Gen Z wants more out of its workplace than a paycheck.
The LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index found that 80 percent of Gen Z participants — those born in 1997 or later, wanted a job that better aligned with their values or interests.
Through the index, 21,367 U.S professionals were surveyed from Dec. 4, 2021 to Jan. 28. The survey represented people planning on leaving their jobs within six months with hopes to have a new role or start their own business.
The survey found that 76 percent of Gen Z participants wanted more opportunities to learn or practice a new skill or expertise, and 76 percent wanted better compensation or benefits. Of those surveyed, 75 percent of Gen Z respondents had a desire to pursue a new industry or job function, and 61 percent wanted more opportunities to move up or increase responsibilities.
Gen Z is ambitious, but what does this mean for ASCs?
"Right now I'm in a growth mode and looking at any possibility of growing staff," Brian Bizub, CEO of Raleigh (N.C.) Orthopaedic told Becker's. "I think staff is very challenging in an ASC. There is not a lot of upward mobility for nurses, so it's really difficult to attract newer nurses. We tend to get more tenured nurses, which is great, but keeping them can be a little difficult because of the salary requirements of a nurse that has been in nursing for 10 to 12 years."
Attracting new staff is difficult, but integrating them into the new work environment can also prove to be challenging.
Debra Fin, administrator of Great Lakes Bay Surgery & Endoscopy Center in Midland, Mich., told Becker's: "The new nurses and techs bring new skills and insights, but also require integration with our long-standing employees. We have been spending a great deal of time sourcing and onboarding new staff, and that now requires us to take a step back and help patient care areas integrate new team members and build relationships and trust. Getting the new staff to feel welcomed and part of the team is just as important as supporting existing staff to address change in their team members and the loss of those relationships."
Both millennial and Gen Z nurses have identified key factors to feeling supported in their work environment. These factors include having a flexible work schedule, a clear way to share ideas and concerns, understanding how to advance their career and career advancement training.