Problem solved: How do I encourage staff morale when everyone is burned out?

Serious listeningI would arrange several team meetings, with no possibility of interruptions and appoint a facilitator. Invite anyone who is concerned about depression or other mental health problems to meet with you privately and help them find treatment. Then ask each person in the group about their psychosocial state and what factors are affecting them. This should be an open sharing centred around their needs, not an interaction that involves anger and blaming. At this or another meeting, ask them to share what they like about their work. Invite everyone to identify strengths of the team. Then invite members of each part of the team (admin, nursing, allied health, physicians) to meet and discuss what they need to feel and cope better, what they enjoy about being part of the team and what they find most difficult. Ask them to write down each team member’s name on a piece of paper and share what they like about them. Ask them to discuss solutions. Reconvene the larger group so everyone can share their ideas to staying healthy as individuals and as a team. If this process is found to be useful, I would suggest repeating it every six to eight weeks.Reciprocal kindnessIt doesn’t take a lot to plant seeds of hope, encouragement and teamwork—it is these aspects that make work a safe, collegial and hospitable place to be. Do not neglect the power of a simple compliment or a message that can boost team morale. Sometimes, I’ll send my staff members a random message thanking them for their hard work, complimenting them on something that they do well, etc. At other times, bringing in a treat is all it takes to put a smile on peoples’ faces; this can be anything from food to even colourful pens to use at their desks. We are all human and need to be appreciated, reminded that we are part of a team and thanked for our dedication. I think about it this way: How does it feel when my staff, patients or family tell me that they appreciate me or value me? It feels great—and often is enough to ease away the frustrations of a long and challenging day.Contagious happinessI find the best antidote to burnout is contagious happiness. When I’m genuinely lighthearted, patients laugh, staff laugh and suddenly the clinic feels human again. We post “patient behaviour contracts” (nicely worded!) to protect staff, and we practice non-violent communication—conflict resolution, not reactivity. I teach “attention bandwidth management” so we don’t let the loudest complaint hijack the day. We celebrate gratitude—daily, not just on Thanksgiving—and we innovate to shrink admin clutter. Add team T-shirts, a holiday party and a few spontaneous dance breaks, and morale takes care of itself.Get rid of abusive patientsPay them better than their peers. Give them more paid vacation time than their peers. Take them out to a nice restaurant. Praise them when they do well. Buy them a nice Christmas and birthday present. Fire abusive patients. This is a big cause of staff burnout. Make sure that the patient isn’t nasty because of depression, which can make people difficult and irritable. I fired 42 abusive patients over 30 years. My secretary got to fire one on her birthday every year. I loved my job as a family physician and my secretary loved hers. Go to your college website to see how to fire patients ethically.

Problem solved: How do I encourage staff morale when everyone is burned out?

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