Carrying the Team on Our Backs?

What happens when there is a vacancy in your athletic training department? Does the workload or the unassigned athletic team automatically get pushed to another AT with an already established full workload?

Many athletic trainers usually pick up the extra hours or cover the unassigned team to keep the department running. In most instances the work is spread around and covered by the other athletic trainers in the department. However, with the increase in work responsibilities there is no compensation for the extra effort, yet there is frozen salary that is not being touched due to the vacant position.

Why can't this unclaimed salary be split between the established staff until the vacancy is filled?

Due to the increased work load, project case management can slow down which can cause an effect of disappointment for your patients due to lack of attention. Maximizing productivity is essential in any organization and a long-term job vacancy results in the exact opposite effect.

To avoid project slow down and to keep up with their usual workload plus the workload of a vacant position, your employees will definitely be feeling this extra burden which can increase the risk of burnout.

Important projects will slow to a crawl when you leave your team short handed. A risk of being overwhelmed with balancing a vacancies workload, it can lead to low morale across the board and no one wants to stay in a negative environment where everything seems to be slowing down and sinking.

If a job position is left vacant for too long, even your happiest employees may start to second-guess themselves. They may start to wonder why they work somewhere no one else wants to and that’s not good for retention. With morale and productivity low, more employees will see the negative aspects of their jobs rather than focusing on the positives. If they’re unhappy for too long, they’ll look for employment elsewhere.

Why is it so difficult to empower employees with a stipend or bonus when unforeseen extra work is assigned to them to keep a department functioning?

What a Long-term Vacant Job Does to Your Company - Camden Kelly

Shelby 7/2024