CEO of Flexee and president of the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) launch a new lifetime membership to flexible working hub, a tool to help tackle the recruitment and retention crisis within the veterinary industry.
Flexee has a long-standing relationship with SPVS, most recently contributing to multiple modules within their new HR foundations course. The course has been designed specifically for veterinary professionals to provide them with the knowledge, skills and insight needed to effectively understand and manage HR in veterinary workplaces.
We are amid a veterinary recruitment and retention crisis. Statistics from the RCVS Workforce Summit 2021 show that despite an increase in the number of vet schools and qualifying vets, the net number of practising vets entering the profession continues to fall. In fact, 43.7 percent of vets want to leave the profession (Hagen et al., 2020), 52.3 percent of veterinary clinics report being understaffed (SPVS, 2017), 74 percent of vets worry about burnout (BVA, 2020) and 65 percent feel a conflict between their well-being and professional role (RCVS Survey, 2019).
When surveyed, the number one thing veterinary professionals would like to change about their job was working hours (Hagan et al., 2020). In a BVA survey, among 44 percent of vets who like to work more flexibly, 56 percent of those who don’t currently work flexibly would like to start and 36 percent of those who are currently working flexibly would like to work more flexibly (BVA, 2021).
Flexible working, either perceived flexibility or formal flexibility, has been shown to improve work-life balance. The 4-day week pilot surveyed 2900 people from 61 companies across different industries over 6 months. The results showed 71 percent reduction in burnout, 65 percent reduction in sick days, 54 percent reduction in negative emotions, 46 percent reduction in fatigue and 43 percent reported an improvement in mental health. Over the 6 month period, measures of work-life balance improved.
The Flexee Hub is a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about flexible working within the veterinary profession. Its lifetime subscription includes:
- a flexible working CPD course for both employees and employers to ensure all are on the
same page - guidance on how to negotiate flexible working
- a Free 15-minute flexible working consultation with Flexee’s HR expert to guide you on the next steps
- access to Flexee’s flexible working scenario planning calculator to allow you to investigate the impact of hiring, firing or falsifying
- an HR and legal tool kit to help you understand the legalities and regulations of flex in the UK
- Asynchronous Q&A forum
- a library of video interviews with employers and employees where you can learn from others currently working flexibly within the profession
Malcolm Morley, clinical director and past president of the BVA said: “Flexee has insightful solutions that embrace opportunities provided by flexible working, focus on the whole team and consider key issues facing employers and employees.
“Flexee and the Flexee Hub is a one-stop shop when it comes to all things flexible working. From resources for employers and employees to legalities, it will save trawling through the internet for information. You can flow through the content or dip into specific topics, allowing the whole team to
learn, work and embrace change together. To quote aspire to be a butterfly, not a better caterpillar,” said the mixed species practice manager.
Silvia Janska BSc (Hons), Msc, BVetMed, PgCertVBM, MRCVS is a veterinarian passionate about flexible working and helping modernise the veterinary profession for a sustainable future. She founded Flexee in 2020 in order to help address the way vets work, with the aim of improving work-life balance, retention and recruitment.
Flexee is on a mission to make veterinary clinical practices a happier place to work. We know that there is a strong need for more flexible working opportunities for veterinary teams in order to address our recruitment and retention crisis. Flexee helps veterinary practices successfully implement flexible working through practical tools, training and expert support.
