The festive season is upon us once again, and with it comes snow days, and sick days and a service that falters due to depleting staff levels and increasing numbers of patients that do not attend their appointments. We run departments on as few a staff as possible and regret it terribly when the workload is greater than expected. We assume it will be quiet as generally fewer patients attend between Christmas and New Year but invariably the opposite happens to what we plan.
As a manager I find it so hard to tell staff they cannot have the time off work, because....well, it is the season of good will isn’t it?
Seemingly my approach to workforce planning at Christmas changes every year and I have still not really found the balance between lots of staff with nothing to do, and too few staff to cope with the workload. However you choose to structure your service over these few weeks, what this time of year represents to a department is the opportunity for change. I like that New Year represents the end of all the difficulties of the year, an opportunity to reflect.
At the end of each year I try to do 2 things as a manager.
Firstly I like to provide all my staff with an end of year report. It sounds a little bit like getting back to the classroom, but in reality how often do your staff receive feedback on their practice? I write a report that gives them positive feedback on the good things they have done throughout the year. I use specific examples of the work they have done, or particular situations they have managed well. I also take the opportunity to give suggestions of changes they could make in order to improve their practice. It isn’t critical; it isn’t an opportunity to bring up things that I have not had the courage to say to their faces. But, to get the best from your staff they need to know that they are positive and important members of your workforce, and that you take care to observe their work, want to help them to further develop as individuals and that you witness their efforts and you thank them for them.
The other expectation I have at the end of year is for staff to reflect on their practice. I ask each of them to reflect on their year and write a report on one element of their year where they feel they excelled and another where they feel they did not. Reflective practice is a hugely important part of the development of your staff. Getting your staff to understand the implications of their work and behaviours on the department and the other members of the team lets them know that they are part of a bigger picture and that they should try to use reflection to better themselves each year.
When I read these reports I am often surprised at the content. I learn a huge amount about how my team think. Incidents that may have plagued their thoughts for the year which are relatively inconsequential or hidden conflicts between different staff members come to light. It means that in the New Year I know where my attention needs to be delivered. I know who is more vulnerable than perhaps I realised, those who are finding work difficult, and who is unable to reflect! It becomes very clear that some people are very contemptuous of this slightly more holistic management process and it allows me to question why that is.
It hasn’t been an easy year. There have been so many changes and the future of the NHS feels a little uncertain. But, when 2011 comes round I know that I will staff that feel confident in my management of them, I will feel confident in their continued good work.
