Sprinting a Marathon

Last week I talked about rapid staff changes making everything a challenge for us. Being short staffed means management is being pulled into walks which means that our work is taking a back seat. It means that Jordyn, who does all the hiring is working double (triple) duty as a dog walker, staff manager, and recruiter. It’s hard and it’s tiring and it can feel never ending. Every time we think we worked it out something else goes wrong and we’re back at square one. When this kind of thing is happening it is very easy to lose yourself in the day to day and forget the big picture.

Jordyn only has so many hours in her day and we NEED to hire people. First I want to make sure she’s prioritizing that. Yes walks have to get done but if she needs a day to reply to applicants and set up interviews, I’m going to make sure she has that time even if it means I’m out walking dogs. She has gotten extremely good at prioritizing this even when she is doing walks. This is so important. Yes we have a lot to do but the only way out of this hole we’re in is more people.

Second, I want to make sure everyone is being taken care of. Being short staffed means that everyone is doing more work and has less time. We’re all stressed and stretched thin. I do my best to make sure that even though we’re all working a lot we also all get breaks. I also communicate with the people taking the brunt of the extra burden. For example if we lose a full time dog walker in one neighborhood then everyone else in that neighborhood is picking up the slack. It’s hard and stressful and can feel kind of scary if you don’t know what happened and your schedule jumped from comfortable to packed in a weekend. I do my best to ensure that this is temporary and we’re doing everything we can to get things back to normal and that I appreciate them stepping up and doing the work so we can take the time to find the right people who are going to stick with us.

Finally, make sure you take a break too. This is not the time to schedule self care. It’s inevitably going to have to get moved and then you’re going to be frustrated. It is the time to take what you can get. This week, I prioritized the gym because I knew it would make me feel better but instead of classes which take time and are on someone else’s schedule, I did the rec center close to me and got a couple of good workouts in on my own. Half the time but same endorphins. I also asked a friend over on a slower evening and made a fairly healthy meal for us that had plenty of leftovers. Now I have food for the rest of the week. Last night, I got home around 6 and did NOTHING until I went to bed. The to do list is always never ending. Make sure you stop at your water station so you can keep going. And make sure you provide a water station for your team. Remember that the break will come, you just need to get yourself there.