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This page covers the benefits, costs involved, and FAQs for the Great Workplaces by BVA accreditation scheme.

By achieving Great Workplaces accreditation, your veterinary workplace will be creating a more supportive, engaging, and effective work environment, resulting in improved retention and employee wellbeing.

become accredited

What are the benefits of Great Workplaces by BVA?

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Enhancing workplace culture

Your workplace will show it has an inclusive, healthy environment, leading to higher job satisfaction and a more positive team atmosphere.

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Improving employee retention

You will be seen as more attractive and supportive by current and potential employees, boosting retention and avoiding recruitment costs.

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Better employee wellbeing

We will suggest ways to better support your team, resulting in happier, healthier employees better equipped for their roles.

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Boosting recruitment

Your workplace will be recognised for its commitment to a positive work culture, making it more appealing to new talent when recruiting.

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Recognition and prestige

Your workplace will show a commitment to best practices and excellence, improving its reputation in the industry and to clients.

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Enhancing leadership and management skills

The accreditation boosts leaders' and managers' confidence and competence, leading to more effective workplace management.

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Supporting development process

We will provide feedback and support to evaluate and improve workplace processes, helping you implement positive changes.

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Encouraging of continuing professional development (CPD)

The accreditation promotes ongoing non-clinical CPD resulting in more well-rounded and confident team members.


How much does it cost?

The cost of the accreditation is based on the size of your veterinary workplace. To request an exact fee or more information, please select your workplace size. 

Small workplace

Up to 25 team members

 

Prices from £990 (+VAT) per year

 

3-year accreditation total cost from £2970 (+VAT)

enquire now

Medium workplace

26 - 75 team members

 

Prices from £1600 (+VAT) per year

 

3-year accreditation total cost from £4800 (+VAT)

enquire now

Large workplace

76 - 149 team members

 

Prices from £2400 (+VAT) per year

 

3-year accreditation total cost from £7200 (+VAT)

enquire now

Does your workplace consist of over 150 team members? Contact us for bespoke pricing.


FAQs

Both clinical and non-clinical veterinary workplaces can apply for the accreditation, and we can accredit workplaces of all sizes.

The whole process takes around 2-3 months on average, but we are flexible and will work around the availability of you and your team.

We have created an Accreditation Framework that comprises 18 themes across 4 areas:

  1. Health & Wellbeing
  2. Leadership & Management
  3. Culture
  4. Learning & Development

You can download the Framework here

Undertaking the Great Workplace accreditation scheme demonstrates to your team that you care about their wellbeing and are committed to investing in them for the long-term. It also shows that you recognise the value of positive workplace culture and how this impacts on retention and recruitment.

Research has proven that workplaces with a strong workplace culture and high employee morale, have much higher staff retention, this is significant when the estimated cost of a staff member leaving and a new member starting is around £10,000. Also, recruitment costs typically range from 15% to 20% of a candidate’s first annual salary, but they can reach as high as 30% for positions that are harder to fill.

This investment is based on the size of your workplace and how many team members you have. To request a quote or for more information please email the Accreditation Manager. Please also refer to our pricing bands below.

Pricing bands for the 3-year accreditation:

  • Small workplace (Up to 25 members) - total cost from £2970
  • Medium workplace (26-75 members) - total cost from £4800
  • Large workplace (76-149 members) - total cost from £7200

Yes, there is Silver or Gold Accreditation. To achieve Silver accreditation, your workplace needs to meet all 18 standards at Silver level, and to achieve Gold, your workplace needs to meet all 18 standards at silver level and at least 15 at Gold.

The accreditation is awarded for 3 years.

Your workplace will receive a detailed feedback report providing you with recommendations for development. We will also signpost you to relevant and useful resources that you can use to develop your workplace practices. After 18 months, we will check in with you to see how things are progressing and see if there is anything we can do to support you further.

Our scheme requires no paperwork or preparation, and unlike other frameworks, our Accreditation Framework has been written by accreditation experts specifically for the veterinary profession. While the scheme is robust, it isn’t an arduous process and on average team members have been taking less than 5 minutes to complete the survey. What also sets us apart from other schemes, is that all our accreditors are vet professionals who understand the challenges of the industry and can fully appreciate the issues your workplace may be facing. Their considerable industry experience means they can provide you with veterinary specific feedback that is both constructive and industry relevant.

The good news is that there is no paperwork involved or any preparation needed in advance! Evidence is gathered from your team members via an anonymous online survey and also through face-to-face interviews. The survey gets sent to all team members, but the percentage of survey completions and interviews carried out depends on the size of your workplace. You will be advised about this during the introduction meeting.

Our accreditation is designed to assess the culture and workplace processes within individual workplaces because we recognise that these can vary dramatically across teams regardless of whether procedures and policies are governed centrally. Therefore, workplaces will be assessed on an individual basis, which means branches owned by the same organisation could achieve different levels of accreditation.  

Currently, we do not plan to roll out the scheme to workplaces overseas. As BVA supports the veterinary profession in the UK, our first priority is implementing the scheme within UK veterinary workplaces.

If you have any queries, get in touch: [email protected]