Summary of Journey You Own Projects
Curiosity stirs INSIGHT
Research
A National Study & Report on Findings
Work and working conditions are essential contributors to social inequality and health disparities, as work exposes individuals to a wide variety of physical, environmental, and psychosocial factors that can influence health. We know from research in other fields that common psychosocial stressors like job strain, the combined experience of too little task control and high levels of demand with little workplace social support, affect health in a variety of negative ways. We are seeing the impact of these work and workplace factors across the animal welfare industry in the form of high suicide rates, burnout, and an unprecedented exodus of workers from the field. Unfortunately, little research has been done to obtain an evidence-based analysis of the general state of well-being of animal welfare workers industry-wide. It is crucial that we address this gap in knowledge so that we have a comprehensive understanding of the factors which are negatively impacting worker well-being and the extent to which those factors are causing harm. This understanding will lead to identifying ways in which harm-causing factors may be mitigated by changes in the workplace which support worker well-being and foster a culture of workplace health that advance health equity for low- to middle-wage workers in animal welfare.
This project seeks to assess the health and well-being of low and middle wage workers in animal welfare in the U.S in order to investigate the impact of animal welfare employee experience and determine effective ways for employers to support worker well-being in a fair and equitable manner through considered and systematic workplace change.
Pilot Study: A cross-sectional survey of employees at 10 animal welfare organizations
Workers in the animal welfare industry experience occupational stressors that place them at disproportional risk for depression, anxiety, and even suicide. While little research exists which identifies and thoroughly explores these stressors, we know from anecdotal evidence and industry-wide reports that workers cite high levels of stress and trauma, overwork, working conditions that include poor team environments, job strain, and negative spillovers from work to other domains as factors which negatively impact worker mental health. In turn, declining worker health is contributing to high rates of turnover, understaffing, compassion fatigue, depression, and other issues which are inhibiting the ability of organizations to effectively execute their life saving programs. Unfortunately, the animal welfare industry has been slow to implement workplace reforms that may lead to the creation of a wellness culture, including mental health support or training. Individual workers are left to seek and obtain mental health resources on their own, however many of them face barriers to mental healthcare access. Low economic status, working conditions which include non-standard hours, social stigma around mental health issues, and pre-existing mental health challenges are some of the factors which contribute to animal welfare workers being vulnerable to barriers of mental healthcare access.
This project seeks to discover how prevalent barriers to mental healthcare access are within the animal welfare industry and to identify the most common barriers experienced by animal welfare workers.
Literature Review of Animal Welfare Employee Health and Wellbeing
Describes and appraises previous work and the current gaps in knowledge regarding the health and wellbeing of employees in the animal welfare industry, paying particular attention to occupational stressors and mental health.
This project seeks to summarize the key points of the available literature and identify the gaps in knowledge which may advise future research and exploration in this area.
Literature Review of Mental Health Factors
Review of mental health factors researched by professional organizations and universities on the factors involved impacting the mental health of veterinary professionals in High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter Clinics, Low-Cost Clinics, and Community Clinics.
National survey including qualitative and quantitative data along with publication of findings
A national study exploring the mental well-being of veterinary medical professionals working in access to care models, low-cost clinics, and other high-volume or shelter settings. The aim of this study is to better understand the psychosocial factors and their effects faced by veterinary medical professionals in these settings.
With this knowledge, informed decisions leading to positive changes in workplace well-being can better support veterinarians seeking to provide greater access to care for patients. The results of this study will provide insights that will help anticipate, adapt to, and influence veterinary medicine and access to care in the future.
AI Applications in Veterinary Medicine
Examine the research applications of AI in medical professions outside of veterinary medicine to see if there are potential solutions to the access to care problem within the space of deep learning, machine learning, and AI technologies.
Cross-sectional survey including qualitative and quantitative components of recent graduates
Investigates the abilities of veterinarians having graduated within the last 3 years to practice across a wide spectrum of care in order to identify real and perceived challenges to providing effective health-care options for pets and controlling related costs.
Case Study on 3 Shelters
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, recent research has shown a direct link between customer experience and employee experience, suggesting that improvements in employee satisfaction can drive increases in customer satisfaction and revenue. While animal sheltering organizations do not always measure mission success in terms of revenue, other key metrics such as programmatic outcomes, life-saving rates, and donor engagement, are also deeply dependent on customer experience. For an animal sheltering organization, customers may be donors, volunteers, adopters, or anyone receiving services from programs such as those advocated by Human Animal Support Services. Because customers who have a positive experience are more likely to participate in programs and services and build a loyal support base, improving customer experience is a primary concern for many animal welfare organizations. Despite this concern and the research in the for-profit space supporting a link between customer experience and employee experience, little research has been done to explore the role of employee experience in impacting mission success through improved customer experience in animal welfare organizations. Can organizations better advance their missions by investing in their employee experience and ensuring that those who deliver programs and services are themselves happy supporters of the organization?
This project seeks to determine the primary drivers of wellbeing in animal shelter employees, and whether we can use that knowledge to improve employee experience thereby increasing performance in key metrics through improved customer experience.
COMPASSION REFLECTS AWARENESS
Contemplative Practices
Maddie’s Fund University
Contemplative Practices to Increase Personal Wellbeing – An Introductory Course
An introduction to contemplative practices that support the welfare of those people working in animal shelters to increase their emotional and mental capacity to save animal lives.
Online, Self-paced Leadership Course
Leadership course: How organizations can build a culture of wellness through workplace reforms and contemplative practices.
Online, Self-paced course on Contemplative Practices
Contemplative practices for Veterinarian and Technicians
- Why contemplative practices are important to health and wellbeing
- Why implementing contemplative practices will help your business
- What contemplative practices are
- How to implement them in private practice setting/how to support your staff by incorporating these practices in the working day.
Online, Self-paced course
How contemplative practices can help support outreach efforts.
Monthly Meditation Gathering
A 1 hour meditation session to create a shared, supportive space to explore grounding practices. Click here to learn more.
Morning Meditation Practice
A 30 minute guided meditation session to explore the meditation practices introduced during the meditation gatherings. Click here to learn more.
BIPOC Meditation Gathering
Similar to the Monthly Meditation Gathering, this offering is intended to create a shared supportive space to explore grounding practices for BIPOC individuals. Click here to learn more.
Self-paced, guided meditations
A collection of guided meditations published on a public platform for individuals to explore and practice on their own.
Insight-Awareness-Evolution Podcast
A podcast mini series (20 podcast episodes, interview/discussion format) which focuses on telling the stories of people in the animal welfare industry who have been impacted by these deep-rooted systems. In sharing their stories, we hope to highlight and support the ways in which they are pushing barriers as well as explore what a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive animal welfare movement looks like.
Journey You Own Spiritual Journeys
Twenty podcast episodes and interviews to support individuals to discover their journey of courage, curiosity and compassion through spoken stories, audio media and podcasts while facilitating conversations that promote spiritual growth and social change.
Other Podcast Series Ideas
• Trauma informed grounding practices
• Individuals in mission-driven fields that utilize grounding practices daily
• Spirituality in mission-driven fields
• Youth in mission-driven fields
• Staying dedicated and authentic to yourself in mission-driven work
COURAGE MANIFESTS EVOLUTION
Action
Culture of Contemplative Practices
For leaders of organizations to create a wellness culture by integrating contemplative practices into operational systems and improving employee experience.
Pre-Vet, Online Certification
Leadership course: How organizations can build a culture of wellness through workplace reforms and contemplative practices.