Becker's Hospital Review

62 62 CEO/STRATEGY Working With Millennials — 7 Thoughts By Scott Becker W hen I hear the discussion regarding special rules for work- ing with millennials, I often think it's a silly and contrived discussion. That stated, I think there are several observa- tions worth noting. 1. Millennials are people too! For every generation that enters the workplace, we've all heard them characterized in one way or anoth- er. At times, recent generations have been labeled by prior gener- ations as not as hardworking and not as willing to grind it out, etc. I always joke that so many of the people I work with must have missed that memo. Most work just as hard and as smart as any other genera- tion. I don't think you can broadly label generations easily. 2. A generation of women are staying in the workforce and leading. Distinct from a generation ago, where women tended to make a choice at some point to stay in or out of the workforce, this generation tends to stay in and lead. They find time to balance a lot of parts of life, but overall they stay in the workforce and lead. My department at work is led by a woman, and the company I founded has a female CEO and female editors-in-chief. As a whole gener- ation of women tend to stay in the workforce, leadership is being transformed in America. 3. This generation is far more technologically advanced than prior generations. The scary thing about this generation is, in some ways, they are so much more advanced than other generations. Their technological skills are so much stronger than those of older generations. It's inherent in how they grew up. So at a time when older workers need to stay in the workforce for economic and emo- tional reasons, this can be a scary generation to compete with. It's also an energetic generation. 4. Rumor has it this generation switches jobs more often. This may very well be true. However, it may be more an indication of how quickly the economy and companies change than how quickly and anxious millennials are to change jobs. The market churn may be more a reflection of the economy than millennials. 5. The generation is more pro-charity than prior generations. As I look at some parts of culture, I've found where my generation was very focused on the economic prize, this generation is motivated in such a way, too — but they also have a higher level of concern that they aren't just dyed-in-the-wool capitalists. Capitalism is fine, but millennials are much more inclined to want to also be doing some- thing good with their companies. They expect their companies to be highly engaged and "doing good," too. 6. Stereotypes are stereotypes. Like all generations, I find this one wants to be treated fairly and paid fairly at work. Like all genera- tions, some millennials deserve a nice paying and fair job they can contribute in. Others want to lead and are more ambitious. Neither of these characterizations are so different from other generations. Millennials and older workers share many of the same career goals. 7. Millennials, like all of us, need a mix of being taken care of and room to fly. As long as I've been working, employees and all others need a mix of close coaching and not-so-close coaching. It's a great mix. Like every generation, they need to believe people care about them. That's not unique to any generation or age group. n Healthcare Organizations Struggling With Consumer Engagement in Governance: 4 Study Findings By Kelly Gooch H ealthcare providers are committed to engaging consumers in governance — which is designed to help implement the organization's goals — but this continues to be a challenge for them as they shi to value-based care, according to a study by e Health Care Transformation Task Force. For the study, researchers interviewed nine integrated deliv- ery systems, two physician groups/networks, one federally qualified health center and one accountable care organiza- tion about existing consumer engagement structures and mechanisms at their organizations. Here are four study findings. 1. A majority of organizations (61.5 percent) said they in- cluded consumer engagement in their vision, mission or value statements. Nearly 39 percent of organizations said consumer engagement was only partially included in their statements, or they were unsure whether it was included. 2. Most organizations (91.7 percent) said in recent years they have increased the number of organizational struc- tures with consumer/patient representation, according to the study. Some examples of structures for engaging consumers in governance and value system design/refine- ment included patient and family advisory councils, pa- tient advocate offices, shared care/shared decision-mak- ing systems and quality improvement committees. 3. At the same time, organizations also said they face many of the same challenges in including consumers in gover- nance and system reform, according to the study. Barriers cited by organizations included "difficulty with identifying and onboarding consumers (particularly nonretired con- sumers)," "lack of staff and resources" and "an underlying resistance to change." 4. Additionally, the study found consumer engagement was important in direct patient care, as well as the design and oversight of value-based care models. Researchers said federally qualified health centers particularly help other providers in this area because they have specific regulations mandating majority patient/community rep- resentation on their boards. n

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