How and why should we talk about pay in the veterinary professions?

Talking about pay in the veterinary professions

We’ve launched our resource, ‘Talking about pay in the veterinary professions’ to advise and guide our members on discussing salary, total reward, pay structures and the importance of transparency surrounding pay.

This guide is aimed at all veterinary professionals, from vets to RVNs, new grads through to employers, and practice managers, with relevant advice for each area. While the full resource is available exclusively to BVA members, we will be sharing certain elements with the wider veterinary community, to provide everyone with support on handling pay.

Why pay transparency is important

We believe workplaces should provide fair and equal pay and benefits for all team members, relevant to their respective roles. They should be transparent, with pay bands for all roles advertised, and a regular review of pay should be carried out to ensure equality and fairness within the team.

There is a direct link between pay transparency and employee fulfilment, as well as retention. This is hugely important in the veterinary sector, as we know recruitment and retention has been a challenge for a long time (1,2), so any ways to improve this need to be seriously considered by the professions.

While being open about pay is generally deemed a good thing, it is worth noting that there may be some trepidation among staff for reasons such as privacy concerns or resentment that other ‘less deserving’ team members are getting paid on a par with them. These issues need to be considered and handled sensitively, but the benefits of pay transparency outweigh the risks.

Pay transparency in recruitment

Pay transparency is garnering traction among businesses, with more and more companies committing to sharing pay and pay scales during the recruitment process, something that anecdotally is seen as vital and a ‘green flag’ when looking for a new role.

There is a strong movement towards greater sharing of pay information. For example, in job adverts, publishing pay levels enables women and other under-represented groups to better judge the fairness of a pay offer (3) . Without an advertised salary, one in five vets and veterinary nurses simply don’t bother to apply (4). However, good practice also means sharing organisational pay structures that enable realistic predictions of pay levels to aim for; and spelling out the processes for making decisions about pay.

Important signs that pay is not always fair

"Good workplaces provide transparent, fair, and equitable pay for all employees, relevant to their respective roles.” BVA Good Veterinary Workplaces policy position

We know that having conversations about pay at work can feel uncomfortable, but this needn’t be the case. Very often we hear of data around pay gaps used as evidence that people are not being paid equitably in all industries. Evidence shows that, although the gender pay gap has improved by around 25% in the last ten years, men continue to earn an average of 15.4% more than women (5) across the UK. Pay gaps are also evident for other protected characteristics: a gap of 16% is seen for LGBT+ workers; and up to 16% for specific minority ethnic groups (6).

So, while we know that pay transparency is not only fair, but key, when it comes to looking for work, how can we tell that salary and reward schemes are just?

To “feel fair”, pay systems must be:

• Transparent - everyone knows how pay is worked out and what this means for them
• Equitable – remuneration and reward are based on your true value to the organisation and worth in relation to others
• Objective - decisions are based on an evaluation of systematic objective criteria*
• Consistent – employees know what to expect and that the goal posts won’t keep moving

*Subjective assessments will also be made in most workplaces, but if they are clearly explained then they can, and should, feed in to pay systems

Whatever your position within a veterinary workplace, it is more apparent than ever that pay transparency and having open conversations around salary and total reward are becoming more prevalent and important to those in the profession. Knowing how to discuss your current pay, understanding the pay structures within your organisation, or being open to implementing positive and equitable changes to the workforce, are facts becoming essential skills for balanced, happy workplaces.

More information

You can find further information in our new resource; Talking about pay in the veterinary professions – a guide for employees, managers, and employers.

References

1. British Veterinary Association, 2017. Brexit and the Veterinary Profession.
2. British Veterinary Association, 2018. “No-deal” Brexit and the Veterinary Profession.
3. BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey, Autumn 2022
4. VetSurgeon.org, 2019
5. Office for National Statistics, 2021
6. Office for National Statistics, 2019