The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has been recognised as one of the best UK workplaces for women, according to the Great Place to Work Institute.
The RCVS was ranked the seventh in the medium-sized company or organisation category (50 to 449 employees) of the Best Workplaces for Women initiative.
This year is the first that the Great Place to Work Institute has run this initiative.
To make the rankings, it looked at a number of factors including the number and proportion of women in leadership positions, pay parity between men and women, workplace policies and how they support female employees, as well as training and development and mentoring.
Commenting on the results, Amanda Boag, RCVS president, said: “I am delighted that the RCVS has been recognised for being an excellent and supportive place for women to work and pleased that the hard work of the team at Belgravia House in this area has been publicly rewarded in this way.
‘Shattering the glass ceiling’
“One of the key themes of my presidential year is diversity and I think it is very important that, as a regulator, we reflect the veterinary profession.”
The profession is currently 63% female for veterinary surgeons and 98% female for veterinary nurses.
With two-thirds of the staff at the RCVS being women it demonstrates that the College is largely reflective of the profession it serves.
“However, it’s not just about the numbers, and with 60% of the senior team at the RCVS being women – including the chief executive and registrar – it demonstrates that the college has developed a culture in which women can shatter the glass ceiling and pursue leadership roles.
“Also, with policies such as flexible working hours, encouragement of home working, shared parental leave and enhanced maternity and paternity pay, the college goes the extra mile to support working parents,” she added.
