourage folks just to take time to reflect and understand, you know, what are some of those things that I can do to help increase my buffer? Because we're never going to reduce all the stress or all the chaos out there, out in the world, but what we can do is fill our tanks a little bit more. So, I would just encourage folks to take the time and do the things that they need to do.