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The Opposite of Inclusion Isn’t the Absence of Discrimination
In veterinary workplaces, we often hear well-meaning leaders say things like: “We treat everyone the same here.”, “We don’t tolerate discrimination.” or “Everyone is welcome.”
While these measures lay the groundwork, they do not constitute inclusion. Inclusion is not the mere lack of discrimination — It is the intentional cultivation of safety, access, and belonging at every level.
The Floor vs the Ceiling
Let’s call non-discrimination what it is: a professional baseline, the legal minimum, the floor.
Inclusion is something else entirely. It’s the ceiling we’re trying to build — a culture where people aren’t just allowed to exist, but able to thrive.
What Non-Discrimination Misses
When leaders rely solely on a “non-discriminatory” stance, they often miss the more insidious, systemic ways people can feel excluded:
A disabled vet forced to self-fund workplace adjustments — not out of malice, but oversight.
A staff member who is LGBTQIA+ carefully editing their language around clients for fear of backlash.
A vet nurse with arthritis who avoids speaking up about her pain — afraid it’ll be seen as a lack of commitment.
A neurodivergent nurse whose competence is questioned because they struggle with group handovers, not patient care.
A vet student whose pronouns are consistently ignored — not because anyone is hostile, but because no one is paying attention.
A brilliant overseas-trained vet who avoids client-facing shifts — because their accent has been mistaken for incompetence.
None of these are examples of overt discrimination. But none of them are examples of inclusion either.
Inclusion Is Not the Default
Inclusion doesn’t happen because you’re “a good clinic” or because your team is “nice.”
It doesn’t happen automatically because you avoid controversy or treat everyone the same. Inclusion requires design. It asks us to be intentional — about policies, physical environments, onboarding, feedback loops, team culture, and how we show up for each other. And it asks us to recognise that the people who most need inclusion are the ones the system wasn’t originally built for.
So, What Is the Opposite of Inclusion?
Yes, discrimination is one opposite of inclusion — but it’s only the surface. The deeper opposites are:
• Gatekeeping
• Indifference
• One-size-fits-all systems
• Silence in the face of harm
• Cultures that ask people to shrink to fit
Inclusion doesn’t happen just by tearing down barriers - it happens when we build something better in their place.
What This Means for Leaders
If you’re a practice owner, educator, HR manager, or veterinary leader, you can have a workplace that is compliant, conflict-free, and legally sound — and still be a place where people feel they don’t belong.
If your team includes people who have to fight for access, hide parts of who they are, or justify their presence — they’ll know the difference.
Ask yourself with openness:
Do your policies create space for difference, or pressure people to conform?
Do your team members feel genuinely safe to speak — or just safe to stay silent?
Is your version of fairness about sameness — or about equity?
These aren’t just personal blind spots — they’re systemic patterns. And often, we’ve inherited them without even realising it.
Inclusion Is Infrastructure
At Vetquity, we work with clinics who are ready to move past non-discrimination and build inclusion into the foundations — not just the branding. Workplaces that are merely “not discriminatory” aren’t enough anymore. People don’t want to be tolerated. They want to be valued, supported, and able to bring their full selves to work.
That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design.
Noticing the gap is the first step. Redesigning the system is the work. The Inclusion Lab Toolkits are designed to help you accelerate that process - practical, evidence-informed toolkits that turn good intentions into structural change.
