Worker well-being and organisational health in veterinary and human primary care: perspectives of practice managers

Aims: To characterise practice managers’ perspectives on the interplay between worker wellbeing and organisational health in veterinary and human healthcare contexts.

Methods: Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we analysed data from 38 Australian practice managers who completed an anonymous online survey. Participants accessed the survey via links distributed using social media and email. The survey included the General Practice-Organisational Health (GP-OH) measure, along with items on professional duties, perceptions of worker well-being, current and desired supports, and perceived interactions between the two domains of interest. Quantitative analyses were exploratory and descriptive; qualitative responses were characterised using a conventional approach to content analysis.

Results: Practice managers described responsibilities spanning five domains of managing a health clinic: resources, operations, leadership, strategy, and governance. They typically rated staff well-being as “neutral/normal” or “high/good,” based on observations of workers’ health and welfare, team and culture, formal feedback, and employee performance. Ratings of organisational health were similarly favourable, with mean scores above the mid-point of the GP-OH scale. Ratings of staff well-being were positively correlated with GP-OH scores (ρ = 0.59; p < 0.01). Practice managers described a mutually reinforcing relationship between worker well-being and organisational health, centred on team morale, workforce stability, clinical performance, operational efficiency, and financial outcomes. Current organisational strategies to support well-being were primarily reactive and policy-driven, but participants desired more holistic, proactive approaches. Themes were largely consistent across the two health sectors, with some small differences.

Conclusions: Findings were generally consistent with existing models of organisational health and employee well-being, while suggesting important contextual adaptations, particularly to settings outside the USA. Parallels in accounts from veterinary and human health practice managers suggest that organisational and managerial demands are often shared across these settings, with minor variations potentially arising from structural differences between the two sectors.

Clinical relevance: Practice managers are key drivers of organisational and employee welfare, and future efforts to strengthen veterinary workplaces will benefit from engaging them as partners in design and implementation. Interventions to improve professional well-being in veterinary and human healthcare may be most effective when they emphasise social connection, systemic reform, and regular staff check-ins.

Abbreviations: GP-OH: General Practice-Organisational Health; HPM: Human health practice manager; NAM: National Academy of Medicine; PERMA + 4: Positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, physical health, mindset, work environment and economic security; VPM: Veterinary practice manager