Training, Routine & Flexibility: 3 Ways To Keep Gen Z Workers
Young people only make up 11% of care workers. When they’re the ones to pick up the mantles left by 25% of the workforce likely retiring within the next 10 years… it isn’t the most comforting news, especially when the care sector is already stretched so thinly.
We’ve previously discussed how you can attract the under-25s. But it isn’t just about recruiting young care workers. It’s about keeping them, too.
Care can already be an overwhelming career. So, imagine what it’s like when you’re first experiencing it. A lot of young care workers are dropped into the deep end, especially if it’s their first job in the industry.
Combine this with irregular, unsociable hours, and you have a recipe for burnout.
So, what can you do to keep Gen Z in the care sector?
First: training.
Despite qualifications, jumping into the real thing is something new entirely. Plus, since the typical care worker in the UK is aged 45, many vacancies are likely to be filled by those with extensive backgrounds in care. It’s possible, then, that more in-depth training could slip through the cracks for new carers.
It’s easy to get swept up in the waves of care’s responsibilities, whether you’re used to it or not. Offering new hires more in-depth training, ongoing support, and perhaps even a mentor can help them stay afloat amongst the workload.
Next: regular shifts and flexibility.
You may think routine and flexibility contradict each other, but they actually go hand-in-hand.
Burnout in shift work largely stems from poor work-life balance, resulting from staff having little to no control over when they work. Short notice of shifts, combined with irregular and unpredictable ones, leaves workers with a life revolving around work. Even for the biggest workaholics, having no time for a personal life doesn’t make for a healthy one.
Providing enough notice for shifts allows your team to plan around them. Offering rotating schedules and shift patterns also makes hours more predictable, meaning staff can plan even further in advance. (It’s easier for you, too!)
Things come up. Life happens. Ruling your rota with an iron fist gets you nowhere – apart from having unhappy staff.
Flexibility is often misconstrued as spontaneity, but it instead gives staff a voice. Allowing staff to set availability and arrange shift swaps immediately gives them that control they were missing.
You’ll agree that when you aren’t burned out or struggling with poor mental health, you’re better at, well, everything. You’re more productive, more motivated, and you care a lot more about what you’re doing.
This is what Gen Z prioritises. For that, they’re given a bad reputation – just like care gets a bad reputation for a poor work-life balance. But that doesn’t mean the two can’t work together.
By embracing what Gen Z prioritises, you’re not only attracting young care workers, but you keep them.
Decades down the line, who knows, maybe they’ll be the ones retiring and passing the mantle down to their younger counterparts.
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