Millennials are reshaping how we interact with the world around us and no company is exempt from the changes millennials are bringing. Thanks to these young adults, the healthcare industry is seeing big shifts throughout the workforce.
Millennials value helping others and making a positive impact, so it's no wonder that so many are pursuing careers in healthcare. But nowadays, it's not enough that healthcare organizations offer their patients good treatment. According to millennials, organizations should offer everyone good treatment. Millennials want a job where they feel cared for, a job that cares for the community, and a job that cares about the patients beyond medical treatment. The question is this: How can healthcare providers change their company culture in order to attract and retain millennial candidates?
Changing the Hiring Process.
It's no secret that there's a large demand for employees in healthcare. The good news is, according to a survey done by the national society of high school scholars, about 40% of participants from the ages of 15-29 claimed they are in, or are pursuing a career in healthcare. Organizations need to attract these young potential candidates. Gone are the days where a company can just offer acceptable pay and traditional benefits. Millennials are looking for more than just a job, they're looking for a fulfilling career in which they can thrive long term. With this in mind, make sure to include the aspects of career growth when you post a job opportunity. When applicants know there is an opportunity to grow within your organization, they are more likely to want to work for you. As an organization, if you highlight mentorship opportunities, leadership roles, and company culture, millennials will feel comfortable knowing that they wouldn't be stuck in a dead end position.
Millennials are technology natives. With the ever-increasing hold technology has over all of us, businesses of all types need to look for ways to use it to their advantage. Millennials are always interacting with content, social media, and people across multiple platforms. In order to reach millennials, healthcare organizations need to utilize and post their jobs across all social media platforms. Digital recruitment marketing is imperative in the hiring process. According to Forbes, over 50% of job seekers are accessing job sites and official company websites via mobile device. This means your website must be mobile optimized, not just mobile friendly. A mobile friendly site simply displays your site the same way it would on a computer, but a mobile-optimized site reformats itself to allow mobile users to access everything without difficulties of zooming and scrolling. Technology is moving fast - in order to keep your business alive, you have to move at the same pace.
Technology has also had an impact on the expectations of millennials. Due to the instant gratification and constant communication that having a smartphone brings, people expect fast communication. Many millennials have voiced their complaints about the job application processes being lengthy, complicated, and dragged out, along with the turnaround time it takes for an employer to follow-up. Best in class apply processes are 1 minute or less! Everything in life is instant now, so what may seem like a normal amount of time can seem slow to millennials.
If communication is good during the hiring process, it will translate to more open lines of communication between employees and patients. For example, qualified candidates should be phone screened within 24 hours of applying and hiring managers should respond to submissions from their recruiter within 48 hours. By committing to faster and more concise response time during the hiring process, this will set a standard for better communication throughout the organization. Doctors, nurses, etc. will communicate with patients and others more effectively, and coworkers will be open and swift to respond to questions or information that needs to be conveyed.
Since millennials are a younger generation, it's beneficial to implement mentorship opportunities. Millennials love to learn and grow so most will be excited to have somebody in the company who is available to guide and support them. This will benefit your company by giving entry level employees the chance to learn and improve by following the example set by a more experienced employee who understands the field and the company.
The demand for good healthcare employees is high, with a low supply of candidates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry is expected to grow 18% from what it was in 2016 to what it will be in 2026. The nursing shortage is getting greater and greater as the population ages and burnout is taking place. This means that the job seekers hold the power and employers need to sell themselves instead of the other way around. This will force healthcare companies to shift their company culture a bit in order to appease the abundance of millennial candidates.
Now, you may be reading this thinking it's absurd to alter your practices just to appease a group of rising candidates. But, the fact remains—this is what millennials are used to receiving in daily life, and if they don't receive it in their workplace, they'll be quick to find a new job that offers what they want. In fact, according to the Deloitte Millennial Survey, employees who aren't getting what they want out of a job already have one foot out the door. On top of that, employees who haven't had any opportunity for career advancement throughout their time at the organization are likely to leave within 3-4 years. With that said, it's imperative that healthcare organizations begin to adjust to the expectations of millennials to reduce turnover and remain successful in the industry.
Do you have more questions regarding all that is involved when it comes to recruiting millennials in the healthcare field? We have some experience, and we'd be happy to talk more. Contact us!