2 Sept 2020
In her latest COVID Diary, Nat Scroggie ponders whether the pandemic gave many the chance to assess their work.
Nat Scroggie
Job Title
Image © Tim / Adobe Stock
I remember, in early March, thinking the changes to IR35 were the worst thing that could possibly happen. I definitely did not see the pandemic coming.
The leaky sieve of the UK veterinary workforce has been at the forefront of discussion for a long time. Despite growing numbers of students coming out of our vet schools, we seem to have a huge shortage of experienced veterinary surgeons in the UK. No one knows exactly where they go.
How will the effects of the pandemic impact our already fragile profession? I do not think anyone knows the answer to this just yet, but there is nothing like a global crisis to help focus our minds on what is important. Maybe this will be the legacy COVID‑19 leaves us.
If nothing else, it burst into our lives like a giant red STOP sign and forced us all to re-evaluate. For some of us, we realised we wanted to prioritise spending more time with our loved ones – that work was not as important as we had thought. For others, work was the saviour after being stuck at home with little structure or purpose.
Many of us have had the chance to try out new ways of working – whether that is different hours, new protocols or incorporating some working from home.
I know for a proportion of my colleagues, the strain and exhaustion of working through lockdown has exacerbated existing unhappiness in their jobs. It will likely be the thing that finally forces them to leave (hopefully their current job, not the profession altogether). But is that such a bad thing?
Maybe we needed something as major as a pandemic to shake up the old routines. They definitely needed the shake.
As we re-evaluate what is important to us, and what truly makes us happy, how many of us will find our way on to the right path quicker than we otherwise may have? Surviving frightening experiences often gives us the bravery we need to take big leaps, and great things can come from big leaps.
We have all learned a lot about ourselves over the past six months, but we have also learned a lot about those around us, not least from our leaders.
As a locum, I have seen COVID‑19 protocols approached brilliantly – putting the health and well‑being of the staff above all else, while continuing to provide the best service possible. I have also seen overworked, undervalued teams who do not feel safe or protected in their workplace.
If I was looking for a job anytime soon, the first question I would ask would be how the workplace looked after its staff during lockdown; it would tell me all I needed to know.
I desperately hope the strain COVID‑19 has placed on our profession does not cause us to lose too many people.
But I also hope it will help us all to take the time to reflect on our values and give us the bravery to seek them out.
Life is too short not to.
