Everyone wishes to work in a space where mental health, general wellbeing, and a positive attitude are prioritized on a daily basis. The AVMA Trust 2022 Trend Report: U.S. Veterinarians’ Work-Life Experience reported that 68% of veterinarians rated their workplace as positive or very positive, leaving nearly a third of veterinarians rating their workplace as neutral or negative. In order to support a staff and business that promotes these healthy attitudes, every staff member needs to contribute to its success, starting with the employer. We have compiled some aspects of healthy, supportive practices as reported by veterinarians in the survey.
Support your staff’s boundaries.
Allowing
your staff to communicate their needs and boundaries is a sign that you are
nurturing a supportive work environment. Encourage your team to set boundaries
that protect their time, work-life balance, and wellbeing to keep staff feeling
energized, valued, and heard. Honor PTO hours that are earned, sick days, or
other time away from work. Associates who considered their workplace
environment to be negative consistently shared they felt guilty when they took
the time they were entitled to.
Encourage open communication.
Whether
it’s communicating PTO needs, seeking out coverage, or even turning to a peer
for advice, your staff should feel that their team is easily accessible when it
comes to communication. Do they feel they can give feedback without
repercussions? If they feel a lack of support, you will need to evaluate your practice’s culture and seek out ways to correct this behavior. Offer help
generously, build rapport with your team, and don’t be afraid to reach out to
help your veterinarians find ways to maintain or establish a better work-life
balance.
Take the pulse of your clinic’s work
environment.
It’s interesting to note that 85% of surveyed owners rated their practice as a positive work environment, yet only 57% of practice associates saw it that way. Why the spread? As an owner, are you tuned in to how your practice’s work environment is truly being perceived? Are you judging the "positivity" with the same yardstick. Don't assume you know how your team perceives their workplace. You can ask the same question from the survey that they can answer anonymously: "How would you rate the overall work environment here?" Give them a five-point scale from Very Positive to Very Negative. Then you can compare your work environment ratings by practice size to the benchmarks below:
|
Number of Employees |
Overall Work Environment Rating |
||||
|
Very Positive |
Positive |
Neutral |
Negative |
Very Negative |
|
|
Less than
10 |
45.5% |
31.6% |
26.2% |
16.7% |
22.7% |
|
11-19 |
31.5% |
36.6% |
37.6% |
46.7% |
27.3% |
|
20-29 |
9.9% |
15.3% |
16.6% |
10.0% |
4.5% |
|
30+ |
13.1% |
16.6% |
19.7% |
26.7% |
45.5% |
Many aspects go into creating and
maintaining a positive work environment. Learn more about the ways
veterinarians perceive a positive workplace in the AVMA Trust 2022 Trend Report: U.S. Veterinarians’ Work-Life
Experience. Taking the pulse of your staff’s work environment,
promoting that team members establish (and stick to) boundaries, and being your
staff’s greatest advocate are just some of the ways to maintain a positive
workplace.
The AVMA Trust 2022 Trend Report on U.S. Veterinarians’ Work-Life Experience is based on a national survey conducted in fall, 2021. N=2,553 Practicing Veterinarians. 95% confidence, ± 3% margin of error.