Why generic holiday bonuses might be backfiring, and the retention strategy you need to ensure your best staff show up in 2026.
We call it the "December Dash." The lobby is overflowing, holiday budgets are stretched, and your team is running on caffeine and candy canes.
In the middle of this exhausting chaos, it’s tempting for practice owners and managers just to put their heads down and grind toward the year’s finish line. We tell ourselves, “I’ll focus on culture in January. Right now, we just need to survive.”
But here is the hard truth I’ve learned over thirty years of veterinary practice: How you lead in December determines who shows up in January.
We are ending 2025 in a unique labor market. The "Great Resignation" has cooled. What many clinics feel now is a kind of "Great Detachment." Veterinary professionals aren’t walking out the door anymore; instead, they are checking out while working on the floor.
They are detaching from the mission, stalling out on their professional progress, and losing that vital emotional connection to the quality of their work. They are still physically in the building, but they feel like cogs in a machine rather than caregivers on a mission.
This month, I want you to view gratitude not as a "soft skill" or a holiday obligation, but as your single most effective retention strategy for 2026. And no, I don’t mean a pizza party.
The End of "One Size Fits All" Gratitude
The era of "cookie-cutter appreciation" is over. We used to default to generic rewards because they were scalable and easy. But in the current labor market, "easy" implies "uncaring."
To win the employee retention game in 2026, we must upgrade from the Golden Rule to the "Platinum Rule."
The Golden Rule ("Treat others how you want to be treated") has a hidden blind spot: it assumes your employees want the same things you do. The Platinum Rule flips this: Treat others how they want to be treated.
This shift requires you to stop guessing and start asking. Does your quiet assistant fancy a big celebration, or would they prefer a private handwritten note? Do your receptionists crave cupcakes, or do they dream of flexible scheduling? Does your associate really want a public media shout-out, or are they desperate for a dedicated mentorship hour to debrief on tough cases?
A personalized reward proves you see them as individuals, not just hired help. That distinction will determine who stays with you next year.
Be the Shield: Reducing Holiday Friction
If you want to keep your team from burning out this month, you have to protect them from the blast radius of stressed-out clients.
December creates a perfect winter storm: clients are battling sticker shock, their pets are sick, and everyone’s patience (like your schedule) is maxed out.
This is the month for leaders to be highly visible. Stand firmly behind your Client Code of Conduct. If you don’t have one, draft a simple one-page policy using the AVMA Principles or WSAVA Code of Conduct as your framework. Remind your team that great service is a two-way street built on mutual respect.
If a conversation escalates, leaders and managers must step in early to de-escalate. Your team needs to know you have their back so they can focus on patient care, not conflict.
On the medical side, encourage your doctors to embrace incremental care. Don't expect them to insist on a "gold standard" workup that the client clearly doesn’t want or can't afford, especially on the night before Christmas.
Remind them that pivoting quickly to a "Plan B or C" isn’t “lesser” medicine. It is empathy, and it helps preserve the team's emotional reserves for the next patient.
Wrappings and Write-offs: The Business Pivot
Finally, we can’t ignore the business reality. You are a practice owner, not just a practitioner. While you are investing in your team, you also need to secure the clinic’s financial future.
We are in the final sprint for Section 179 tax deductions. If you’ve been eyeing that new in-clinic analyzer that would speed up your technicians' workflow, remember that IRS rules generally require equipment to be placed in service, not just purchased, by midnight on December 31st to qualify for the 2025 deduction.
Use this time to review your 401(k) and Safe Harbor funding. (Confirm all deadlines with your accountant.)
Maximizing these employer contributions is the rare win-win: you lower your corporate tax liability while boosting your team’s most critical long-term benefit: their financial security. That’s a "thank you" that lasts longer than any holiday fruitcake.
The 2026 Challenge
I’ll leave you with this challenge: Make listening your first strategic move of 2026.
There is no better time to "re-recruit" your current team than the start of a new year. Instead of assuming you know what they value, simply ask them.
In January, conduct "Stay Interviews." Ask your key players two questions: “What keeps you here? What is one thing that would make your job 10% better next month?”
You might find that the answer isn’t a massive raise, but a flexible schedule change or that new instrument you discussed.
You might find that the real win was simply that you asked.
Finish 2025 strong, not just in revenue, but in relationships. The chaos will pass, but the culture you forge under pressure will last.
Dr. Ernie Ward
Chief Veterinary Officer, VerticalVet
PS - If you have any questions or suggestions for “The Altitude,” please email them to me at
Quote I’m Contemplating
"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946, American novelist and playwright)
We often feel grateful for our teams but assume they know it. They don’t. Unless you vocalize it, write it, or show it, your gratitude is invisible. In the high-pressure cooker of veterinary clinic chaos, silence can be interpreted as indifference. Break the silence. Say the words. Thank you. (You’re welcome.)