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18 Covetrus | ph: 855.724.3461 | fx: 888.329.3861 | northamerica.covetrus.com Appreciating the uniqueness of your practice will allow you to create a tailored plan that will work for your specific team. Similarly, seeking to understand the team dynamics and relationship systems that currently exist is a crucial step. You also need a solid knowledge of the individuals on your team, what drives them, what challenges they face, and the relationships they have with others on the team. The first thing to consider when looking to support staff morale is understanding what type of culture or environment you want there to be. In defining this, it's important to include your team in the process. The culture or social environment of a practice is shaped by all the individuals in it. Therefore, it needs to be created and supported by the team. Changes to team culture can be difficult to navigate, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth it! Exercise #2: Get your team together and create a" team code." A team code is a group contract that describes how the team members are going to interact with each other. It's crucial that everyone on the team participate in its creation, as this supports buy-in and engagement, also increasing the likelihood that the team's behavior will reflect the team code going forward. This activity is best done in a relaxed setting with no one person in charge of the process after the initial task is described. The team members are asked to identify the behaviors and values they want their team to embody. Ideally, at the end of the process, there is a physical document that can be created and placed in a visible area of the clinic to remind everyone of how they agreed to interact with each other. Every team does this differently, so present the idea to your team and let it flow from there. One of the most valuable components of this exercise is the way the team members define the words they put on the page. For instance, the word "respect" might come up; what is important is that the team members have a shared definition and understanding of what respect would look like in their workplace. Once you understand how your team members want to engage with each other and how all of them are doing, you can determine how to best support them. This might be by identifying an individual who wants to act as a well-being advocate, then providing resources (e.g., time, money) so that person can bring the team's ideas to fruition. Here is a list of activities that have been successful at other veterinary clinics that you can consider: gratitude boards, team-building activities (e.g., paint nights, axe throwing, sign making), potluck meals at the clinic, and theme/dress- up days. What Is burnout? Before we jump into talking about how to prevent or manage burnout, let's ensure we have a good idea of what burnout is. Burnout has been classified as an "occupational phenomenon" by the World Health Organization. 1 It has three primary manifestations in a workplace setting: a feeling of diminished efficacy, feelings of fatigue or exhaustion, and negative feelings/cynicism or increased distance from one's work. In the healthcare fields, these dimensions are described as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. Burnout results when the demands on us exceed the resources we have to meet those demands. These definitions make the link between morale and burnout easy to see. When team members are feeling depleted and as if they aren't making a positive contribution, it is unlikely that their morale is high. Therefore, the more we try to support team morale and put measures in place to reduce or prevent burnout, the more likely we are to have a positive clinic culture and a high-performing team. Exercise #3: Consider the following to help you design your workplace to prevent burnout: When crafting job descriptions and determining staffing levels, consider what level of performance you are expecting staff to achieve and whether they have the time, energy, and resources to meet those expectations. Also be aware that when clinics are short staffed— whether for long or short periods of time—the increased strain on team members can place them at risk of burnout. Ask your staff what aspects of their jobs they enjoy most, what aspects they find most challenging, and what they need to excel at their jobs. Take this information and use it to help you when you're making decisions. If there are things they tell you they need that you aren't able to provide, share the reason (e.g., financial, conflicting demands). Giving them this information helps diminish negative feelings and supports their ability to be productive team members. You can also consider helping them prioritize key aspects of their jobs or helping them shift their expectations to be more appropriate given the resources at their disposal.