‘We have to look out for each other’: CFOs on tackling burnout

The responsibility of working in healthcare finance can often bring a heightened risk for burnout, a challenge that many hospital and health system CFOs are addressing not just for themselves, but also for their teams. 

From balancing accountability with support, to creating a culture where taking time to recharge is not only acceptable but encouraged, Becker’s connected with three system finance leaders to discuss the importance of building trust and empowerment in teams while ensuring employees are equipped with the right tools to tackle burnout. 

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question: What strategies have you found most effective in preventing and addressing burnout—both for yourself and your finance team? 

Craig Collins. Senior Vice President and CFO, UK HealthCare (Lexington, Ky.): Working in a busy and demanding environment like a large healthcare system can most certainly lead to feelings of stress and burnout. On the other hand, as a healthcare institution that is literally made up of people dedicated to caring for others, we also have to look out for each other.  

That means, stopping and reflecting on am I and members of my team doing enough in the way of self-care? Are we taking our vacation and sick days when needed? Also, are we taking advantage of other benefits offered that may help manage stress, anything from workout classes to lunch seminars on eldercare.  It is difficult to know the answer to what is going to help each employee and their circumstances but what we can do is try to promote a culture of looking out for others and knowing when to stop and remind each other — and sometimes even ourselves — that we need to take a break or just make a few changes in our everyday routines that can benefit our health and also, in the end, make for more productive and happier employees.

Jennifer Doll. CFO, UC Davis Health (Sacramento, Calif.): One key to avoiding burnout is making sure you hire the right people and then making sure those people are empowered and trusted to deliver against their responsibilities. Being a CFO means being responsible for understanding how the revenues are collected, and the expenses are paid, but no CFO for a company of size can review and understand every transaction.

The key is hiring the right people, clearly defining the work they need to complete and then checking in regularly both to make sure the teams have the tools they need and that they are living up to the responsibilities expected from them.

Kimberly Young. Executive Vice President and CFO, Baptist Memorial Health Care (Memphis, Tenn.): To effectively manage or prevent burnout among your team, I strongly feel that you must take their temperature periodically. That is, to round on them or meet with them and listen to them. I like to meet face to face with my team so I can gauge their body language and tone, and I can respond to their questions and concerns in person. Often, I can help de-prioritize their tasks to lessen the load. We discuss how we can push the “easy button” on items that we don’t have to exhaust ourselves addressing — those can be quick wins, especially if your staff is Type-A overachievers. This conversation is a way for us to discuss what should take the most energy, what should take the least energy and what can be delegated. I also like to give timely and public credit — recognition confirms their hard work was worth the effort. 

Finally, a periodic reset can be essential. Healthcare team members need to be visible. Even in finance, working behind the scenes, we need to be visible to our operation and clinical partners to help facilitate patient care every day. A periodic work-from-home day can provide an opportunity to focus on a project and avoid disruptions that are necessary but time-consuming.  I find that this can pay dividends to the productivity of high achievers. 

I personally have to move — I like to train for road race runs. While training, I listen to podcasts and focus, even the smallest amount of time, on the road to clear my head. I have solved many problems and planned departmental restructures during training runs. While my runs are slower and not as far these days, the clearing of the mind is still essential, which can lead to productive planning and problem-solving.

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