Veterinary team management: how to build a practice people want to work for

Good veterinary team management starts with a working day your team can reasonably complete. That means allowing time for patient care and the work around it, then making sure people can get help when they need it.

The reasons for paying attention are clear. In the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' 2024 survey, veterinary surgeons who intended to leave the profession cited poor work-life balance (56%) and chronic stress (54%) among their reasons.

As a practice owner or manager, you have decisions to make about those conditions every day. How many appointments should you book when a nurse is off sick? Who takes over a difficult client conversation? What happens after someone tells you they're struggling?

A practice people want to work for needs dependable answers.

Plan the diary around all the work

Allow time for clinical records, client callbacks and handovers alongside appointments. Include the less visible jobs, such as cleaning equipment and checking stock, when you work out what the team can reasonably manage.

Start with a small review. For 2 weeks, record actual finishing times and missed breaks across the team. Ask people which tasks regularly continue after their scheduled hours and where delays begin.

Use that information to adjust the diary. For example, you could trial a protected callback period if vets regularly return routine calls after their shifts. Agree who can book into that period and under what circumstances.

Breaks need practical cover. Identify who will answer the phone, monitor patients or take over reception while a colleague steps away. The British Veterinary Association's workplace guidance recommends protected breaks, predictable working hours and recognition for work beyond contracted hours.

Agree a plan for short-staffed days, too. Name the person who can change routine bookings, and make sure reception knows how to get a clinical decision about urgent requests.

Review appointment capacity against the skills available on that shift. Consider supervision needs and the experience of the people working together.

Make pay and rota decisions understandable

Give employees a clear explanation of how pay is decided. Set out the responsibilities and experience associated with each salary range, along with the process for reviewing someone's pay.

The BVA recommends fair pay and benefits across the team, appropriate to each person's role.

Put a review date in the diary and prepare for the conversation. Look at changes in responsibility, relevant market information and what the practice can afford. Explain the decision directly, including any limits.

Check existing employees' pay when recruiting into a similar role. Where there are differences, be ready to explain the job-related reasons and address inconsistencies.

Apply the same care to the rota. Publish it far enough ahead for people to organise their lives, and agree how weekends, late shifts and last-minute changes will be shared.

Invite requests for different working arrangements through a clear process. Discuss cover requirements with the person involved and consider a trial where an arrangement looks workable. Include a review date so both sides can assess how it affects the working week.

Give every role clear responsibilities

Write down who is responsible for recurring tasks and decisions. Start with the ones that regularly cause confusion.

For example, agree who contacts clients about outstanding results, who checks that discharge information is ready and who decides whether an extra appointment can be accepted. Make the arrangements accessible to locums and new starters.

Ask veterinary nurses which parts of their training they have opportunities to use. Discuss any changes with the clinical team, including the time, equipment and support required.

In the UK, delegation must follow the relevant professional requirements. RCVS guidance requires vets delegating Schedule 3 procedures to consider the nurse's qualifications and experience, the procedure's risks, and the availability of assistance.

Give reception staff clear boundaries and a named clinical contact for questions. Include them when changing booking arrangements or client communication processes.

Keep handovers specific. Record what needs to happen next, who is responsible and when it needs to happen. A short discussion at the start of a shift can then concentrate on patients needing particular attention and any gaps in cover.

Give managers clear authority as well. A head nurse responsible for organising the nursing team needs to know which staffing decisions they can make and which require approval.

Respond properly when someone raises a concern

Make time for private conversations before concerns become formal complaints. A regular one-to-one gives each employee a scheduled opportunity to discuss workload or ask for support.

Ask questions they can answer from experience: "Which part of your week is hardest to manage?" or "Is there anything you've raised that we still need to resolve?"

Listen through the answer. Ask for examples, explain what you'll do next and agree when you'll come back to them. Keep a brief record of actions and review it at the next meeting.

Set clear expectations for behaviour across the practice. The BVA's workplace principles call for fair treatment and no tolerance of bullying, harassment or discrimination. Apply those expectations to senior clinicians and managers as well as newer employees.

When addressing poor performance, describe the behaviour precisely. For example: "The discharge notes were incomplete on these 2 occasions. Let's review what happened and agree how they'll be completed before collection."

Check whether the person understood the task and had the time and training to complete it. Agree the required standard, any support needed and a date to review progress.

Give managers training and scheduled time for these conversations. Include a route for employees to raise concerns about their own manager.

Client behaviour needs a clear response, too. Decide who takes over when a conversation becomes abusive, how staff can request help and how incidents will be recorded. Follow up with the employee afterwards and address any immediate safety concerns.

Put support and development in the working week

Give new starters a named person to approach for help. Explain who provides cover when that person is absent, and arrange regular opportunities to discuss how the first few weeks are going.

For new graduates, agree the clinical support available on each shift. Make sure the supervising clinician knows about the arrangement and has time to provide it.

The BVA's workplace framework includes mentoring, career development and learning opportunities for employees across the organisation.

Turn those commitments into scheduled activity. When you approve continuing professional development, agree the time away, any cover needed and how the person will use what they learn.

A nurse interested in developing their anaesthesia skills, for example, may need supervised practice after a course. Arrange that support before booking the training. A receptionist taking on responsibility for complaints may need practice conversations and access to a manager when handling difficult cases.

Discuss progression individually. Ask what the person would like to become more confident doing and what responsibilities interest them. Review any changes to their role description and pay as those responsibilities develop.

Allow room for support after difficult cases as well. Following a distressing euthanasia or patient outcome, check privately whether the employee needs a break, a conversation or another form of support. Respect their preference about talking, and make confidential support options easy to find.

Recruit for the job you can deliver

Describe the working arrangements plainly in job adverts and interviews. Include the salary range, hours and weekend commitments. Explain any sole-charge work and how clinical support operates.

Give candidates enough detail to judge whether the role suits them. A promise of mentoring should come with an explanation of who provides it and when it happens.

Be equally clear about current difficulties. A candidate joining during a staffing shortage should understand the vacancies, the cover arrangements and how the practice is managing demand.

Use consistent interview questions to assess the work the person will do. Ask how they would handle an incomplete handover or a disagreement about workload. Invite them to ask questions of the colleagues they would work with.

Prepare their first month before they arrive. Arrange introductions and access to the systems they'll need. Schedule check-ins, and adjust their workload while they learn local procedures.

Return to the promises made during recruitment at those check-ins. Ask whether the support and working arrangements match what was discussed, then address any differences.

Choose a change your team will notice

At your next team meeting, ask everyone to identify one recurring problem that makes their working day harder. Give people a private way to respond as well.

Choose a specific issue you have the authority and resources to address. Assign responsibility for the change and agree a review date.

For example, if reception staff regularly miss lunch because cover is uncertain, trial a named cover arrangement for 4 weeks. Record whether breaks happen and ask both the reception team and the people providing cover how it works.

At the review, decide whether to keep or adjust the arrangement. Tell the team what happened, including anything that remains unresolved. Then agree the next action and who will carry it out.