Last month we looked at the challenges faced with being in an industry that serves people. (Note: I was a dog groomer for twenty years and the dogs were not a problem, it was their owners who drove me crazy.) To review, we listed challenges with:

10.       Not having enough customers

9.   Having too many customers

8.   Customers without any money or insurance

7.   Customers expecting your complete attention

6.   Too much paperwork

  All of these issues involve your interaction with the family you are serving. The following five address challenges you may personally be facing.

5.   Uncertainty over where the industry is heading or… cremation, cremation, cremation – Consumers needs are changing and the need for our industry to adapt is upon us. The statistics on cremation are real and the percentage continues to grow as cremation becomes a viable option for many reasons. While cremation is nothing new, (according to CANA it began as early as 3,000 B.C.) its’ resurgence has many funeral directors questioning how their profession will survive. Funeral Homes that go back generations now have the next generation opting out of following in their family’s footsteps. High volume, low price is becoming the model to follow.

4.   Not enough staff – With budgets tightened, many funeral homes hesitate to fill positions or add new staff. This leaves the remaining funeral directors to cover more hours, more families and more responsibilities. Some may find they have enough staff, but not the “right” staff. In other words, there are more bodies than just the ones in the caskets! Finding staff that can do the job with little supervision, provide superior service to every family and get along with their colleagues is the holy grail of every company.

3.   Not enough time to get all my work done – Refer to #9, #7, #6 and #4 above and you can easily see where the workload grows while the hours to accomplish it shrinks. Even with a job that can see 24-hour shifts or days on end without a day off, the workload grows with every call you take. Finding time to just sit and get it done is a challenge.

2.   No time for my family – Balance is essential for Nik Wallenda, but not always achievable for funeral directors. Being able to come home, eat dinner, attend a little league game or participate in any family function without your cell phone interrupting your “sacred family time” seems impossible at times. Many funeral directors struggle with finding time to spend with their own families, even while they serve the needs of other families. Determining which “family” comes first can be a true balancing act.

1.   No time for myself – In my programs I talk about “chocolate moments.” These are the times when you do something nice for yourself with no guilt. You cannot take care of others, if you don’t take care of yourself. This can be something as simple as sitting down to eat a healthy meal or exercising or playing a round of golf or_____ or_____ or ____. Fill in the blanks to fit what you most need for your own well-being. This is the one area that is most neglected and is the most important one to address.

  So, what’s a funeral director to do? We know the challenges, but what are the solutions? How can we manage our work without burning out or running away? I will look at some strategies next month to help you with your most challenging days. In the meantime, I’d love to hear how you handle these situations. E-mail me at: Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com with your ideas. I’ll post them on Facebook, Tweet them to my followers and tattoo them on my arm…actually I won’t do any of these things, but I will share them in an upcoming article.

  Most of all remember this: What is more precious than gold but cannot be bought, earned, or saved? The answer is: Time. We never seem to have enough of it to do all that we want, yet we know the value of it through the work that we do. Summer is here and the days are longer and the sun beckons us to go out and play. Even with the challenges and the commitments you face every day, be sure to find a way to carve out some chocolate moments to dig in the sandbox, play hide and go seek or climb a tree… or whatever your “adult” self considers going outside to play.