Flexible working is on the rise in the veterinary world. With burnout, staff retention and job satisfaction at a crisis point in the professions, providing a more flexible system for staff can be a balm to employees, employers and businesses alike. But in farm practice, where practitioners often work alone and on-farm, implementing flexible working practices can be complicated. So, what can we do as leaders to help smooth the path for flexible working in farm practice?
In this 20-minute Veterinary Women in Leadership podcast, Tia Thomas from Shropshire Farm Vets shares her experiences of flexible working in farm practice and how it relates to leadership with Jessica May from Flexee.
Meet the speakers
Tia Thomas
Following several years working in education welfare, Tia Thomas started her veterinary industry career at Shropshire Farm Vets Ltd at the start of 2009. Over the last 15 years, she has progressed far in her roles and now holds the positions of shareholder and operations director at the practice.
During the last three years, Tia embarked on and completed an MBA, and her dissertation involved a flexible working case study at Shropshire Farm Vets. During this work, she gained valuable insight into the issues and benefits that flexible working offers the various practice roles while balancing the needs of the business.
Jessica May
Jessica May grew up on a farm and started her veterinary career in equine practice. She obtained a Bachelor in Veterinary Sciences (Hons) before completing a Graduate Accelerated Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Hons) programme at the Royal Veterinary College. She is also a board member of the Veterinary Virtual Care Association.
She undertook internships at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic and The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong, where she gained experience in the global racing industry. Driven by a desire to explore the intersection between veterinary medicine, technology and business, Jessica moved into the field of veterinary digital health.
Over the past four years, she has been at the forefront of integrating digital health solutions into veterinary practice: firstly, as the UK lead vet at Swedish-founded telemedicine company FirstVet, and most recently, as customer success team lead at PetsApp. During these roles, Jessica helped ensure that animal owners can readily access care and that veterinary clinics can leverage the power of flexible working.
