7 ways to bring your staff back from a long break without chaos at the front desk

The first day back after a long break can feel like someone hit “unpause” on everything at once: The phones start ringing, the patient portal refills itself overnight, the schedule is suddenly full again, and the smallest workflow hiccup — a missing form, a misrouted message, a coverage gap at the front desk — can ripple through the whole day.

But the scramble isn’t just an operational headache. It’s also a stress test for your care team. An American Medical Association report drawing on a large national physician survey tied stronger care teams and adequate support staffing to better well-being and warned that when teamwork breaks down, administrative work doesn’t disappear, it just lands harder on already-stretched clinicians. The report also highlighted burnout as an ongoing issue for the profession.

That’s why “reopening” after a long break shouldn’t be treated like a normal Monday. The goal isn’t to heroically clear every backlog by noon. It’s to reestablish a steady rhythm — with clear priorities, cleaner handoffs and enough structure that staff can do the work without feeling buried.

Here are seven ways to bring your team back smoothly and keep the first week from becoming a morale drain.