"That's Company Policy" What Veterinary Employers Don't Want You to Know About Your Employment Contract
- roasalaw
- Mar 10
- 6 min read
When a veterinary employer tells you something is "company policy," do you accept it and move on?
Most veterinarians do. And most of the time, they're leaving thousands of dollars, and years of unfair contract terms, on the table.
In Episode 12 of the Office Hours Podcast, Lance, Steve and Madison pull back the curtain on one of the most powerful advantages Roasa Law Group has when negotiating on behalf of veterinarians: we've seen thousands of employment agreements from the same employers. We know what's negotiable. We know what they've changed before. And we know when they're not being honest with you.
The "Company Policy" Bluff...And How We Beat It
Here's a story from this episode that says everything.
A veterinarian came to us unhappy with a specific provision in their employment contract. We identified the issue, agreed it was worth fighting for, and asked the employer to remove it. Their response: "That's company policy. We can't do that."
We pushed again. Same answer.
We pushed a third time, this time with receipts. We had seen that same employer remove that exact same provision for other veterinarians. We knew they could do it. We said so.
"Company policy. We can't make exceptions."
The next morning, there was a new email in our inbox: "We've reviewed it and we can actually accommodate all of those changes."
Nothing changed overnight except one thing: they realized we weren't going to stop, and we could prove they were lying.
This is what it looks like to negotiate from knowledge instead of hope.
Why Veterinarians Are at a Disadvantage at the Negotiating Table
Veterinary employment agreements are highly confidential documents. They don't float around on Google. They're not searchable on ChatGPT. Many employers actively discourage employees from discussing their contracts with each other, precisely because they don't want the inconsistencies to come to light.
The result? Most veterinarians negotiate in a vacuum. They don't know:
What other doctors at the same practice are being offered
Whether the terms they're being given are standard, below market, or simply unfair
Which provisions are actually negotiable, and which ones really are fixed
Whether the employer has made exceptions before
This information asymmetry is intentional. And it puts veterinarians at a serious disadvantage from the moment they receive an offer.
What We See That You Can't
Roasa Law Group reviews thousands of veterinary employment contracts every year. That breadth of data gives us something no individual veterinarian can have on their own: market intelligence.
We know what compensation looks like in your region, at your experience level, for your specialty. We know what production percentages are trending. We know which provisions — negative accrual, non-compete language, signing bonus repayment terms, termination notice periods are being negotiated away in markets like yours.
And critically, we sometimes have multiple agreements from the same employer sitting in our files. Same company. Different regions. Wildly different terms.
In one case discussed in Episode 12, we had contracts from the same corporate group showing that some veterinarians had a signing bonus repayment clause that was full repayment if they left early, while others in a different region had prorated repayment, which is significantly fairer. The only reason one group got the better deal? Someone pushed for it.
The employer knew that. They just didn't advertise it.
The Negotiation Reframe That Changes Everything
Here's the most important mindset shift we share with our clients, and one of the most powerful concepts in Episode 12: Stop asking for what you want. Start showing employers what's normal.
When a veterinarian says "I want negative accrual removed from my contract," the employer has to evaluate that as a personal request. They can say no. They can frame you as demanding or difficult.
But when you say "80% of the other doctors in your own practice don't have this provision — I'd just like to be treated the same as my colleagues," the entire dynamic shifts. Now the employer has to explain why you're being treated differently from everyone else. The burden of proof has moved. They're on their heels. And they can no longer dismiss your request as unreasonable, because the data says it's completely reasonable.
This is the approach that gets results. Not emotional appeals. Not demanding. Just facts, delivered consistently and confidently.
When to Keep Pushing (Even When It Feels Uncomfortable)
One of the hardest things about negotiation, especially for veterinarians who tend to be conflict-averse, is knowing when to keep asking after you've already heard "no."
Here's the truth: most reasonable people ask once. If they're persistent, maybe twice. Then they back down because they don't want to seem unreasonable or difficult.
We've asked for the same thing four, five, six times. Not because we're being aggressive, but because we know the answer is in there. We've seen these employers say yes before. We have the contracts to prove it.
The key is not just persistence, but informed persistence. There's a difference between badgering someone and calmly, professionally returning to a point because you have documented evidence that it's achievable. When you bring receipts, you're not being unreasonable. You're being accurate.
What This Means for Pay Equity in Veterinary Medicine
The lack of contract transparency in veterinary medicine isn't just a negotiation problem, it's an equity problem.
When we reviewed contracts from the same practices years ago, we began noticing something troubling: female veterinarians were consistently being offered lower compensation than their male counterparts with equivalent experience. Not always dramatically. But consistently.
This isn't speculation. We saw it in the documents.
And the reason it happened, and continues to happen, is that contracts are secret. When no one can see what anyone else is making, discriminatory gaps don't get challenged. They just persist.
Pay transparency is the cure. When compensation is visible, it becomes accountable. When veterinarians know what's normal, they can demand to be treated normally. That's not radical. That's fair.
The Economic Terms That Actually Matter
Many employment attorneys focus heavily on legal provisions: non-compete clauses, indemnification language, jury trial waivers. These matter. But in Episode 12, we make the case that economic terms deserve just as much attention, often more.
Economic terms affect your income from day one. They include:
Base salary — and whether it's competitive for your market and experience level
Production percentage — what's included and excluded from the calculation
Negative accrual — whether you owe back money if your production doesn't cover your salary draw
Days off and PTO — and whether these are negotiable
Signing bonus repayment terms — full repayment vs. prorated
CE allowance and benefit structures — often underdiscussed and under-negotiated
Legal terms matter when things go wrong. Economic terms matter every single paycheck.
Frequently Asked Questions About Veterinary Contract Negotiation
Is it normal to negotiate a veterinary employment contract? Yes — absolutely. The vast majority of employment agreements presented to veterinarians are starting positions, not final offers. Negotiation is expected, and most practices anticipate it.
What is negative accrual in a veterinary contract? Negative accrual (also called a draw against production) means that if your production doesn't meet a certain threshold, you may owe the practice money for the difference between what you earned and what you were paid. It is negotiable, and many veterinarians have successfully had this provision removed or limited.
Can a corporate veterinary practice change contract terms for different employees? Yes. Despite what you may be told, corporate practices regularly offer different terms to different veterinarians, sometimes at the same location. Phrases like "that's company policy" are often not accurate.
How many times should I push back on a contract term? There's no set number, but the right answer is more often than you probably think. If you have documented evidence that an employer has accommodated a request before, you have grounds to keep asking. An experienced veterinary contract attorney can help you know when you have leverage.
What's the gender pay gap in veterinary medicine? Studies have placed the gender pay gap in veterinary medicine in the range of 3–4% when normalized for experience and hours worked. While smaller than some industries, it remains real — and contract opacity is a significant driver. Transparency and active negotiation are among the most effective tools for closing it.
Listen to Episode 12
This episode is essential listening for any veterinarian, new grad or experienced, who has ever accepted a contract term because they were told it wasn't negotiable.
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