Hospitals and health systems have spent years building Generation Z retention programs. Have they worked?
The oldest Gen Zers, born between 1997 and 2012, are now 29 years old, with some moving into leadership roles and in some cases even the C-suite. It means that Gen Z first began entering hospital and health system workforces around 2015 to 2019, when the oldest among them were 18 to 22. New generations entering the workforce tend to cause confusion with management, and Gen Z was no exception, with leaders viewing their youngest employees as the most challenging to work with, studies have shown.
Several years into those initiatives, Becker’s connected with two health system CHROs to share what actually worked and what they had to rethink.
At Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope, the results are measurable. Gen Z turnover fell from 22.4% to 14.5% over the past two years, while the organization’s Gen Z workforce grew from roughly 1,100 employees to more than 1,760.
CHRO Joline Treanor does not attribute the improvement to a single program.
“Rather, I believe it stems from a broader focus on creating an employee experience where people feel connected to our mission, supported by their leaders and able to grow professionally,” she said.
Two investments were particularly central. City of Hope launched LinkedIn Learning to give employees on-demand access to professional development and redesigned its leadership development program to elevate experience-based learning over classroom instruction. The redesign surfaced a finding the team had not anticipated.
“Participants consistently shared that the relationships they built, the cross-functional connections they made, and the deeper understanding they gained of one another’s roles and contributions were among the most valuable learning experiences,” Ms. Treanor said. “It reinforced that leadership development is as much about building networks, fostering a shared sense of purpose and developing a broader organizational perspective as it is about developing individual skills.”
The experience also prompted a recalibration on a widely held assumption: that flexibility is the defining demand of Gen Z workers. It is one factor among several, Ms. Treanor said.
“We have found that many Gen Z employees are equally focused on growth, continuous learning and understanding how their work contributes to the mission and a larger purpose,” she said. “When organizations invest in development, provide regular feedback and create visible career pathways, Gen Z employees are more likely to stay engaged.”
At Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health, Gen Z workers now account for 19.8% of the workforce, and represented almost 43% of all new hires in 2025, according to Rhonda Jordan, executive vice president and CHRO. The system has learned that Gen Z workers value personalized recognition and flexibility, expect technology to evolve quickly and want their work to feel meaningful, she said.
One of the programs built to address those expectations is Gen V, an affinity group for young professionals named after the health system. The group got off to a slow start.
“It lacked momentum at the start,” Ms. Jordan said. “I believe we needed to prove the value of getting involved. People are busy and are understandably selective in how they spend their free time.”
The team became more intentional about campus presence and getting feedback directly from the cohort.
“By becoming more visible — by attending events and visiting various campuses — and soliciting feedback from the desired demographic, we have seen Gen V begin to flourish,” Ms. Jordan said. “In fact, an event this summer required a wait list due to demand. It was an evening gathering that combined pickleball with valuable networking with one another and senior leadership.”
Virtua also expanded its benefits offerings with younger workers in mind. The system ensured employees are aware of the full range of mental health resources available, noting that Gen Z approaches mental health support with less stigma than older generations, and added student loan debt relief. For Gen Z workers navigating questions of career direction and purpose, Ms. Jordan said a peer support program open to all employees may resonate most.
To measure whether those investments are landing, Virtua surveyed all Millennial and Gen Z colleagues in summer 2026 and plans follow-up focus groups in the fall.
“We are committed to recruiting and retaining top talent to ensure people have long, productive and rewarding careers,” Ms. Jordan said. “That has always been the case, but we recognize we must evolve our strategy to account for the specific needs of Millennial and Gen Z individuals.”
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