What workers want, why it matters, and what’s working

Healthcare Talent Research

Finding and keeping talent remains a top priority for healthcare leaders. While progress has been made, strategies are falling short of the sweeping change organizations seek to transform their workforces.

What workers want

Inside the report

To better define the widening gap between leadership strategies and results, Huron interviewed 718 healthcare leaders and workers. Our longitudinal research pinpoints:

• What physicians, nurses, and non-clinical staff

What workers want

This year, staff members’ top six most important factors shifted slightly, with paid time off (PTO) moving up in importance and professional growth opportunities and role alignment exiting the list. Economic uncertainty has employees prioritizing their financial needs over “softer” elements of work satisfaction.

Staff members most important factors

Previous research

Today

Health insurance and coverage Professional growth opportunities Digital, technology, and analytics (DTA) Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Competitive salary Workload

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

*Bold = increased importance

Most important factors unique to:

Non-clinical staff

Clinical staff

• Retirement package • Transportation benefits

• Organization’s environmental sustainability • Role alignment

Competitive salary Health insurance and coverage Paid time off (PTO) Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Digital, technology, and analytics (DTA) Workload

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Talent investments require tighter focus

Organizations are investing significantly more than last year in recruitment and retention strategies—in some cases as much as 105%—but to little effect. Driving quality outcomes across recruitment and retention should start with organizations narrowing their focus and investing in top opportunity areas identified by workers.

Top five investment areas

Year-over-year increase

Mental health support

Healthcare benefits

Additional PTO

Retirement benefits

Training and educational resources

+105%

+71%

+68%

+58%

+54%

What are leaders getting right?

Our survey measured staff-management agreement regarding important workplace elements. While leaders correctly identified four out of six factors that mattered most to staff, alignment doesn’t imply action or progress—it simply means that both groups agree on where opportunities for improvement lie.

Hover to explore

Blind Spots

Improvement areas identified by staff, not perceived by management

Improvement areas identified by staff and perceived by management, but not necessarily resolved

Aligned

Improvement areas perceived by management, not identified by staff

MISSING THE MARK

On Track

Digital, technology, and analytics

Professional growth opportunities

Blind Spots

Team rapport

Scheduling flexibility

Competitive annual bonus and incentives

Paid time off (PTO)

Missing the mark

Leadership excellence

Work-life balance

Health insurance and coverage

Competitive salary

Workload

Aligned

Employee satisfaction trends toward tech

Our research shows that all staff members are more satisfied with digital, tech, and analytics, professional growth opportunities, and team rapport—areas that organizations have embraced and invested in.

Integrating technology into a work environment can reduce administrative burden and increase efficiencies, lessening strain on staff members. Talent strategy should embrace organization-specific methods for decreasing workload and adding workplace flexibility.

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Health insurance and coverage

Workload

DEI

Competitive annual bonus and financial incentives

Team rapport

Child and elder support

Digital technology and analytics (DTA)

Work-life balance

Professional growth opportunities

Workplace variability

Improving persistent burnout

As organizations look to minimize burnout, it’s essential that they prioritize flexibility and curate a work environment that contributes to staff satisfaction.

Burnout increased 17% across all levels of staff compared to the previous year. Physicians, nurses, and front-line staff alike are seeking: • A more balanced workload • Greater schedule flexibility • Healthier work-life balance

• A more balanced workload • Greater schedule flexibility • Healthier work-life balance

of respondents report feeling burned out more than a few times a month over the past six months.

of burned-out respondents are considering leaving their current position in the next 12 months.

Top factors contributing to burnout 2023

Lack of work-life balance

(+10%)

Emotional exhaustion or stress

(+5%)

Long hours

(+8%)

Unmanageable workload and unreasonable time pressures

(+5%)

Top opportunities for organizational investment

When asked, employees will provide a long list of workplace factors that matter. The gap between what staff rank as important and how satisfied they are in those same areas help us understand what matters most to them. Huron’s prior research highlighted workers’ concern for higher-level priorities such as role alignment and feeling valued. Today, employees care more about pay, time off, and workload, signaling that their fundamental safety and security needs require attention. These shifts reveal where leaders should focus their investments with urgency, while building more holistic plans.

What’s working for recruitment and retention

We asked leaders to rank their most effective organizational investments in recruitment and retention year-over-year. Acquiring new technology has proven to be a successful initiative—doubly so given that technology also ranked as highly important to staff. Evaluating the efficacy of investment strategies presents an opportunity for organizations to find what works on role-by-role basis.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Investment in new technology

Mental health support

Invested in new work equipment

Healthcare benefits

Higher compensation

Additional safety measures and precautions

Additional PTO

Top 7 recruitment and retention initiatives

Technology and talent converge

Organizations' investments in digital, technology, and analytics (DTA) rose 34% with a focus on recruitment and retention tools.

Improve recruitment and retention

Review benefits packages

6 talent-focused tools leaders are using:

• Predictive shift management tools • Cloud-based talent management applications • Self-service automation for talent management • Advanced analytics for engagement and retention • Productivity and worker utilization tools • Advanced analytics for talent management

Alongside DTA initiatives, organizations should consider a holistic review of their benefits packages. New benefits can invigorate enthusiasm and encourage staffers to stay in their positions.

New benefits could include:

• Removing seniority as a factor for PTO. • Implementing benefits that directly address work-life balance. • Enhancing train-the-trainer opportunities for new middle managers. • Offering recharge leave and other life-stage-based support.

“

Organizations now have to focus on attracting innovative, digital-first team members while also providing employees with the tools to operate more efficiently.”

David Devine, Healthcare Technology Leader, Huron

Talk to an expert

Want to find the right strategy for keeping your staff satisfied? Connect with a Huron expert today and find what works for your organization.

value most from their workplaces

• Where leadership is missing the mark

• How organizations can respond to meet

employee needs

Green = increase in satisfaction from last year Red = decrease in satisfaction from last year

Talent investments

Tech drives satisfaction

Improving burnout

What's working

Paid time off (PTO)

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Role alignment

Feeling valued

Improvement areas perceived by management, not identified by staff

Improvement areas identified by staff and perceived by management

Prior research

Competitive salary Health insurance and coverage Digital technology and analytics DEI Professional growth opportunities Transportation benefits Feeling valued Leadership experience Role alignment

Gray text = no longer highly important to staff Bold = new factor highly important to staff

Competitive salary Health insurance and coverage Digital technology and analytics DEI Paid time off Workload Work-life balance Scheduling flexibility Competitive annual bonus & financial incentives

Today

Competitive salary Health insurance and coverage Digital, technology, and analytics DEI Paid time off Workload Work-life balance Scheduling flexibility Competitive annual bonus and financial incentives

Today