Beyond Pizza Parties: Real Appreciation Strategies for Veterinary Teams
This week on The Veterinary Viewfinder, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, slow down the holiday rush to talk about something deceptively simple and surprisingly powerful: gratitude.
As Thanksgiving arrives, many practice owners and managers are asking the same question: What do I do for my staff this year? Yet the podcast reveals a deeper conversation about why traditional gestures, pizza parties, gift cards, and generic thank-yous often fall flat. Beckie shares that “pizza parties are cliché these days.”
Ernie and Beckie break down why authentic appreciation requires more than convenience. They explore the concept of “gratitude love languages,” encouraging leaders to notice how individual team members naturally give and receive appreciation.
Through real examples, from celebrating a shy kennel assistant in a way that made her light up, to publicly acknowledging an associate veterinarian’s hard-won case success on social media, the hosts show how personalized recognition creates lasting impact.
They also tackle the emerging phenomenon Ernie calls “the Great Detachment”. With fewer people job-hopping due to a tightening market, many veterinary professionals aren’t quitting; they’re disengaging. And meaningful gratitude, autonomy, and inclusion may be the antidote.
This episode is a warm, insightful Thanksgiving conversation packed with practical retention strategies, leadership reminders, and heartfelt appreciation for the people who keep veterinary medicine running, especially through the holidays.
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