Healthcare Design - March 2025 - 7

ED ITO RIAL
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Hank Adams HDR
THE GOOD FIGHT
Recent studies underline the need for supportive,
appealing workspaces to support healthcare staff
By Anne DiNardo
EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION AND workforce retention
in healthcare have been top of mind for a while
now, but recent studies show an effort to better understand
which employees are exiting their roles,
and why. These insights shed light on strategies
that might help keep them from wanting to leave in
the first place.
For example, Soliant Health's 2024 Healthcare
Employment Trends Report found that 1 in 5 Gen Z
healthcare workers, or 22 percent, reported they
plan to leave the industry within the next few years,
compared with 5.4 percent of respondents aged 28-43, 2.5 percent aged 44-59,
and 15.2 percent of workers aged 60 and older. The healthcare staffing agency
further reports that Gen Z's main reason for leaving is an " unhealthy work
environment and culture " (14.5 percent), illustrating an opportunity for
healthcare organizations to prioritize staff well-being. Other generations'
primary concerns were high job stress and burnout.
Another study released last fall by global commercial real estate and investment
management firm JLL, 2024 Employee Perspective on Healthcare Real
Estate, paints a similar picture, with 24 percent of respondents reporting that
they are considering leaving their healthcare positions in the next year. Six
percent of those leaving stated they were looking for a position outside the
healthcare industry.
Other key findings from that study include that those who were not considering
leaving their job said their workplace was designed to work efficiently,
enabled them to care for patients well, and supported their well-being, while
those considering leaving were less likely to report a workplace that supported
their productivity. Furthermore, JLL's report noted the largest gaps in
satisfaction were around sound privacy and maintenance of the workspace,
including patient care spaces and employee break rooms and offices.
The healthcare design industry is well-versed in the importance of designing
to support staff in clinical and back-of-house areas, but those strategies
don't always make it across the finish line as budget pressures and space constraints
can impact the final project. Yet, according to the American College
of Healthcare Executives' annual survey of issues confronting hospitals, both
financial challenges and workforce challenges topped the list of responding
CEOs' concerns last year.
Studies like these are a reminder of what's at stake and the importance of
fighting for architectural and interior design solutions that prioritize staff productively
and ensure employees feel valued and respected. 
Wayne Barger SMITHGROUP
Carolyn BaRoss PERKINS&WILL
Sam Burnette EARL SWENSSON ASSOCIATES
Sheila F. Cahnman JUMPGARDEN CONSULTING LLC
Gina Chang CO ARCHITECTS
James Crispino GENSLER
Mary Frazier EWINGCOLE
Jocelyn Lum Frederick HC TANGRAM DESIGN
Catherine L. Gow FRANCIS CAUFFMAN
Tushar Gupta PAGE
Natalie Miovski Hagerty
THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
Suzen L. Heeley
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER
Margi Kaminski CANNONDESIGN
Randy Keiser TURNER CONSTRUCTION CO.
Eric Koffler NBBJ
Tiana Lemons ORCUTT/WINSLOW
Michael Lied GBBN ARCHITECTS
Mike McKay UW HEALTH
Victoria Navarro ADVENTHEALTH
Solvei Neiger ZGF
Chris Powers BAKER BARRIOS
Scott Rawlings HOK
Betsy Sanchez HCA HEALTHCARE
Jason Schroer HKS INC.
Kurt Spiering FLAD ARCHITECTS
Steve Stokes HOEFER WELKER
Jeff Sudman E4H ARCHITECTURE
Joshua A. Theodore LEO A DALY
Anthony Treu SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL
Travis Tyson CLEVELAND CLINIC
Gary L. Vance VANCE CONSULTING
Roderic Walton MOODY NOLAN
MARCH 2025
07

Healthcare Design - March 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - March 2025