On Wednesday 12 July, BEVA held the first of three “Unbridled” sessions, which aim to provide a safe forum for members to discuss some of the challenging topics that affect individuals and businesses on a daily basis.
This first online discussion looked at “work–life balance”, a triggering term for some when posted in a social media group. Some felt the word “balance” implied work and life were oppositional – that one must always seek to achieve some unrealistic, persistently evasive goal of perfection. “Work–life integration” was suggested as an alternative and preferred term.
Work–life integration
A panel of four practising equine vets volunteered to share their personal experiences of work–life integration in the first BEVA Unbridled session. The panel included:
- Lorna Brokenshire-Dyke: a part-time ambulatory vet in Newmarket with experience in two internships, independent and corporate practice, and locum work. Lorna has adapted her career to suit family life with twins, one of whom has a disability. Recently qualifying as an equine physiotherapist, she is now undertaking a master’s degree
- Ian Beamish: a full-time racing vet and partner at an international practice who manages the Lambourn branch, juggling the demands of work with being a husband and father of three
- Natalie McGoldrick: after struggling to finance and find the time for four-star eventing as an assistant, Natalie took the plunge to set up on her own. Now her work has paid off – with a purpose-built clinic at her private competition yard she is living her dream, dove-tailing her string of horses with a successful practice
- Spike Milligan: when he appeared to have achieved everything, including practice partnership, an unforeseen change in circumstances forced a change in Spike’s career path. Now working for himself as a performance horse consultant, he has more time for family and greater control over the impact work has on home life
What did we learn?
The audience welcomed the honesty and humility shown by the panellists. There was no rose-tinting but much appreciation for the good times and great respect for the bad.
A consistent theme among the panellists and audience was that to maintain a sustainable life in equine practice, one needs to accept the journey as a necessary process. No one had found the answers before mid-life kicked in. They all had to go “through the mill” to some degree in order to reap the rewards of experience and learning about yourself. From some tough, all-consuming career choices early on comes the autonomy to manufacture a career that works for you, whether it increases your value as an employee or helps you gain the skills and confidence required to work for yourself.
To maintain a sustainable life in equine practice, one needs to accept the journey as a necessary process […] Commitment and hard work reliably pay dividends, but patience is required
Commitment and hard work reliably pay dividends, but patience is required. There was much agreement with Ian Beamish’s elegant description of how balance can only be achieved throughout life by moving the fulcrum left and right as required by the changes that inevitably occur over time (Figure 1).
There was criticism from one member of the audience who felt the panel was not representative enough. But perhaps it was representative, in some way, of those who have remained in practice despite the work–life balance challenges they faced. Given the apparent need for learned wisdom both personally and professionally, it was probably unsurprising that those who volunteered for the panel were all “mid-life” (or approaching it!), had experienced various difficulties and had weathered their worst storms to date.
Is it possible that those approaching inclement weather (or currently caught within it) are yet to gain an understanding of what happened? That they have yet to glean the insight into themselves that only comes with emerging from the other side and learning from that experience so it can be navigated more easily next time? Meanwhile, those nearing retirement have probably adopted a form of protective dissociative amnesia towards those “nostalgic” times…
Equality, diversity and inclusivity
On Wednesday 16 August, the second BEVA Unbridled event looked at equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) and its relevance to equine practice. The panel consisted of:
- Sophie Eaden: lecturer in veterinary clinical practice at Surrey Vet School. Sophie brought this topic to the forefront of everyone’s attention when she joined BEVA Council last year (2022)
- Ben Curnow: lecturer in equine practice at Liverpool Vet School and British Veterinary LGBT+ Association committee member
- Claire Hodgson: “retired” equine vet, co-founder of the Veterinary Spoonholders Facebook community. Claire is a founding director of British Veterinary Chronic Illness Support (BVCIS) and Affinity Futures Consultancy
- Issa Robson: Thai/British farm vet, senior lecturer in veterinary clinical practice at Surrey University. Issa is a co-founder of the British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society (BVEDS) and a director of Affinity Futures
- Claire Goodban: executive assistant at BEVA. Claire previously worked as a practice secretary in Newmarket, where she dealt with client-associated challenges
What did we learn?
Following an introduction to EDI, it became evident that the challenges posed and impact felt are nothing new but have been somewhat normalised for years. Now that we have a better understanding of the effects EDI awareness has on individuals, businesses and industries, we can use the evidence and emerging tools to address shortfalls, and in turn, maximise benefits and minimise the damage that can be caused.
Now that we have a better understanding of the effects EDI awareness has on individuals, businesses and industries, we can use the evidence and emerging tools to address shortfalls
The equine profession comprises a very narrow demographic, as does much of the equestrian industry in the UK. While some argue this is just a reality we must accept – that change cannot be forced – it is indisputable that the profession could be more accessible to a wider range of the population. Significant evidence demonstrates improved function, performance, innovation, progress, etc, when businesses, professions and industries increase the variety of their workforce. (Reading Matthew Syed’s Rebel Ideas is a great way to find out more, with the book’s first chapter describing the employment strategies of America’s CIA (Syed, 2021)).
The panel recognised that younger generations of vets are light years ahead of their current employers and older colleagues on this subject and were prepared to challenge the profession where progress isn’t adequate. However, it was emphasised that there should be no shaming of those who make genuine mistakes and much reassurance that we are all still learning.
Practices should […] be encouraged to make statements to flag any ‘overstepping of the mark’ and employ a zero-tolerance policy
Practices should, however, be encouraged to make statements to flag any “overstepping of the mark” and employ a zero-tolerance policy. Everyone was encouraged to adopt an “active allyship” approach, a term used to describe the act of engaging with the subject of EDI and being prepared to act when necessary. With these simple steps we can make the equine profession a safe and inclusive place for all.
Flexible working
The third Unbridled instalment is a live session at BEVA Congress, which will take place during Thursday’s happy hour in the registration area. The topic will be “flexible working”, and given all we have learned about work–life balance and the need for greater cognisance of EDI in the profession, there is an increasing need to resolve the incongruence felt between employees, employers and the clients we serve.
