Many people have reached their limits trying to cope with pandemic-related environment after more than 12 months. At the same time, we are expected to continue to handle the more typical problems that can arise within a workplace. Some examples of workplace stress issues, based on my experience as a consultant: harried on-boarding, lack of written protocols, inadequate supervision, feedback, and discipline, and tension among colleagues, physicians, and patients.

Too often, people react to their work-related problems by making some common mistakes, such as becoming defensive, taking things too personally, or acting on impulse without thinking things through. Similarly, people often commiserate with others as they toil and suffer, as if being victimized, because “misery loves company!” And too often staff make the mistake of turning to the wrong people, leading to inadequate guidance and support.

As such, here is a suggested set of guidelines for coping with and finding solutions to the types of problems described above, and more. This should not, however, be viewed as a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach; so, use your best judgment and consider these options carefully.

Take personal responsibility for finding solutions.

This is a suggestion that you take ownership of the problem and work to solve it, even when you haven’t created it nor been at fault. In doing so, you’ll draw strength, energy, and ideas from your well of personal power to do what’s required, rather than looking outside yourself to assign blame and/or find one or more people to rescue you. However, taking personal responsibility doesn’t mean always acting on your own or not asking for help, as you’ll see shortly.

Maintain your professionalism.

You’ll be better able to maintain high professional standards by being stoic while, at the same time, clinging to an unwavering faith that you’ll prevail in the end, especially when solutions seem far off and the processes underway take longer than expected. To be stoic is to keep your cool under pressure and remain levelheaded in your thinking, rather than becoming emotionally overwhelmed and letting your imagination run wild, potentially to your detriment. Instead, keeping your poise to maintain your rational thought and objectivity will enable you to follow an appropriate course of action, even when others have acted inappropriately. As they say, “let cooler heads prevail!”

View your problems through a different “lens.”

Sometimes, for relatively minor problems and nuisance issues, it’s helpful simply to shift your focus elsewhere as a practical distraction, rather than letting them take up too much of your precious time and limited mental energy. Even when confronting larger issues, a helpful strategy is to reframe challenges as opportunities. For example, when someone is getting on your nerves, especially your boss, you might view the situation through a different framework — one in which your struggles and frustrations might actually help you develop greater patience and resilience (i.e., fortitude and stick-to-itiveness). This is the skill of looking at your situation from a “glass half-full” rather than “glass half-empty” perspective so that appreciation replaces frustration and/or depression. For low-level, manageable problems, it helps to see them as blessings in disguise when possible.

Weigh in with others, discreetly, to seek their input.

For larger problems, or for nuisance issues that have grown to become even more troubling, it’s helpful to seek counsel to avoid enabling the problem or going down the wrong path when trying to solve it. Most often, this involves mustering the courage to bring your challenge(s) to human resources or other designated authority within the practice. Alert your supervisor that you intend to do so unless, of course, your complaint or other issue rests with your supervisor. Your HR representative should be capable of guiding you through any required investigation and support your efforts to make resolution, if possible, while maintaining confidentiality as much as possible.

Develop and carry out a sound plan of action.

Most often, this can be done in collaboration with your practice’s HR representative. For example, a mediation between yourself and another co-worker in a bullying scenario. As a victim, you might be encouraged to take one or more of the following courses of action.

1. Say “No” and otherwise set appropriate professional limits and boundaries with everyone, including partner physicians, the practice’s administrative leadership, outside vendors and consultants, and even delivery persons.
2. Challenge/confront the wrongdoer(s) with at least one witness present and the necessary supports in place before doing so (e.g., your supervisor and/or HR rep).

In some instances, such as sexual harassment, hostile work environment, or racism, however, you and your HR representative will need to seek legal assistance to consider your rights under state and/or federal labor laws (for example, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, [EEOC]), while protecting the practice from legal exposure.

Be overprepared

When facing the wide variety of possible problems working within an ophthalmology practice, I suggest it’s better to be overprepared and under-challenged than to be underprepared and over-challenged. OP