Without a doubt, the most critical issue we hear in pharmacy at present is staffing. Many teams are feeling significant pressure from not only being short staffed, but also the added effort required to handle Covid vaccinations etc. Whilst the Covid vaccination rates are starting to show signs of slowing down, there is still a high demand from the public at the moment. This is at a time when staffing resources are much more limited than previously, leading to an array of problems.
Firstly, being short on staff is forcing owners to do longer hours. I have had many conversations with owners who are doing excessive hours, 60+, 70+, even 100+ hours per week. And that is being sustained week after week, month after month. I certainly have been concerned about the ongoing impact of this on the physical and mental health on owners. Owners also then go into survival mode and are losing touch with some aspects of pharmacy business management. Simply, because they have no choice.
This is also happening at a time in which there are significant staffing shortages. So, it’s not as though owners can simply go out to hire more people. Not only are pharmacists in severe short supply, but also pharmacy assistants. It’s a significant problem.
Secondly, this is also putting pressure on the teams. They have been sustaining the pressure for a long time too. The pharmacy team being on the front line in a community facing role, there is also the issue of Covid exposure. There are not many other industries who have faced this threat. So, teams are stressed. They are also doing long hours and copping abuse from certain elements of society, simply for doing their job and trying to look after the community.
All of these issues build up and result in a couple of problems. Unless the owner does something to address this, the store culture starts to suffer. That is a terrible thing for a pharmacy to experience. It is one thing in my experience that you can feel. If the culture is wrong, you can feel it. If the culture is good, you can also feel it. Address it and address it quickly.
