As older generations start to retire, workers from younger generations have come to dominate the working landscape. Millennials (born roughly between 1980 and 1995, now aged 26-41), and older Gen Zs (born after 1996) now make up the largest generational portion of the Canadian workforce. This demographic trend is already having major effects in the healthcare industry.
Healthcare is rewarding but challenging work. Jobs are stable, salaries are good, but hours are long. Working closely with patients and families coping with illness and disease can take a toll, leaving healthcare staff stressed and burned out. This makes staff retention a critical issue in patient care. The issue is exacerbated with millennial and Gen Z employees, as these groups are more open to leaving and switching careers than their predecessors were.
What can healthcare leaders do to make sure employees in these age cohorts stay happy and stay put? They need to adapt their retention and recruitment efforts to the mindsets, values, and attitudes of their millennial and Gen Z workers. The following strategies can help.
1) Support Work-Life Balance
After financial questions, younger generations are motivated most by work-life balance. For healthcare facilities, which have to operate 24/7, that means offering scheduling flexibility. On-demand staffing gives employees visibility and control over available shifts and lets them create schedules that work best for them.
While millennials see work-life balance as somewhat of a perk, for Gen Zs it’s a basic requirement. Healthcare organizations that make staff lives easier or better, for example, by offering gym memberships, fitness classes, or daycare services, will have an advantage down the road when Gen Zs enter the healthcare workforce in larger numbers.
2) Make Work Purposeful
Millennials and Gen Z employees want to feel pride in their work. They need to know their contributions are making a difference to people and communities. This sense of social purpose is, in fact, what led many of these employees to patient care professions in the first place. To appeal to these purpose-driven demographics, healthcare organizations should have clear values, a strong mission statement and a pathway to realizing that vision. Make sure employees know their efforts are essential to the organization achieving its broader social commitments.
3) Offer Professional Development
Healthcare roles, by necessity, are centered around skills and qualifications. But millennial staff need to know they have opportunities for growth and mobility. Offering training and development programs can be important for retention and recruitment, especially for ambitious Gen Zs. Giving these cohorts a pathway for learning new skills, expanding their knowledge base and moving into leadership roles helps satisfy their need for professional fulfillment. It also appeals to their desire for self-improvement, nurtured through years of social media use.
4) Place Value on Workplace Culture
Millennial and Gen Z healthcare workers are looking for positive, encouraging work environments that reward talent. These employees are savvy and career-minded, and use websites like Glassdoor and Indeed to review organizations, compare salaries and see what current and former employees say about the workplace atmosphere. To stand out from other healthcare facilities and attract the most talented employees, organizations need to cultivate a positive image and invest in workplace culture.
5) Use Technology and Social Media
Millennials and Gen Zs grew up with apps and digital technology, so it’s second nature to them. Not only are younger employees adept at using technology in their working lives, three quarters of them say it makes them more effective in their work. Healthcare organizations that aren’t afraid to explore technological implementations will be more attractive to millennial and Gen Z staff.
Younger employees search for job openings differently, too. Instead of heading to traditional job boards, they use social media, LinkedIn or visit organization websites directly. Healthcare organizations need to update their recruitment approaches to make sure they’re reaching the best candidates.
6) Prioritize Retention
A 2016 study by Fidelity Investments revealed that millennials would take significantly less pay to work in an organization that offered a higher “quality of work life” that included career development opportunities, purposeful work, a positive work culture, and a better work-life balance. The way to encourage millennials and Gen Z workers to stay, therefore, is to provide a positive employee experience and a better value proposition overall. That means tailoring the workplace to the younger generation by accommodating their technological preferences, adopting their preferred modes of communication and learning styles and fulfilling their career aspirations.
Here’s the good news: When healthcare organizations make retention a priority overall, recruitment becomes less of an issue. A higher quality of work life is already tied to the employer brand.
The healthcare industry is always in flux and organizations are used to adapting. Recruitment and retention strategies are no exception. Healthcare organizations need to tailor their approaches for the growing millennial and Gen Z workforce.
To learn more about retaining staff and keeping them engaged, consult our other blog posts: bookjane.com/blog
Learn how BookJane helps health care facilities improve shift fulfillment by 40%, dramatically decrease their time to fill shifts, and significantly reduce burdensome scheduling and administration time.
