How Hospital CEOs Are Reimagining Workforce Strategies

In the face of ongoing workforce shortages and rising labor costs, hospital CEOs are revamping their approach to designing and building teams.

Whether it’s investing in education partnerships, strengthening nurse residencies, or responding to the evolving needs of younger generations, hospital leaders are thinking creatively about workforce sustainability.

CEOs shared their experiences with workforce strategies at their respective organizations on the first day of the HealthLeaders CEO Exchange, which brought together dozens of top-level executives for discussions on operating in an ever-changing industry.

Be flexible

One of the themes that emerged from conversations between members was the need for flexibility with the clinical workforce.

Rigidity and sticking with standard procedures can no longer be the prevailing mindset. Instead, leaders must innovate and think outside-the-box to fill in gaps.

For example, one executive said their hospital is exploring a seasonal mode in which staff move between facilities based on patient volume at different times of the year to better match staffing levels with fluctuating demand.

Create a pipeline

Another area of focus for leaders was how to build a workforce pipeline to ensure a steady, reliable flow of qualified talent

One CEO highlighted a nursing residency model that’s showing strong results. Their organization offers a one-year nurse residency program paired with a two- to three-year commitment to remain with the system. The outcome has been a retention rate of 99%, with the goal of building deep institutional knowledge and turning participants into subject matter experts through structured training and frontline experience.

Meet generational needs

With millennials and Gen Z comprising a growing share of the workforce, organizations are evolving how they support and communicate with their employees.

That starts with recognizing what you don’t know or aren’t familiar with. One CEO shared how they brought in a generational expert to help their leadership understand the needs of younger workers.

By recognizing that millennials and Gen Z often crave more real-time, positive feedback, as well as mental health support, can allow hospitals to enhance their management style and expand their mental health benefits to help staff navigate stress and burnout.

Jay Asser is the CEO editor for HealthLeaders.