Healthcare workers are less satisfied with jobs than other industries, and some have had enough

In a comparison with 27 other industries, healthcare didn’t rank near the bottom in employee satisfaction.

No, healthcare ranked dead last, according to a new report by Qualtrics released Wednesday.

More healthcare workers said they don’t intend to stay in their jobs. The survey found 61% intend to stay in their jobs, down four percentage points from a year ago. Put another way, about 4 out of 10 healthcare workers are considering leaving their positions. That mirrors other studies which have found some doctors and nurses are thinking about walking away.

With a substantial number of healthcare employees thinking of leaving, patients could pay the price, the survey suggested.

Only a little more than half (52%) of healthcare workers surveyed said they feel that they are paid appropriately for their work, and that also ranked the lowest of all industries examined. Less than half (38%) said they feel their compensation is tied to their performance.

Industry analysts say the growing dissatisfaction of healthcare workers is likely to lead to more labor battles, and more strikes, in 2023.

Healthcare workers also rated their work environment below other industries in other areas. The survey found that 61% of employees said their work processes allow them to be as productive as possible, which is 6 percentage points below the average of all industries examined. And 65% of healthcare workers said their managers help employees focus on work, which was 3 percentage points below other industries.

Women also were less likely than men to feel they are able to succeed in the healthcare industry. Women were less likely to be satisfied with their pay and benefits and their work-life balance, the survey found.

In one positive finding, two out of three healthcare workers said they are engaged, an increase of 2 percentage points over the previous year.

Qualtrics also surveyed patients on their experience and found mixed results.

The survey found 74% of consumers said they were satisfied with their experience in hospitals, which trailed the cross-industry average (77%). And 70% said they were likely to recommend their healthcare provider.

However, 79% of patients said they trust hospitals.

Still, many patients don’t feel as if they are heard. The Qualtrics survey found 61% of patients said their providers should do a better job of listening to their feedback, and 69% of consumers said payers need to improve in this area.

Adrienne Boissy, chief medical officer of Qualtrics, said in a news release accompanying the study that 2023 needs to be the year that the healthcare industry “makes the lives of everyone healthcare touches easier.”

“It has to be – and we have to revolutionize our approaches,” she said. “Emotions are running high no matter what industry you are in, which amplifies when things are not easy, and yet people still put their trust in us. We earn that trust when we intentionally listen across channels, use advanced analytics to understand emotion, intensity and intent, and immediately take action on what we hear.”

• Read more: Adrienne Boissy of Qualtrics says health systems must see empathy as an imperative

Qualtrics surveyed nearly 3,000 healthcare workers across 27 countries about their experiences. The company also gauged nearly 9,000 consumers across 29 countries about their hospital experiences.