Managers: Here’s How to Lead an Understaffed Team

In one of my first managerial roles in my career, I found myself pulled between a growing list of expectations from my boss and not enough staff to do the work.

The organization relied heavily on public funds, which had significantly decreased, but the expectations hadn’t changed. After some time of trying to make it all work and being close to burnout, I went to my boss to talk through the challenges. Ultimately, we had to make difficult choices about our priorities and those decisions enabled us to continue to move the organization forward while preserving ourselves.

You may be experiencing something similar right now. Budgets have been reduced due to COVID and resulting economic downturn, so being understaffed at the office is a common scenario for many organizations. You’re being asked to do more with less and you and your team are still expected to produce results. This can be a stressful situation for everyone. Here are four ways to set up your team (and yourself) for success.

1.    Proactively Communicate

Schedule a time to talk openly with your team members about your organization’s staffing situation. If you’ve had to put open roles on hold or reduce positions, share what you’re able to and any explain any timelines you’re aware of.

Ask questions about what they need and what the barriers are. Even if you’re not able to get them additional resources right now, you’ll get a sense of what your team is feeling and experiencing. This will inform future discussions—and, as needed, advocating on their behalf--with your manager.

2.    Focus on Your Best and Highest Use of Time

This is a time to be radical about prioritization. Don’t expect the team to do it all—they can’t. But: Neither should you.

First, determine what the most important projects and tasks are for your employees. Ideally, they align with team member’s strengths, continue to address long-term goals, and provide meaning in their work.

Next, focus on yourself. If you used to have seven priorities, perhaps now you have four. Clearly outline where everyone’s focus should be, so no one is left behind.

3.    Allow for Time Away From Work

In this environment where it’s harder to distinguish between working hours and personal time, clearly tell your team you don’t want them working overtime. Sometimes people need to hear this from the boss directly.

You know the importance of rest: Model it for them, so they know you mean it.

Advance this goal with a fresh approach to meeting schedules. What can you eliminate and switch to email? How can you achieve meaningful outcomes from the meetings you’re keeping? Can you reduce 60-minute meetings to 45 minutes to allow for 15 minutes to actually do the things you’ve talked about?

4.    Empower Your Team to Make Decisions

In a short-staffed environment, people need to become even more agile in their work. Clarify for your team members what decisions they can own and how you want to be communicated with afterward. I’ve found it helpful to give managers two questions to ask themselves:

• Will this move forward the donor (client) relationship?
• Will this move forward the team?

Then, even when they get stuck in the moment, they’ll have something to refer back to. 

This is an evolving situation, so be prepared to flex with changing information or circumstances in order to best support your team. With the right framework, you can help support individual progress and team members’ feelings about their work—and still achieve your organization’s goals.

Get your FREE Guide: 4 Top Strategies to Advance Your Career While Working Remotely by texting SHANNA to 66866 or signing up here. Also check out One Bold Move A Day, my daily 6-minute podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Messy.fm, or wherever you like to listen.