Americans are some of the most stressed-out people in the world - in a recent study, 55% of Americans stated that they deal with stress every day, and that stress can both stem from and affect your career.
A huge number of people spend hours worrying while at work, and that makes them less productive while at the office. It also makes them less engaged. All of this stress can even cause people to show up less or even quit their jobs entirely.
A few common sources of stress for Americans are:
● Their job
● Finances
● Health
● Family
● Health of family
Now more than ever, stress is at an all-time high. Americans have everything within that list to worry about, all thanks to the pandemic.
This stress is heavily focused on healthcare professionals and essential workers, which is a category under which pharmacists fall. They haven’t had the luxury of quarantining, and still remain on the front lines of the pandemic to help customers with virus prevention, patient care, COVID screenings, and more - from March 2020, through the peaks and valleys, all the way to this day.
Even without the pandemic, pharmacists don’t have it easy. They deal with constant distractions and a high rate of burnout. In order to manage this stress and maintain work performance, they need to have a few key tools under their belt - their own figurative emergency kit.
Maintaining Efficiency
Streamlining repetitive tasks and reducing distractions can help reduce the effects of stress and the chance of burnout. Here are a few tools to keep your pharmacy running smoothly:
● Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
○ This automated system reduces the time you and your staff must spend on the phone, and can help patients through cut-and-dry tasks like prescription refills and transfers.
● Secure 2-Way Messaging
○ This tool can contact patients quickly and easily in order to send reminders.
● Automated Digital Marketing
○ A website and a mobile app help keep your pharmacy relevant. By outsourcing the upkeep of these two things, you create more time for in-store needs.
Managing Time
Right now, your staff needs support. With these tips, you can help them find ways to manage their time:
● Track how long your everyday tasks take.
○ This will give you an idea of how much you can accomplish with your workload day in and day out.
● Plan out each day by prioritizing importance.
○ Delegate the less-important tasks out to others that can handle them.
Controlling Stress
Being weighed down by stress can cause your staff to perform less than their best. Here are a few tips on how to manage stress during the pandemic:
● Minimize the amount of time you consume media related to the pandemic.
● Eat healthy and balanced meals
● Avoid drugs and alcohol
● Get plenty of sleep
● Exercise regularly
● Make time to relax and practice self care, whatever self care looks like for you
● Talk to people you trust when feeling overwhelmed
By utilizing these tips and keeping in mind that you and your staff are all human, you’ll make it to the end of this pandemic in one piece, while continuing to maintain your community’s health and wellbeing.
