We’ve entered The Investors in People Awards this year because we really wanted to celebrate how far our practice has come to date on our IIP journey. We’ve been part of the IIP community since 2013. Each assessment period has brought its own unique and rewarding growth experiences. Even though we’ve been a platinum accredited business in our last three assessments, this year’s platinum award has been particularly special for us.
50% of our employees were relatively new to our business at the time of our 2024 assessment: several employees had left to start families or pursue new challenges in quick succession and we’d also expanded our team and practice facilities.
We work really hard on creating a workplace culture where mutually agreed core values are championed. And we love to support individuals to follow their own niche interests to help to empower, inspire and drive positive practice change. To read in our IIP report that our assessor felt it was, “outstanding how quickly these new starters have developed emotional connections with 387 Vets, describing a strong sense of belonging and ability to contribute,” and that “It is widely claimed that the team is the strongest it has ever been,” was heart-swelling. Having a happy, motivated workplace is what matters most to us. The bottom line then takes care of itself.
Even though we’re now a team of 27 and are currently going through what may well be our last of three big extension projects since our opening, we’re extremely excited about the future. There’s still so much we can achieve. Completing The Investors in People Awards application has helped consolidate in our minds who we are and where we’re going, and showcases the amazing people we’re journeying with!
It’s amazing validation of initiatives we’ve implemented to include, support and grow team members as well as push the business forwards. As directors, we’re incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for Employer of the Year in our category by an experienced IIP panel. It’s recognition, not just within own-industry, of what we, the team and the business have achieved, but achievement at a much higher, holistic business level. We’re passionate supporters of the IIP framework. To be identified as a stand-out amongst other Platinum accredited organisations is just wow! Our team were over the moon when we were re-accredited as We invest in people platinum this year and it was cause for big celebration as a practice family. This is one step further!
I think we’d be speechless! We see what we do in practice to get the best from team and each other as normal for us, and have to pinch ourselves that we’re on the shortlist for a big award. Winning would be immense and a great springboard for continuing to motivate us all to do what we do well and to keep improving. We have a strong sense of care, belonging and appreciation at work. This would bring us even closer together.
Recruitment-wise, it’s a great advertisement for us in an industry that places a strong emphasis on mental health at work given the pressures and emotional challenges we face on a daily basis and the higher-than-average suicide rate amongst vets. Showing we are very much about the people, about living our values and about making the workplace better really matters. Winning at The Investors in People Awards would absolutely endorse this and, as far as we know, we’d be the first vet practice to achieve this.
We network with other veterinary practices on a regular basis which we find incredibly useful. Listening to presentations and talking to people from outside our industry who are invested in positive workplace change is also really uniting and inspiring. It’s a great opportunity to share and compare, it emphasises that you are very much part of a bigger community of like-minded people and it drives you to do better and be better.
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