5 Ways Healthcare Organizations Can Balance the New Normal

Throughout the pandemic, healthcare professionals from community health workers to pharmaceutical company scientists have been there to deliver the care and innovation that’s needed to keep us all healthy.

But with these giant responsibilities came a lot of added stress. How can members of healthcare organizations continue to keep strong in the face of a crisis that won’t seem to end?

No one has all the answers, including us here at Afaxys. But we’re working to do our part to help our own teams and our partners stay resilient so we can all focus on our customers and caring for patients.

In July, Staci Gouveia, Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Afaxys, participated in a virtual webinar with other industry leaders to detail the practices and values that have been helpful – and will continue to work – to bolster our teams for the long run.

Titled Balancing the Old Normal With the New Normal, the webinar brought together executives from several global healthcare companies, including Amicus Therapeutics, Acorda Therapeutics, Lupin, and WE Communications as part of the Momentum Life Sciences Public Relations & Communications Summit.

Here are a few best practices from the webinar that healthcare organizations can carry forward:

Help people feel heard. Every person in your organization has different ways they’re dealing with the pandemic. Discover their unique story. “As managers and leaders, ask questions of your stakeholders, genuinely listen to their responses and concerns, then react based on each individual’s needs,” said Gouveia. “It helps people feel heard and builds stronger relationships.”

Make trust a cornerstone. With information coming at us from all angles and uncertainty still high, it can be difficult to know what to believe or how to act in every situation. It’s up to leaders to come forward as sources of trusted information. Plus, managers need to continue trusting their colleagues to perform – whether they’re in the clinic or working remotely. For example, one webinar participant noted that people thought working from home would cause productivity to fall. Instead, many people excelled – as long as they had the trusted support to do their job.

Don’t be afraid to get personal. In many workplaces, talking through your feelings can seem out of place. But during these times, when employees can feel isolated, anxious or overburdened, it’s important to create a safe space where personal stories can be shared. What’s more, organizations need to be clear that they support the mental health of their colleagues. A simple way to do that: frequently remind people of the mental health resources available to them.

Continue to collaborate – internally and externally. Leaning on our internal teams helped many get through these past 18 months. But collaborating with our external partners helped fulfill our industry’s larger mission of increasing healthcare accessibility and doing what’s right for society.

Put company values into action. Successful organizations saw that their company values were more than words this past year – they shaped policies and contributed to a more cohesive company culture and work output.

At Afaxys, our company values of Customer Focus, Integrity, Teamwork, Leadership, and Innovation guide the way we work and how we serve providers, patients and our partners. These values were never more apparent during the pandemic as we did whatever we could to ensure health centers across the country had what they needed to serve their patients reliably and affordably.

Even as our new normal continues to change, we at Afaxys remain committed to figuring it out together.