Skills shortage: how modern team leadership becomes a competitive advantage

Skilled staff are scarce and the competition is growing

The Swiss health sector is among those hit hardest by the shortage of skilled workers. According to the federal skills shortage monitoring, health care has for years been among the occupational groups with a particularly pronounced labour shortage. At the same time, the need for pharmaceutical services is growing continuously — from vaccinations and medication reviews to extended patient counselling.

The pharmacy sector feels this pressure clearly too. Many pharmacies report longer recruitment times, rising salary demands and increasing competition for qualified pharmacists and pharmacy assistants. Demographics add to this: a considerable proportion of today’s professionals will reach retirement age in the coming years.

The consequence: staff become a strategic resource. Anyone who loses personnel loses not only expertise but frequently also customer relationships and operational stability.

Why staff resign

Interestingly, numerous international studies show that employees rarely resign solely because of pay. Factors such as leadership behaviour, development opportunities, workload and team climate play a role far more often.

A Gallup study shows that managers have a considerable influence on staff retention. Poor leadership counts as one of the most frequent reasons for leaving.¹

These factors are relevant in pharmacies too. What staff want today is:

• appreciation and regular feedback
• clear communication and transparent decisions
• flexible working time models
• opportunities for continuing education
• meaningful tasks and personal responsibility

Younger generations in particular attach increasing importance to a healthy work–life balance and a corporate culture that fosters personal development.

Leadership in transition: from boss to coach

The classic understanding of leadership, in which decisions are taken exclusively by the pharmacy management, is losing importance.

Modern leadership rests more strongly on trust, involvement and communication. Successful pharmacy managers today often see themselves as coaches of their team. They create the conditions in which staff can take responsibility and contribute their strengths.

In concrete terms this means:

• regular staff conversations rather than only annual appraisals
• involving the team in process improvements
• an open culture around mistakes
• individual development of talent
• transparent target agreements

Studies show that employees who feel involved in decisions work with markedly more engagement and stay with their employer longer.²

Flexible working models as a competitive advantage

Part-time models, job sharing and flexible rostering have long ceased to be special arrangements and are increasingly becoming the standard.

Pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in particular frequently want working models that allow family, further training or personal interests to be reconciled with the job.

For pharmacies this does mean greater organisational effort. At the same time, flexibility can be a decisive competitive advantage in recruitment.

A study by the Swiss Employers’ Association shows that flexible working conditions are among the most important factors in choosing an employer.³

Recognising conflicts early and resolving them professionally

Where people work closely together, tensions inevitably arise. In pharmacies conflicts can result from heavy workloads, time pressure or differing expectations.

It becomes problematic when conflicts are ignored. Unspoken tensions often have a negative effect on motivation, team performance and ultimately on customer satisfaction too.

Proven instruments are:

• regular team meetings
• clear responsibilities
• early feedback conversations
• external mediation in entrenched conflicts
• binding communication rules within the team

A constructive culture around conflict not only strengthens cooperation; it also reduces sickness absence and turnover.

Pay remains important, but is not decisive on its own

Remuneration naturally continues to play an important role. In regions with strong competition for skilled staff in particular, pharmacies must offer market-appropriate salaries.

At the same time, it is clear that additional benefits frequently carry similar weight:

• covering continuing education and FPH costs
• additional holiday days
• flexible rostering
• health promotion offerings
• profit sharing or bonus models

For many employees, employer attractiveness arises from the overall package and not from the basic salary alone.