As a health care staffing agency, Arbor Associates strives to assist organizations with their staffing needs in the caring professions. Forbes provides numerous tips to help with managing when your team is short-staffed. We picked the ones most relevant to caring professions striving to maintain their workflow, to share with you.
Be Transparent
Be honest with your team about the roles you’re hiring for and where things are in the hiring process. While your team may currently be short-staffed, providing your team updates helps keep the team mentality positive and reassures your employees that you’re working toward a solution to the problems you’re all facing.
Be Strategic With Days Off
Team members will still need to take time off, and there will also be necessary medical leaves that crop up occasionally. Work with your team to have discretionary time planned off well in advance, so you have ample time to put together coverage for staff who need time off.
Cross-Train Staff
Cross-training your team allows staff to more easily cover for each other if someone is sick or needs time off. Ensure there are clear instructions for various roles within your organization, so staff can fill in for each when possible. Be careful about asking someone to take on too much work for too long though, as this is a surefire path to burnout.
Maintain a Positive Work Environment
If you’re able to, bring in snacks, plan a work potluck, or cater a simple lunch for your team. And don’t underestimate the power of a simple thank-you note. If you notice team members going above and beyond to fill gaps, write them a personalized note thanking them for their hard work and consider rewarding them with a gift card.
Outsource Contracted Staff
And, if you are looking to save yourself the time and expense of recruiting and interviewing new hires, consider outsourcing to a leader in healthcare and caring professions, such as Arbor Associates. With over forty years of serving southern New England, we understand how to find quality staff to meet your organization’s staffing needs.
Submit a talent request form to share the type of employee you’re looking for. We can assist in finding temporary, per-diem, temp-to-hire, and permanent roles in a wide variety of medical, education, and other areas!
