Virtual Medical Assistant Services for Healthcare with Gen Zer’s
Today’s workforce is not only getting more massive, they are also getting younger.
The youngest generation of workers today is called Generation Z. The Gen Zers are those who were born after 1996, which means they encompass employees who are 26 years old and under.
A lot of information is now spread online, and work has shifted to the digital realm as well. As such, one would think that the Gen Zers would make for prime employees in today’s economy, particularly in areas that demand digital fluency, such as virtual medical assistant services for healthcare.
However, according to certain studies, this may not be the case at all.
While Gen Zers are young, energetic, and surrounded by technology, they are also generally inexperienced, and arguably more indifferent than the older generations. As more Gen Zers join the global workforce, the generation has had the reputation of being the hardest generation to work with in the U.S. This reputation isn’t purely speculation as well.
Proclamation Backed by Numbers
According to a study done by Resume Builder, when they surveyed 1,344 managers and business leaders, an astounding 74% of them proclaimed that Gen Z employees are more difficult to work with in comparison to the other generations.
Of these managers and leaders, 65% of them have said they commonly need to fire Gen Zers than workers from other generations. 12% of them have even reported to have fired a Gen Zer less than a week after their start date.
49% of them have said that it is difficult to work with a Gen Z worker most if not all of the time. A few of the top reasons for the disdain is the Gen Zers’ lack of technological skills. This can be a jarring reason considering the world Gen Zers grew up in.
Gen Zers vs. Technology – Are Millennials Better At It?
Gen Zers are the first generation to grow up in a world where there is technology. Not only is it existent, it is rampant, ever-looming, and most importantly, it has become a necessity. Millennials, on the other hand, have seen the birth of technology. They grew alongside it. When the digital world became more extensive and complicated, so did most of a Millennial’s knowledge of it.
Gen Zers are adaptive to technology. They grew up with it and it is a naturally occurring thing for them. Whenever something about technology changes, they adapt to the changes without so much as batting an eye. Many Gen Zers also feel they know technology better than the older generations because they were born with it.
Akpan Ukeme, head of HR at SGK Global Shipping Services, has had quarrels with Gen Zers and their adamant insistence on their proclivity with technology.
“Because since our company is online-based, they think they know everything about the digital world and that they can teach me. They think they’re better than you, smarter than you, more capable than you, and they will tell you to your face,” says Ukume.
As for Millennials, especially working ones, they see technology as something to be constantly learned. Most technologically-savvy Millennials dig deep and understand how the changes happen, and how to work around and with them or use them to their advantage in the workplace. Millennials adapt to technology not in a natural, instinctive sense, but in an academic, eagle-eyed sense.
Gen Zers live with technology, and Millennials completely understand it.
For this one reason, a vast majority of the managers and leaders from Resume Builder’s survey claim they prefer to work with Millennials the most. This isn’t the only reason, however.
Not As Carefree As They Seem
As you can see from the chart above, the other reasons why Generation Z employees are said to be the hardest to work with are because they allegedly lack motivation, are easily distracted, are easily offended, and they are dishonest.
While these are warranted criticisms of the actions of the youngest assemblage of the workforce in the United States, there’s more to Gen Zer’s apparent “lack of motivation” and being “easily distracted” than is seen from the surface.
In February of 2023, CBS News Boston published a report on the Gen Z workforce’s struggles to cope with challenges in their early careers.
When Gen Zers get out of college, they enter the economy from the bottom. They are in debt and are paid entry-level salaries. As such, they fall easily to the trappings of being unmotivated, disinterested, and exhausted.
Even more unfortunate, Gen Zers who enter the workforce quickly become emotionally and mentally wrecked.
Mary Christie Institute released a report in which they surveyed more than 1,000 Generation Z professionals. According to their report, more than half of them needed emotional and mental health support. They experience burnout more often and more than a third of them said their work environment greatly impacts their mental health in a negative way.
Gen Zers seem unmotivated and easily distracted not because they are bad workers. They seem as such because they are in debt. They seem as such because they are underpaid. They seem as such because they are mentally and emotionally drained.
On top of all of that, what many people easily forget to consider is the fact that Generation Z workers, for all of their energy and technological nativity, are young.
Thankfully, Gen Zers are also more aware and vocal of their misgivings and sufferings. Generation Z workers know whenever a work environment is damaging to their minds and bodies and they take proactive measures to protect their well-being.
How Does One Work With a Gen Zer?
According to the World Economic Forum, over 27% of the workforce will consist of Gen Z workers. For the failings of the Gen Zers in terms of being employees, they are also said to be extremely intuitive.They provide valuable and unique perspectives on problems and complications, a skill that perfectly aligns with the needs of virtual medical assistant services for healthcare.
With all of that said, how do you get the most out of a Gen Zer employee, especially in the healthcare industry, one that is known for its tough hours and stressful workdays? Incorporating virtual medical assistant services for healthcare can be a strategic move to leverage the inherent strengths of Gen Z workers.
Generation Z employees strive for constructive criticism. Most Gen Zers are more open-minded compared to older generations, which is why they can and will take in new information and adapt according to newly acquired knowledge.
It is also valuable to praise and give credit when it is due when working with a Gen Zer. Being healthcare professionals, one must never discredit how important mental health is. Water your employee’s mental health and watch them blossom into efficient, hardworking, and intelligent workers.
Many of the virtual assistants who will work for you at VMedX are Gen Zers. They are some of the most talented, eager, and creative workers you will have the pleasure of knowing. While many managers and leaders see Gen Zers as hard to work with, we see them as highly trainable and worthwhile talents to foster. You will see them blossom firsthand.