Leadership: Do You Have a Succession Plan in Place?

Filling vacation gaps is a dress rehearsal for your replacement plans.

The winter months are gone and hopefully you are taking advantage of the lazy days of summer. This season is filled with weddings, graduations, family reunions and many other opportunities for your staff to take time off.

For ASC leaders, summer can be a particularly stressful time. Although you encourage your team to use their PTO, you know there are a few key people who will be sorely missed when they actually do.

Diverse skillsets

ASCs are especially dependent on key staff who are responsible for or who manage crucial steps within the planning and surgical processes. They are the go-to people for placing orders, communicating with vendors, ordering medications and testing generators. They may not be in formal leadership positions, but they perform essential functions and their sudden absence could wreak serious havoc on the center.

This is a great time, then, to evaluate your short-term succession plan. Here are a few tips to avoid major disruptions at your center when... well, life happens.

Often, the person who is about to take a vacation begins some of the work that will need to be completed while they’re off. A vague “someone” will need to finish the job, sometimes working from a to-do list the person left for them that can leave them as confused as if they were reading an escape room algorithm. The person who is covering for their vacationing colleague crosses their fingers and hopes nothing out of the ordinary happens over the next couple weeks. This practice is mostly successful, but only works in the short-term to cover PTO. It’s not true succession planning.

Succession planning involves identifying key positions and creating a process to prepare employees to fill them in case of a vacancy. ASCs should have short- and long-term succession plans for key positions, including the administrator, clinical and administrative leaders, as well as top employees in materials management, facility management and the business office.

• Short-term plans. To create this plan, identify the critical tasks that take place in each department; note who is eligible to perform them based on licensure, credentials, knowledge or access; list all eligible employees who meet the requirements; and evaluate the list to match those on it with specific tasks.

When listing tasks that need to be covered during planned and unplanned work absences, consider the ones that extend beyond carrying out daily operations. Be on the lookout for items that a single administrative employee, clinician or facilities work is solely responsible for. And don’t forget that there are functions out there you may not be aware of — tasks that employees consider “just something I like to do” but could be detrimental if skipped.

ASCs should have short- and long-term succession plans for key positions.

Ask leaders in every department which tasks are faithfully performed and which they consider at risk of being overlooked. Create a separate list for each department, broken down by tasks that should be completed daily, weekly or monthly. Categorize the tasks as either routine or ones that occur only under special circumstances.

• Review and prioritize findings. Some functions could be deferred until someone taking a short-term absence returns, while items with the greatest likelihood of being overlooked should get the highest priority. Medication, supply and linen orders should be prioritized, as should case scheduling, sterile processing operations and billing functions.

When implementing your plan, indicate which tasks should be completed while a key employee is absent. List step-by-step instructions for each and include a timeframe for when they should be completed. Educate the staff on the lists’ contents and store them in an easy-to-access colored folder in each department or make sure the electronic file is accessible to all employees. Update the lists as needed and include their contents, location and why these action items are important in employee orientation of each department.

• Finding gaps. You may be surprised at the intricacies involved in the daily operations of your center, many of which may be manual processes completed from memory. Creating a short-term succession plan will identify any gaps, areas for improvement, duplication or improperly assigned tasks at your center. Educate your staff to continue daily operations and manage unusual circumstances during planned and unplanned absences of key roles. This promotes collaboration and teamwork, and prevents unnecessary hiccups.

Whether your ASC has a consistent team or relies on multiple part-time or PRN employees, it is necessary to understand and address vulnerabilities. ASCs rely heavily on the human capital of their people — individuals who are subject to major life-event changes. Have a plan that supports your team to take time off when necessary and keep your center prepared for the unexpected during absences so you can continue business without disruptions.

• Long-term plans. Identify talent within the organization who are interested in accepting additional responsibilities and covering for leadership on an interim or permanent basis.

The short-term plans detailed here can contribute to your long-term succession planning. Employees accepting additional responsibilities on a short-term basis can be evaluated on their performance, ability and willingness to accept a leadership role on a longer-term basis. Some staff, however, may be content with understanding more about their department, but don’t want to accept more responsibilities on a permanent basis. Others, meanwhile, may also avoid roles that require personnel management or oversight of other staff.

Identify the right successors

Meet your staff where they are and support the level of responsibility they desire. You may have big hopes and plans for promoting someone to a specific position, but if it doesn’t align with their goals, you may be putting your eggs in the wrong basket. The staged approach identifies employees who thrived in the short-term who could be candidates for additional long-term roles and responsibilities.

For additional support in the operational management of your surgery center, access 30-plus customizable implementation tools and templates through the ASC Academy: A Guide to Operational Management: osmag.net/ASCAcademy OSM