By Debbie Bunch
September 26, 2025
With staff shortages still a problem for many RT departments, RT managers are understandably concerned about doing everything possible to retain the staff they currently have.
According to a recent study by Press Ganey, based on feedback from 2.3 million healthcare workers across the country, they would do well to pay more attention to employee engagement.
Here are the key findings:
- Employee engagement declined by 0.02 points in 2024, and disengaged employees were 1.7 times more likely to leave their jobs. This was especially true for early-tenure staff.
- While turnover dropped from 20% in 2023 to 18% in 2024, falling engagement is considered a cause for concern because a fall in engagement typically precedes an increase in turnover.
- Only 78% of staff members reported that their organization cares about their safety, down from 80% the previous year.
- RNs with low teamwork scores were 1.53 times more likely to leave their jobs than RNs with higher scores.
- Lower engagement and higher turnover — more than double the national average — were seen in Millennials and Gen Z workers. These workers were more likely to value career growth, inclusion, and strong leadership.
- Trust, respect, belonging, quality, and safety — rather than compensation — were the strongest predictors of engagement and intent to stay on the job across all roles and age groups. Engagement and loyalty were driven by respectful treatment.
To improve employee engagement and retention, the authors of the report believe health care leaders should focus on these three strategic priorities:
Respect: Clearly communicate that respect is a core organizational value and demonstrate it by actively listening to employees’ concerns and following up on the feedback they provide.
Teamwork: Bind team members together by prioritizing psychological safety, fostering cross-functional collaboration, offering meaningful recognition, and promoting leadership development.
High reliability: Build trust across the organization by demonstrating a commitment to zero harm, including zero emotional harm to employees.
The report goes on to offer some practical advice for managers who want to improve the employee experience, including making segmentation a core part of their data strategy, focusing on key drivers to build engagement, strengthening frontline leadership, and implementing AI tools to optimize teamwork. Read the full report here
