34
| VET GAZETTE | BVA
TIME FOR CHANGE: ADDRESSING
THE ‘LEAKY BUCKET’ IN THE
VETERINARY PROFESSION
By Daniella Dos Santos (British Veterinary Association junior vice president)
A
sk members of the veterinary profession why we are
facing a retention crisis, and you are likely to hear
similar thoughts:
“The youngsters don’t want to work the hours.”
“Too many women are having babies and going
part time.”
“Vets today have never had it better: decent pay, no OOHs, four-
day weeks… They just don’t have the drive.”
A major new study commissioned by
the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and
conducted by researchers from the University
of Exeter dismisses all these presumptions
and shows that it is time the profession took a
long, hard look at itself.
The study, published last month and
available to download on BVA’s website,
shows that day-to-day workplace
experiences, such as feeling valued and
admired by colleagues, having role models
available, and feeling a sense of fitting in,
have the strongest impact on vets’ motivations
to stay in the profession. Vets who feel they
belong have a greater expectation they will
succeed in their careers and were more likely
to feel they have a good work-life balance
even if their hours were long.
Without these motivators, respondents to
the survey revealed they are less likely to feel
satisfied in their roles, more likely to suffer
burn-out and consider leaving the profession.
In fact, the study found that 37 percent of
respondents were actively thinking about
leaving.
Interestingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly,
the research revealed that women in the
profession were more likely than their male
peers to struggle with the lack of role models
and less likely to experience the feeling of
‘fitting in’. A follow-up joint study, launched at
the London Vet Show last month, found that
gender discrimination was present in many
of the employers’ recommendations on pay,
competence and career advice, but ironically
this was most prominent among those who
believe that ‘discrimination against women
in the veterinary profession is no longer a
problem’.
BVA and the authors of the report believe
there are some simple steps that employers
and employees can take to improve
www.petgazette.biz
workplace culture and boost the retention of skilled and motivated
staff.
Making sure every employee’s opinions are heard: Employers
should make an effort to seek advice from a broad range of
employees, facilitate opportunities for colleagues to discuss ideas
with one another, and ensure that such opportunities are as evenly
distributed as possible. Simple things such as a ‘thank you’ for
staying late to deal with an emergency are also small gestures
that are vital to nurture a workplace where
everyone’s opinions are heard and valued.
Making available accessible and attainable
role models and ensuring that there are
clear routes to success: Role models within a
practice can have a range of different faces:
a part-time mother may well be the best new
graduate mentor, and the consulting-only vet
may well have the best communication skills.
Supporting reduced work hours: In some
business situations there is no way round a
10-hour day, but there are ways employers
can look at improving the work-life balance.
No vet will begrudge staying late for a
genuine emergency, but if no lunch break and
unpaid overtime is a regular occurrence for
most employees in a practice, the problem
is not with them but with how the business is
managed.
Flexible working shouldn’t be ‘just for
mothers’: We need a team approach to
managing flexible working: job sharing, part-
time, split shifts, a fixed day off or evening/
weekend-only are all examples. This is not
just about having a family to care for, this
is about both male and female vets having
a life outside work to maintain their mental
wellbeing and have a desire for a work-life
balance accommodated without judgement.
The James Herriot days are behind us,
as are the days of our worth being judged
by working long hours. With the passage of
time veterinary medicine has progressed,
as have client expectations, and what was
the norm for the workforce decades ago no
longer applies. It is time we face up to this as
a profession and cultivate a workplace and
workforce suited to the 21st Century. Let’s look
inwards at how we treat each other in the
workplace and work together to change the
culture.Download both studies at
www.bva.co.uk/workforce
December 2018