Is it all about the money?
Some would say yes but let me present a couple of situations.
- What if you are in an abusive, toxic work environment where you are overworked and underappreciated?
- What if you are required to be on-call every other night and every other weekend?
- What if you are working in a department where discrimination, sexism or racism is prevalent, and your Human Resources Department doesn’t seem to care?
Now these instances might seem extreme, and maybe they are. But as a recruiter, I hear these things fairly often. So, the question is, does making top pay solve any of these things? if you can only choose one option, would you rather:
- Be paid top dollar and be subject to the circumstances above?
- Be paid a competitive wage and have work/life balance and less stress?
Workplace Stress in Medical Imaging
In a recent video I spoke about the negativity in the medical imaging community. It was merely an opinion piece discussing the concerns and negativity I observed on social media. So how did we get here? The medical imaging profession seems to be more stressful now than it has ever been. Just ask the old guy in your department who has been around the block a time or two. Hospitals are trying to do more with less staff, and the evolution of AI and other technologies are causing some uncertainty to many (see this AI article). If you look at history, it seems many people during the Industrial Revolution in the United States worked to just survive. Working conditions were horrendous in many cases, management was always right, and due to limited opportunities, people just took the abuse in order to just exist.
Then in the mid 1970’s significant developments occurred. The rise of personal computers, the internet, and widespread access to information to name a few. By the 1990’s, we were in a full-blown transformation of what we now know as the information age. This opened the door for many new industries and opportunities and the goal became to prosper instead of just survive like the previous generation. During this period, it was about having a plethora of opportunity and a good lifestyle now that a foundation had been created by our parents and grandparents. This might represent my generation, and folks who were born after 1960. While I grew up poor, I did not necessarily have to worry about where my next meal would come from like my grandparents did.
Work/Life Balance in Medical Imaging
So, what about todays’ workforce? Most of today’s younger technologists have not lived without the internet or a cell phone. They have not had to worry about where their next meal is going to come from because the previous two generations took care of that for them. The digitization of our world has created so many new jobs that if someone is not happy with their employer, they can just move on to the next one. According to a poll we conducted on LinkedIn, this new generation seems to want work/life balance. Some older workers might say they just want it easy. And yes, for some, maybe that is true as well.
Expectations in the workforce have evolved through generations. Initially, people worked out of necessity, then for a better lifestyle, and now for quality of life. Prioritizing work environments that offer growth, flexibility, and fulfillment over traditional loyalty or binding contracts. This is why sign-on bonuses sometimes do not work. Sure, they will take it, but do not expect it to keep anyone there for the long haul. Traditional retention methods like contracts or bonuses just don’t work as well with the current workforce because they’re driven by different motivators than previous generations.
Sell Why They Should Work For You
While it’s not easy, if you are a hiring manager it’s time to revise your interview skills and questions. These days, it is very hard to separate your job from other employers especially when they might be paying imaging technologists more than your organization. But are they? How do you really know this? Is it because that is what your employee told you? That a friend of his that works down the road for a competing hospital said. Keep in mind when it comes to asking someone you are interviewing how much they are currently making, chances are they are going to ~ well, let’s just say they might embellish a bit. While your payrate might be first on their mind, ask them “why are you looking for something new?” Then focus strictly on those issues and how you can solve that problem (if you can). Then when money comes up and they want more than you can offer, bring the focus back to “the why”. If work/life balance is really what they want and you can offer it, your chances are better if you focus on this and not money. If you can offer it, emphasize these things.
- A good schedule
- Time off
- A positive work environment
- Growth potential
- Being rewarded and recognized
Unless organizations create mechanisms to provide quality and meaningful work experiences, they will continue to struggle with retention issues, particularly with more experienced technologists who have seen their fair share of undesirable work environments.
