Few things annoy me more than the phrase, “That’s not my job.” Although I like for my team to have well-defined job descriptions, more than that, I like for them to see the big picture: that we’re all on the same team. We all have the same ultimate goal: to help pets. We all need to be willing to step up and help out whenever and wherever we’re needed in order to help the pets that are in our hospital.
Occasionally at hospitals a “war” between the “front” and the “back” will erupt where one group feels that the other isn’t carrying their weight. The first thing I do to try to avoid these “wars” is to ban all such language. There is no “front team” or “back team,” we’re all on the same team. The “back” is called the treatment room. Our “front” desk person is our Client Service Coordinator. I also try to have all team members as least partially cross-trained so that they understand the value and hard work that go into every position on the team. I doubt that it’s much more fun to make appointment reminder calls than it is to clean the fecal sink.
As a team, we all need to be mindful of the client flow so if there’s a back-up in one place we can step in to make things flow more smoothly. Oftentimes, the PetNurses will go from treatment to reception to help check someone in or out. We all, even the doctors, grab for the phone after three rings. Sometimes, I need my client service coordinator to come into the treatment area to hold a pet for me.
If we all realize that we’re on the same team, we’re all here to help pets, we’re all here to get through the day, then we’ll all have much higher job satisfaction. If we feel that the “other” team isn’t pulling their weight or that “they” don’t work as hard as “we” do, then we’re all going to be agitated by the end of the day.
When I hear someone say “that’s not my job,” I realize it’s time for me to remind everyone that their job description includes being part of a hospital team and that means doing whatever is necessary to help the pets that we see. I keep a list of topics that need to be readdressed periodically, and this is one of them. Periodically, I’ll schedule a team meeting where we can reset expectations and rebuild any lost sense of teamwork. I wish I could have this meeting once and never again, but with the addition of new team members, new duties, new products, etc., it’s a good idea to revisit this topic (and other basics) every three to four months.
Is there discord or perceived job inequality between your front and back office team members? How do you approach these type of conflicts? Feel free to share your stories and any suggestions you have for fostering team harmony.