Q: My associate has been checked out since spring: carrying a lighter caseload, skipping meetings, and running on vacation countdown mode. I know she’s burned out, but that energy is contagious. I don’t know how to talk to her without making things worse before our busiest months.
A: Sounds like someone has a case of “vacation brain.” You’re correct; that condition can spread to other employees and may even metastasize into actual burnout. While it’s normal to look forward to time off, you need to take a closer look at what’s behind your associate’s behavior. Acting with caring curiosity now, rather than angry frustration later, is your best approach.
First, consider that you may be misreading the situation. Start with a private, low-pressure conversation. This isn’t a performance review or reprimand; it’s an honest desire to find the root cause of the disengagement before prescribing a fix. “What would make the next few weeks or months more manageable or enjoyable for you?” Does she feel that her caseload is too heavy or her career path is stalled? Is she distressed from client complaints about cost?
She might not only be drifting toward a temporary island getaway; perhaps she’s dreaming of a different role, a schedule change, or expanded clinical skills. She wouldn’t be alone. A recent Gartner study found that half of employees cite stalled career growth as a top stressor.
Before assuming this is entirely her problem, consider what it may reveal about your practice. We often default to blaming others instead of examining our leadership and support systems. In reality, it’s usually a mix of individual and practice factors.
Have this discussion before her vacation. Together, agree on one change for the fall: perhaps it’s a CE course she’s been wanting to attend, a half-day Friday rotation, or an interest she hasn’t had time to pursue. It doesn’t have to be big, just meaningful to her. People return from vacation differently when they have something worth coming back to.
“Vacation brain” is real, and it’s different from “laziness.” It may be the last symptom before an employee fully checks out, and that kind of disengagement is contagious. When one person silently downshifts, it gives the rest of your team permission to do the same. The conversation you may be avoiding is almost always shorter than the exit interview you’ll regret.
Illustration by Jarom Vogel
Q: Half my team wants time off in June and July, and we’re already short-staffed. How do I say yes to summer PTO without burning out the team that’s covering?
A: This isn’t just a scheduling dilemma; it’s a leadership test. Saying yes is the right instinct. Every approved PTO request is an investment in your team’s longevity, and the return shows up in September, when the people who got a break are still showing up strong. But there are limits, and you have to protect the entire team.
A Wharton study of 280 million work shifts found that scheduling predictability and manager flexibility drove staff retention more than pay alone. Translation: How you handle the next six weeks of PTO requests may matter more than your last round of raises.
Build a support system around your team’s time off:
- Open the PTO calendar months in advance with a transparent, first-come, shared-coverage model.
- Set appointment boundaries during predictable holiday surge days, and schedule lighter days on either side so your team can breathe.
- If the days after a holiday are historically slammed, plan for it: Lighten the schedule the week before so your team enters rested, and build in recovery time the week after.
- Take pressure off the people covering by utilizing relief vets and techs. They’re often easier to find than most owners think, and even one substitute shift per month can help.
- Incorporate a hospital-wide half-day before — and maybe after — the busy season. You’ll lose a few hours of revenue, but the cost of a work break is a fraction of what it would take to replace a burned-out team member.
- When you have to say no, anchor it in coverage and collaboration: “I want to make this work, but we’re already short that week. Let’s look at dates where we can cover the schedule and still get you time off.”
- Hold a brief team meeting before the summer rush to acknowledge the extra load, explain the appointment plan, and thank the team in advance. It costs nothing and signals that you see their efforts.
Your team isn’t asking for favors. They’re telling you what they need to make it to September. Listen.
Q: Clients are declining diagnostics, ditching vaccine visits, and shopping our prices against online pharmacies and the new corporate clinic down the road. I dread the look on their faces at checkout. How do I have the cost-of-care conversation without sounding defensive or losing them for good?
A: That dread you feel discussing treatment options is justified, but not for the reason you think. A PetSmart Charities-Gallup study found that 73% of pet owners who declined care due to cost were not offered a lower-price alternative by their veterinarian.
You’re not losing clients solely based on your fees. You’re losing them to silence. They didn’t say no to treatment; they said no to the only option they were given.
What your competitors can’t replicate is the trust you’ve built, your clinical judgment, and your knowledge of this patient and family. That edge disappears the moment your team freezes up at the word “cost.” The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Language of Veterinary Care Initiative, based on research with thousands of pet owners, found that clients want their veterinarian to proactively raise the topic of cost. They’re not waiting to be sold. They’re waiting to be helped.
The competition for pet care is real and growing. Online pharmacies undercut your product margins, telehealth platforms offer lower-cost consults, and corporate clinics bring scale you can’t match. You won’t beat them on price, and you shouldn’t try.
So how do you help? It starts with preparation. Train your entire team in the cost-of-care conversation. This isn’t a skill reserved for doctors; your front staff and technicians have these conversations more than anyone. When presenting treatment options, lead with what the AVMA calls a “medical care plan,” not an “estimate.” Estimates sound like auto repair. Medical care plans signal partnership. Present at least two tiers of care, so the client can choose how — not whether — to move forward.
Bring up payment plans when presenting the medical care plan, not at checkout. That same Gallup study found that 64% of pet owners could have afforded significantly more care if offered interest-free payments. Most never were.
When your team talks about cost with the same confidence they bring to medicine, the dread fades for you, your team, and the families you serve. That’s not losing clients. That’s how you earn their trust.