'Vets are four times more likely to take their own life than the general population, so wellbeing is a really big priority for us,' says CPO
Are employers doing enough to protect staff mental health? A recent survey suggests some gains, but more work is needed.
Two-thirds or 65% of 1,100 full-time employees in the US are suffering from burnout, a reduction from the 69% reported the previous year, according to a survey by isolved. And while the study was done overseas, it helps give an insight into an issue that’s front of mind for HR globally.
At VetPartners - which has practices across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore - matters of mental health and burnout are a significant issue.
“We have a statistic that is quite alarming in that vets are four times more likely to take their own life than the general population, so wellbeing is a really big priority for us,” says Michelle Phipps, CPO at VetPartners, which took the title for Best Health and Wellbeing Programme in the HR Awards 2023.
“Right now, the vet industry is experiencing a talent shortage and [in addition] we’ve just come out of COVID where a lot of Australians bought pets that initially needed quite a lot of vaccines and early treatment, and are now getting older. Our vets and folks working in our clinics are quite burnt out and fatigued. That is why psychological safety, mental health and wellbeing has been a really big focus for us.”
A number of strategies to help combat burnout have been implemented across the organisation, which includes 1200 vets and 3500 nurses across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, she says.
“The first is, we have mapped every safety and wellbeing risk in our organisation and put that on a heat map. The aim of this has been to apply a framework that looks at whether we’re compliant, progressive or industry-leading in a number of areas. We've moved beyond compliance to progressive in many of these and are just touching industry-leading in some of these as well.”
As part of this, practice managers are trained to talk about safety, and they play the biggest role in cultivating a safety culture, says Phipps. Operations team members are integral too in checking each clinic’s safety standards, wellbeing and safety support. The organisation also makes good use of EAP and has a partnership with Lifeline.
Another key focus, says Phipps, has been ensuring over 90% of clinics have a mental health first aider, as well as taking a proactive strategy around psychological safety.
“Psychosocial hazard mitigation, education, support for vets’ mental health and resilience from client abuse have all been a focus,” says Phipps, who explains that a surprising number of staff find themselves dealing with clients who turn abusive.
“Some are having the worst day where they are grieving and have economic pressures where they’re not able to afford treatments they'd like to give their pets, and sometimes that pressure is released through client aggression.”
Helping to cultivate the best work environment has involved managing client expectations, including posters to remind people that clinic staff are people too and deserve to be treated well, she says.
Crucial in preventing further burnout has been giving emphasis to role clarity and creating an environment where employees know they can rely on other team members. Attention to these areas is paying off, says Phipps, with engagement levels in the latest survey having risen to 82% from the previous result of 75%.
“In terms of employees considering [that] VetPartners cares about their safety and wellbeing, the result reached 83%, and in a number of clinics was 100%.”
Having a holistic culture has helped the success of the organisation’s wellbeing strategy, she says.
“It's not just about safety compliance or just about psychosocial hazards - it's really about a culture of safety, where people feel confident to speak up, where people can be themselves.
“People’s sense of belonging in our surveys is 86% so that covers people who feel valued contributing and making a difference, where role clarity and empowerment contributes to people's sense that they aren't alone, that they have a team to back them up, and that they don't have to shoulder the load themselves.”
VetPartners has also contributed to the strategy on mental health in the industry in alignment with the Australian Veterinary Association, she says.
“A lot of those strategies we've actually already adopted and we're very keen to work alongside the association to improve the industry and community as a whole to build a stronger practice and clinical standards of care.”
In an industry experiencing a talent shortage, high levels of engagement and a feeling of safety and wellbeing are paramount to the employee experience and incoming candidates, says Phipps.
“Having a great culture and clinic will be the best talent attraction we have. And it will be the best retention strategy too that will ensure that great talent doesn't leave. So I think wellbeing in that regard will continue to be front and centre for us, as will the safety heatmaps, culture and focus on mental health.”
