Our Community

We’ve talked in previous blogs about how much we truly value our people, who we consider to be the heart and soul of our hospital.  For us, that means thinking about how we can ensure that everyone feels part of our mission – ‘to set the standard for small animal referral veterinary care with an ethical conscience’ – and how we can support our people to feel empowered to achieve it.

According to the Harvard Business Review, “when employees feel empowered at work, it’s associated with stronger job performance, job satisfaction and commitment to the organisation”.  We agree with this and believe that having a team that feels empowered will also facilitate the best possible care for our patients.

So, how are we going to ensure that our team feel empowered in their daily roles? And how will this manifest within our working environment?

Firstly, we will ensure that our people have the opportunity to actively participate in the future direction and development of the hospital – we will make sure that everyone has a voice and that everyone is listened to.

We also want our people to feel they have autonomy and responsibility for decision-making in their daily work. We want to empower them to make their own decisions and pave their own path to success. But we are aware that decision-making is not always easy.

So, we will make sure our team have lots of tools, resources, knowledge and information available to help them make their decisions and work towards their goals.  We actively encourage a learning mindset. We have lots of initiatives planned to ensure our people are given the best opportunity to expand their knowledge and both their clinical and non-clinical skills. From thorough and robust training plans, to coaching sessions, to journal clubs, to regular CPD (Continuing Professional Development) events, we are aiming for an environment that nurtures curiosity.

In order for our people to feel truly empowered, we also know that recognition plays a significant and ongoing role. Every single one of our people brings their own unique skill set, knowledge and talents to The Ralph. We are committed to ensuring that our people’s efforts are always recognised. We have some great initiatives planned to ensure that their accomplishments, both inside the workplace and out, are always acknowledged. These range from small, daily thank-you’s through to longer-term programmes to recognise the efforts of our people.

We believe that recognition has the power to enhance wellbeing and to support our mission of providing the best and most compassionate care to our patients at all times.  Which is wonderful news for everyone!

Thanks for reading.

Take care

The Ralph Team