The scheme aims to recognise and reward positive workplace culture.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has launched its ‘Great Workplaces’ accreditation scheme, as the association aims to tackle workforce challenges.

The accreditation scheme will identify workplaces which proactively work to prioritise the wellbeing and professional development of its veterinary team.

Introduced as part of this year’s BVA Live, the initiative follows the findings of the BVA’s ‘Voice of the Veterinary Profession’ survey. Data revealed that 62 per cent of veterinary professionals which worked in clinical practice did not always get breaks during their work day.

The responses also reveal that 98 per cent of veterinary professionals considered work-life balance to be an important part of a workplace, but almost two thirds of veterinary professionals in the UK only ‘sometimes’ or ‘rarely’ had a good work-life balance.

The BVA believes that its new initiative, which rewards workplaces which have a positive workplace culture, will strengthen the industry as it tackles issues with recruitment and retention.

The ‘Great Workplaces’ accreditation scheme is open to all veterinary professionals, and recognises both clinical and non-clinical workplaces. It will celebrate workplaces which display excellence in supporting the wellbeing and professional development of staff, and ensure they feel valued and empowered.

Each workplace will have an accreditor with a veterinary background, who will work with leadership and employees to get an understanding of the workplace.

The workplace will then be measured against an accreditation framework, which covers four themes: ‘health and wellbeing’, ‘leadership and management’, ‘culture’, and ‘learning and development’.

If workplaces meet the required criteria, they may be awarded a gold or silver accreditation. Those which do not yet pass will be noted as ‘working towards’ accreditation, and will receive support to make necessary changes.

Successful workplaces will retain their accreditation for three years, before they must be reassessed to ensure they still meet the criteria.

BVA president Anna Judson said: “As well as attracting more people to join our veterinary profession, ensuring we retain the incredible talent we already have is critical to building a resilient and sustainable veterinary workforce. Positive workplace culture is central to achieving this and Great Workplaces by BVA is an innovative new approach that puts the well-being of vet teams front and centre.

“The knock-on impact will be good for vets and vet practices, good for clients and ultimately, good for animal welfare.”

For more information or to sign up, visit the BVA website.

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