VetLed Civility Saves Lives Campaign

Campaign Summary

The Aim

The aim of the VetLed Civility Saves Lives Campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of civility and focus on the positive steps we can take to reduce the frequency of incivility in veterinary practice.

The VetLed Civility Programme offers practices in-person bespoke training to support your whole veterinary team.

The Facts

The “Behaviour in Veterinary Practice” Survey (2017) by vetsurgeon.org and vetnurse.co.uk found:

• 73% of respondents have been belittled in front of other staff
• 65% of respondents have been criticised minutely
• 54% of practice managers have been shouted or screamed at
• 48% of nurses have felt deliberately excluded or ignored

Incivility is defined as rude or unsociable speech or behaviour.

The most important thing to remember is that rudeness is defined by how the recipient interprets it, regardless of the intent.

Rudeness can take many forms — it can be insidious or blatant and may include:

• Verbal aggression
• Blaming
• Inappropriate humour
• Closed body language
• Public humiliation

In another survey of doctors and nurses, 75% identified bad behaviours within their teams that led to medical errors, and 25% believed these behaviours contributed to patient deaths.

Why We Are So Passionate About Civility

We often feel that rudeness and incivility are “just part of the job” in stressful workplaces.

However, developing civility is critical to performance and patient care.

Porath and Pearson (2013) found that:

• 80% of recipients of incivility lose time worrying about it afterwards
• 38% deliberately reduce the quality of their work
• 78% reduce their commitment to work

Civility really does save lives.

In leadership, we must consider the wider impact of incivility — clients may be 75% less enthusiastic about an organisation after witnessing incivility.

It Matters for Teams

Rayner:

25% of bullied victims and 20% of witnesses leave their jobs.

It Matters for Clients

With the veterinary profession facing significant recruitment issues, it is vital that we take active steps to reduce incivility.

It Matters for Practices

Healthy workplace culture improves retention, morale, and client satisfaction.

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The Solution: A Balanced Approach

Individual

• Make an effort to adopt and exhibit civil behaviour as a non-negotiable part of our character.
• Ask yourself: “Could what I am saying be interpreted as rude?”
  • If yes, apologise — even if only to avoid being misunderstood.
• Be aware of the impact of your thoughts, actions, and words.
• Acknowledge your responsibility to ease others’ experiences.
• Call out incivility with compassion.

Team

• Excel in teamwork to reduce external stressors that may lead to incivility.
• Nominate a civility champion.
• Get your team bought in — explain why civility matters to them.
• Discuss the topic at practice meetings or during lunch-and-learn sessions.

Organisation

• Avoid employing individuals who have exhibited uncivil behaviours in the past.
• Consider adopting a zero-tolerance policy.
• Ensure disclosed core values are upheld.
• Book a VetLed Civility Programme workshop.
• Download and display free posters to reinforce positive culture.

What Can I Do?

We believe the VetLed Civility Saves Lives Campaign will have a positive impact on your team.

It aims to help establish a culture in which all members feel safe at work — where everyone supports each other to perform at their best and provide the highest level of patient care.

Positive team dynamics and healthy relationships are essential for high-performing veterinary teams. Tackling incivility is critical to achieving this.

Every practice is different — please consider how to apply this campaign safely and effectively in your workplace.

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Download our Civility Saves Lives practice poster by clicking the button at the top of the page!

For more information or support, contact info@vetled.co.uk.

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