The pebbles in your shoe

Vet Times

This article explores workplace frustrations and how you can address them.

Quality improvement Communication and teamwork

Workplace frustrations, however small, can sometimes feel insurmountable in these demanding times, and they can prevent us from working at our best. Addressing them together can lift your team’s spirits and help you deliver quality care.

‘Pebbles in your shoe’ are things that don’t work as well as they should, and make it harder for us to work as well as we can. These can fester or combine to affect our wellbeing, and even the quality of care we provide, so stopping to deal with them is time well spent.

What this article covers

The second article in this series introduces the second stage of the Joy in Work framework. It sets out how to tackle seemingly minor aspects of work life that bug our team, and why this can have a major impact on our collective mood – even during the most challenging times. The article covers:

understanding of the formal definition of pebbles in our shoe
effective ways for teams to identify and tackle pebbles
how to encourage participation by all
the variety of roles team members can adopt
practical ways to sustain engagement and improvements.

Read the full article on Vet Times

Further resources

What matters to you: conversation guide for leaders

Adapted from the original IHI framework, this resource is intended to support leaders within the veterinary sector in introducing the Joy in Work concept to their teams. The conversation guide will support you in setting up initial and continuing conversations with your team to identify any workplace frustrations, or ‘pebbles in your shoes’, and to engage and empower the team to identify potential solutions.

Free CPD on getting started with quality improvement

The QI Boxset is an educational series that supports veterinary teams in implementing Quality Improvement (QI) into practice. Each free-to-access Series covers a different QI technique, helping you learn through podcasts, webinars, additional reading, guides, and templates.

The QI Boxset is hosted on the RCVS Knowledge Learn Platform, our dedicated free online learning portal. Courses are designed to be easily accessible and you can pick what you want to read, watch or listen to, working through modules at your own pace. This link will open in a new window and requires registration.

Getting your team on board to deliver quality improvement

Shobhan Thakore, Clinical Lead for the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship Programme at the time of recording, gives an approachable and personal perspective on how to get your team on board to deliver quality improvement. This presentation was an Adapt, Improve, Achieve session by RCVS Knowledge recorded at SPVS-VMG Congress 2020 in Newport as part of the quality improvement stream.

IHI Patient Safety Leadership WalkRounds^TM Tool

Patient Safety Leadership WalkRounds^TMare a systematic method of conducting weekly meetings focused solely on safety concerns. The tool aims to connect senior leaders with those working on the front line — both as a way to highlight safety concerns to senior leadership and to signal to front-line team members the senior leaders’ commitment to creating a culture of safety. Register for free access.