Culture: The Heart of Animal Health Recruitment

If you’re lucky enough to have a job in the animal health industry, you know that it has a very special culture, driven by innovation and grounded by the bond between animals and their people.

That culture matters to each of us, at any level or pay grade.

In the competitive global animal health jobs market, "culture" is not just a buzzword relegated to an HR manual. For hiring managers and talent acquisition leaders, culture isn't just "the vibe" of the office—it is a measurable driver of retention, performance, and brand reputation.

The Sunday Night Litmus Test

Bill Markein, the founder of Employ Humanity, famously distilled culture down to its most visceral level: "Culture is how employees’ hearts and stomachs feel about Monday morning on Sunday night."

In the animal health industry, we expect our teams—from front line sales and customer relations professionals to senior executives—to bring their full intellectual and emotional capacity to work every day. But here is the biological reality: an employee who feels a sense of dread or even physical illness at the thought of their workplace cannot perform at their peak. When employees feel overwhelmed or unappreciated, their performance suffers, creating a negative spiral for the individual and the organization.

Culture is your strongest retention tool

Jeff Santosuosso, Executive Recruiter at Brakke Consulting, notes that executive candidates consistently probe into company culture when considering a move. They aren't just looking for a title; they are looking for a "home base" where they are valued for their authentic selves.

          “Nearly every senior animal health executive I work with asks about company culture.”

Jeff Santosuosso, Brakke Consulting Executive Recruiter

Interestingly, a recent Animal Health Jobs Attitudinal Survey revealed a startling reality for hiring managers: 41% of employees looking to make a move within animal health are actually happy at work.¹ This suggests that workplace satisfaction is no enough. Leaders must offer more than just stability and compensation; they must provide a culture that offers a sense of belonging and meaningful purpose.

This mirrors broader business trends. Research published by MIT Sloan Management Review assessing 2022’s so-called Great Resignation found that a toxic corporate culture was the single strongest predictor of employee attrition, 10 times more important than compensation.²

Radical Honesty: The "Salsa and Peanut Butter" Rule

One of the biggest mistakes a hiring manager can make is trying to project a "perfect" culture that doesn't actually exist. There is no single "right" culture, even in animal health. Some organizations are hard-charging, high-pressure, and performance-based—similar to the design-centered intensity of Apple. Others are intensely mission-driven and family-friendly, mirroring the environmental stewardship of Patagonia.

The key is to own your identity. If your firm is a fast-paced, goal-focused environment, say so. If you prioritize slow, methodical consensus-building, own that too. A "bad fit" is not a failure on the part of the company or the candidate; it’s simply a mismatch of culture and expectations. Much like salsa and peanut butter, both are excellent on their own, but they rarely belong in the same jar. Being frank about your culture during the interview process prevents unpleasant situations and wasted time for the newly hired employee and the company.

Discuss your culture: Beyond the job description

How do you communicate a feeling? It goes beyond the text of a job posting.

1. Use Video: Recruiting videos are the most effective way to showcase your environment. Post yours on LinkedIn, Indeed, and your company website...wherever you look for candidates. See our post on recruitment videos here.
2. Let Employees Speak: Don't just feature the CEO. Let entry-level individual contributors, mid-level managers, and R&D scientists talk about their daily experiences.
3. Authenticity Matters: Candidates are savvy. If your video looks like a scripted corporate brochure, they will see through it. Keep it real.

The bottom line of belonging

In animal health, our mission is to improve the lives of the animals who share our world. To do that effectively, we must take care of the people who do the work.

Culture is the invisible architecture of any business. Hiring for cultural alignment—not just "likability," but a shared commitment to how work gets done—creates a resilient, high-performing team. It's time to stop treating culture as a "soft" asset and start treating it as the competitive advantage it truly is. After all, if the culture is right, work doesn't feel like a "ruff" day at the office; it feels like a shared mission.

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Hiring the right people means attracting experts who will fit your company culture. Animal Health Jobs can help you find them. Post your open roles with the top animal health and animal nutrition companies.  

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 References

1. Animal Health Jobs. Cultural Challenges: Results of the Animal Health Jobs Spring 2024 Attitudinal Survey. 23 December 2024. Data on File. https://animalhealthjobs.com/blog/5446/cultural-challenges-results-of-the-animal-health-jobs-spring-2024-attitudinal-survey
2. Sull, D. Sull, S. Zweig, B. ‘Toxic Culture is Driving the Great Resignation.’ MIT Sloan Management Review. Published 11 January 2022.