Pharmacy school prepared you for many tasks associated with owning and managing a pharmacy, but you can only learn some things on the job.
Managing employees is one of the biggest challenges for any small business owner, and conflict can affect your business’s bottom line. According to Employee Development Systems, a company that provides results-oriented training programs aimed at increasing productivity, effectiveness, and performance, 81 percent of human resource professionals had seen employees resign as a result of conflict, and 77 percent have noticed increased absenteeism, which resulted in increased business costs.
Managing, resolving, and preventing workplace conflict can be difficult for even the savviest business manager. Here are some common causes of workplace conflict and ideas for ways you can diffuse these issues at your pharmacy.
Conflict issue: Personal issues
Some people just don’t get along well with others. Personal conflict can start as an issue from outside the workplace, or begin as a conflict over workplace issues, such as who has to work the weekend shift.
How to resolve it: Encourage camaraderie
Work to establish social cohesion among your staff to minimize conflict over personal issues. Throw holiday parties, celebrate when you achieve a goal, or simply conduct regular staff meetings to cultivate a sense of friendship and familiarity among your staff. Spending time with each other and getting to know one another personally will help minimize personal conflict and encourage teamwork.
Conflict issue: Confusion or lack of clarity
Conflict can be the result of a simple misunderstanding or confusion. If your employees don’t know what is expected of them, they can’t perform their job well. If they’re neglecting key aspects of their position or using outdated operating procedures, they might create more work for others, leading to tension or disagreements among coworkers.
How to resolve it: Establish operating procedures
Don’t let a lack of clarity cause employees to argue or disagree. Misunderstandings create poor customer service for your patients. Establish well-defined operating procedures for all of your pharmacy’s processes. That way, if there’s confusion about your counseling, dispensing or marketing procedures, your staff can consult the protocol and resolve the confusion without conflict.
Conflict issue: Stress
Stress can cause issues to arise even in the most solid team. When people are stressed, they rush through tasks, get impatient with their coworkers and customers, and they risk making a mistake. Stress can be caused by not having enough staff during a busy hour, having an inefficient workflow, or simply work overload.
How to resolve it: Adopt stress-reducing tactics
Incorporate stress-relieving strategies into your pharmacy’s workflow procedures to reduce stress and eliminate stress-induced conflict. Encourage your staff to take breaks, get more exercise and select healthy meals.
Support stress-relieving practices in your pharmacy by scheduling breaks throughout the day for your employees, providing a break room for them to have a quiet moment if they feel particularly stressed, or by providing a selection of healthy snacks for your employees to munch on.
Conflict issue: Mismatched roles
Overlapping or ill-fitting job responsibilities can cause conflict between employees. If a job doesn’t get completed because employees don’t want to do it, or if two employees both want to take the lead on a project, it can cost you valuable resources and create tension between your employees.
How to resolve it: Highlight each individual employee’s strengths
When assigning employees duties and responsibilities, keep in mind their strengths and preferences so you can maximize their contribution. Clearly define employees’ roles and specifically outline their duties, responsibilities, and your expectations.
Make sure you adjust their job description to let them work in areas they excel at. For example, if you have a pharmacy technician who works especially well with patients and enjoys it, make sure that she is at the counter interacting with patients.
Conflict issue: Poor communication
Poor communication breeds conflict. If your employees aren’t on the same page about your latest promotion, or if everyone isn’t trained on how to use your new medication synchronization system, for example, it can cause friction between your employees.
How to resolve it: Create communication systems
Find a communication strategy that works for your pharmacy and stick to it. Maybe your staff works best with a weekly meeting. Or, consider starting an internal newsletter to keep your employees in the loop. Find a system that works for your pharmacy, and use it to keep everyone up-to-date and to avoid conflict from miscommunication.
Not every employee is easy to manage. Use these tips to better manage difficult employees in your pharmacy.
Follow our series!
Learn how to manage your pharmacy more efficiently, reduce conflict in the workplace and get the most out of each of your employees with our series on pharmacy management. Each installment discusses a different aspect of pharmacy management, its challenges, and tips that you can use in your own pharmacy to manage your business more effectively.
Pharmacy Management Series Part 1: Common Causes of Workplace Conflict
Pharmacy Management Series Part 2: How to Be a Mediator
Pharmacy Management Series Part 3: How to Transform Your Staff Into a Team
Pharmacy Management Series Part 4: How to Get the Most Out of Your Employees
Pharmacy Management Series Part 5: The Skills You Need to be a Great Pharmacy Manager
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