Preventing Burnout in Our Workplace
Like any career, dog raising can cause burnout. It’s important not to overexert ourselves as we prepare our puppies for new homes, but there’s things that we need to do and boundaries that we have to set in order to make sure our puppies always have someone eager and willing to care for them!
Julie with her grandson, Hayden
Making Time for Ourselves
All of our employees get their own days off. My day off is on Wednesday, as I usually have a very busy picture schedule on Monday and Tuesday, and can spend more time doing older puppies on Thursdays and Fridays. By having my own day off I am able to step back and recharge from the busyness of every work day and prevent burnout! Our other employees take days off too, and we all get Sundays off as Julie & Reino handle the Sunday chores with our dogs.
Another thing we do to make time for ourselves is taking breaks throughout the work day. Because our jobs can vary from day-to-day, our lunch is never at a set time frame. We all eat at different times whenever we are able to take a gap in our schedule. Our lunches usually just last 15-30 minutes or so and we try and remain each other to take a break if we see they’re getting too stressed out! Most of us work an 8-9 hour day, so it’s super important for us to take care of ourselves while we’re clocked in.
Adding Variety to Our Work Day
Sometimes all you need to make the work day pass a little quicker is to be productive by doing something new. Our day-to-day list of things we do can certainly vary! Mornings mostly look the same, but depending on picture schedules, paperwork, and appointments, we have to have the flexibility to adjust our priorities. Puppies of course come first, but we try to take the time to add variety to each of our work days!
Recently I had a friend ask if we take pictures of all the puppies every week. When I say we don’t have the time to do all of the puppies in one day, what I really mean is that I wouldn’t be able to do anything BUT that. If my work day was fully pictures or fully emails, I would burn out rather quickly and would need time off to recouperate!
It’s no small task, but adding variety to that schedule can help break up the work and make you feel more accomplished! I try to only take pictures of 2-3 litters/day within my strict picture schedule. Any more than that, and I’ve got 4+ hours of work on my hands with not enough time to get anything else done! When I work on both emails and pictures, I’m able to help Julie with her main focus as well as pitch in help wherever else it’s needed! We love the flexibility of our work here as it helps each of us to avoid burnout!
If I’m falling behind on some paperwork and I have a coworker that’s looking to learn something new, I will accept that extra help and give them a break from the monotony of their daily routines. We’re not afraid to ask for help from one another because we know how tedious some of our day-to-day tasks can be!
Fostering a Family Environment
Bek and Jared (Bek’s Spouse/One of Our Ground Transporters) with Jay from Junebug & Jett’s Fall 2022 Litter
It’s no shocker that most of us here at Idaho Jewels Poodles are so close. The most important part of teamwork in the work place is making sure that everyone is getting along great! It’s incredibly important to us that our puppies are raised in a drama-free environment with a family that loves each other just as much as they love the puppies we work with!
Each Saturday, Julie & Reino buy everyone lunch to boost morale and togetherness. It’s a great reward to look forward to at the end of our work week! Every week one of us gets to choose where we’re eating, and then we get to bond over the food during our breaks. It’s so much fun to see what everyone orders and try new foods. Every Christmas we also put together a Treat Exchange where everyone bakes desserts and takes home treat boxes with a variety of Christmas goodies! We also do a Secret Santa Exchange just before Christmas too!
By creating a family environment for us and for the puppies, we limit the amount of stress that everyone feels. There’s already plenty of stress when it comes to servicing customers, dealing with transport, vet check-ups, puppy health, etc, so it’s refreshing to know that we’re on a fully-functional team that loves each other like a family.
Simplifying Processes & Knowing Our Limits
Arguably the most important part of not burning out in the workplace is knowing your limits. There is only so much work that we can do in a business day, and so that may mean we need to simplify our process so that the work takes less time. It may also mean delaying chores or communications with customers to recharge.
Bek working at the desk with Dodger/Roger (now retired)
Part of what’s helped us service people more quickly and efficiently is making and adjusting email templates that answer common questions or guide people along the adoption process. If we didn’t simplify this process, we would be so burnt out from sending emails, but luckily Julie and I are doing fabulous in that particular department.
Another way we know our limits is not overscheduling ourselves in a particular day. If we have two or three appointments on a day, we don’t usually schedule anyone else as a lot goes into those appointments. As introverts, we do get drained from all the interactions and also need the time to do other things within our work day. We love when people come to visit the puppies, but it’s just not feasible for us to sit out there with prospective puppy buyers all day, every day!
Among keeping our schedules within the realm of possibility, we also have weekly and monthly tasks to think of while we’re going about our day-to-day lives. If we’ve not accomplished one of those tasks and we’re exhausted from a busy work day, we’ll delay our tasks to when we’re able to give it our all. It can be difficult to admit that you’re not going to get to that task if you had fully planned on doing that, but it is absolutely necessary to be flexible in the long run to avoid burnout!
Puppies of the Week
Kit Kat & Pegasus’ mini poodle litter got their 12 week pictures just a few days ago. They both did fantastic during their first haircuts, and we love how they turned out! They look like a little polar bear and black bear! These stunning little girls have so much love to give, and are both ready to go now! They’d make a perfect addition to any home that’s eager to have a companion to spend lots of time with!
