This veterinary clinic is covering their employees’ healthcare in full

Healthcare is more than just a privilege for veterinary service Bond Vet’s employees — now it’s a right.

In an effort to show their commitment toward employee well-being, the pet health company has announced that it will offer 100% healthcare coverage — meaning that there's no deduction taken out of an employee's paycheck — to every member of their team as part of their standard benefits package, according to a press release.

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“The veterinary industry is unfortunately notoriously known for really high levels of burnout and a higher rate of suicide,” says Olivia Wicik, Bond Vet’s Director of People. “Knowing this information, we wanted to support our employees in a way that's really meaningful to them and paid healthcare is at the top of that list.”

Burnout is rampant among employees in the veterinary industry, often with devastating consequences. Female veterinarians were 3.5 times as likely and male veterinarians were 2.1 times as likely to die from suicide as the general population, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Ensuring employees have access to extensive mental health resources, as well as a full suite of other health and wellness needs, was the primary driver when offering this benefit, Wicik says. While the fully paid coverage is only available for one of the company’s available healthcare plans, Bond Vet will pay up to $7,000 toward the cost of another plan that may better suit an employee’s needs.

The hope is that this new benefit — as well as the 16-week parental leave the company launched in 2019 — makes their staff of 200 employees feel not only heard, but validated.

“No one should have to worry about whether they can or can't afford medical coverage,” Wicik says. “We want them to be able to do the best of their ability — and providing meaningful benefits will allow them to do that.”