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Name: Vets for Pets Blackwood Type: Small Animal Practice Team members:Ìý22

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Vets for Pets Blackwood, a small animal and exotic practice located in Caerphilly, South Wales, sought Great Workplaces accreditation as part of its commitment to fostering a positive and supportive team culture. With Practice Manager Clair Price guiding the initiative, the 22-staff clinic aimed to celebrate its existing achievements whilst identifying areas for continued growth. This accreditation gave the team the perfect platform to both recognise its strengths and focus on enhancing workplace environment even further.Ìý

Why Vets for Pets Blackwood chose to participateÌý

For Vets for Pets Blackwood, building and maintaining a positive team culture had always been a priority. Clair shared her motivation for pursuing accreditation: "We dedicate a lot of time to making sure everyone feels included and valued. When we learned about this accreditation, we saw it as a great opportunity to showcase what we’re doing well and identify where we can be even better."Ìý

The leadership team wanted to ensure they were taking all the right steps to build a workplace where everyone felt supported, and Great Workplaces offered the ideal framework to assess and grow its efforts.Ìý

The Accreditation process – a supportive approachÌý

The Great Workplaces accreditation process at Vets4Pets Blackwood was clear and well-organised. The team found the communication from the Great Workplaces accreditor helpful in guiding it through each step, from survey to interviews. Team members were given the opportunity to participate, and the flexible interview structure allowed for individual or paired discussions, ensuring everyone felt comfortable.Ìý

"The process was intense but positive," Clair noted. "The accreditors were approachable and professional, making it easy for everyone to get involved. They really took the time to understand our team."Ìý

Key takeaways – feedback that fuels growthÌý

For Vets for Pets Blackwood, the most valuable part of the accreditation was the detailed feedback report. It highlighted the team’s strengths, such as recognising management’s efforts to offer flexibility, both formally and informally. The team also viewed their leaders, particularly their manager, as positive role models, crediting their leadership skills and caring approach as central to the workplace culture. In addition to highlighting strengths, the report provided clear guidance on areas for improvement, like implementing a more formal and consistent appraisal process for all staff and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to take breaks. Clair appreciated that the feedback was constructive and didn’t frame areas for development as failures, but rather opportunities to grow.Ìý

"The feedback gave us clarity on our ‘Working Towards’ status and how it’s a sign of our commitment to building a great workplace," Clair explained. "We were able to discuss ideas on how to tackle the areas needing attention, with a clear plan for moving forward."Ìý

The team is now focused on making improvements based on the feedback, with plans to strive for Silver accreditation in just 6-12 months.Ìý

Final thoughtsÌý

Reflecting on the process, Clair expressed pride in her team’s strong dynamic and the positive impact the accreditation has had. "We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved, and this process has opened our eyes to areas where we can improve even more. Creating a great environment for our team is key, and I’d recommend Great Workplaces to any practice that wants to invest in their people."Ìý

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