Gen Z and millennials now make up nearly half of the full-time workforce in the United States. As their footprint grows, recent polling shows they have very specific requirements when it comes to what they look for in an employer.

Well, look no further. VA has all the things your generation may want in an employer, and more besides.

An employer who cares about their wellbeing

Employee wellbeing has long been a major factor in where people want to work and how they feel about their employer, a factor that was only emphasized by workplace experiences during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caring is built into everything we do at VA, not just for our Veterans, but for our employees, as well. At VA, our core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence—“I CARE”—define who we are as VA employees and how we will fulfill our mission.

Beyond the culture of caring that we’ve developed in our facilities, the numerous benefits, perks and programs that we offer to our employees show that we value our employees and the work that they do to contribute to our mission of serving those who have served.

Leaders who are ethical

Ethics trends highly not just among millennials and Gen Z, but with Gen X and baby boomers as well, proving that an investment in ethics and ethical leadership by your employers is important to the workforce as a whole.

As a health care provider, ethics are even more important to VA, which is why we established the National Center for Ethics in Health Care (NCEHC). NCEHC serves as VA’s authoritative resource for addressing the complex ethical issues that arise in patient care, health care management and research.

NCEHC helps VA navigate the gauntlet of complex decisions that we face as a health care system and promotes education and training to facilitate discussion of challenging clinical situations.

Leaders who are open and transparent

On the whole, millennials are unique in their desire for leaders who are open and transparent. While there may be a number of factors that contribute to this need for more facts, data and third-party validation, you want an employer you can trust.

VA’s efforts towards transparency have only increased in recent years. We became the first hospital system in the nation to post online hospital wait times, opioid prescription rates, accountability and settlement info, and chief executive travel.

Transparency is key to trust for any organization, but especially for a health care provider. Further efforts to change how we communicate to Veterans—as well as employees—ensure everyone has the best information regarding our health care facilities.

A diverse and inclusive workplace

Younger generations grew up in a world that was far more diverse than their predecessors. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts are imperative to not only how you perceive yourselves, but how you choose a workplace.

At VA, we know that diversity matters, and we’re committed to purposefully embracing inclusion. Diverse teams are personally enriching, offering you a broader perspective and a chance to connect on a deeper level with the people you work with—and the Veterans you serve.

All Veterans are unique, and health care is not one-size-fits-all. By bringing your unique experiences to VA, you’ll be making a difference by ensuring that more of our Veterans feel welcome.

Work at VA

Finding a workplace that fits your style can make a huge difference in your professional satisfaction. For Gen Z and millennials, you can find all that and more at VA.

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10 Comments

  1. TT April 17, 2023 at 14:07

    LMAOOOOOOOO

  2. Ron Benenati April 8, 2023 at 11:46

    not consistent with what I hear from current and past employees and what I have witnessed in attitudes of some who seem severely stressed.
    Attrition of staff seems endemic.
    That said, there are many wonderful employees working hard to cover the gaps.

  3. Oliver P Morton April 4, 2023 at 05:53

    Yeah endless mandatory overtime is a big plus. Overall quality is down. Folks that excell in performance and quality… well they end up with more more work as a result of the nonperforming folks who are not held accountable. The work at home program is great for those that want to fly under the radar.

  4. Mr. Hirtler April 3, 2023 at 21:34

    “We became the first hospital system in the nation to post…accountability and settlement info,…”
    and the billions of dollars that are not accounted for or potentially lost through fraud has been determined to have occurred since at least 2012… and is on-going. The rightful beneficiaries are the veteran’s and thier families. One example is the national caregiver program that has been budgeted 1.8 billion for fiscal year 2024. There are 55,000 eligible participants. That factors to 32,727.27 per participant (thirtytwo thousand seven hundred twenty seven dollars)and what did I recieve for my participation…?
    Two photo copied one sheet folded newsletters. One bragging about the summer vacations VA staff would have. All as I care for my service connected disabled Army veteran. 24-7 … 365 … 366 on leap years…here at home.
    An insult to me and and an insult to good conscious…. transparency is not trivial and facts are facts.
    Those funds belong to the rightful beneficiaries,..the veteran’s and thier families….not the VA….the VISN…not the Veterans Affairs franchise fund.

  5. Matt April 2, 2023 at 17:18

    What a crock of shit that story is. I’m a veteran, and the VA Is the absolute worst!! They don’t care about the veterans. I haven’t been seen by a MD in 3 years. The first paragraph goes on about veterans 1st, what a joke.

  6. Ken April 2, 2023 at 10:06

    I’ve worked for the VA Police for 5 years and I have had some of the worst supervisors immaginable. 1 Police Chief would guilt trip his employees into working overtime and another Police Chief I had would use favoritism. I joined the VA police because I wanted to feel the type of family I did in the military but instead I left with resentment toward VA police leadership.

    • Mark April 6, 2023 at 04:31

      Amen Ken!!! I worked VA in San Antonio for over 10 years and you are so right. People are lazy there ( some groups more than others…wink,wink) and know the union office workers by first names. DE&I will be the end of us!!!

  7. William March 31, 2023 at 16:55

    Diversity matters? I’d rather have someone who can actually do their job help me over someone who checks a certain demographic box on their employment application.

    • Kent April 1, 2023 at 17:04

      Very True William.. sounds like the crap we were reading about many corporations and government agencies over the past two year.

    • Bill April 6, 2023 at 09:30

      Could not agree with you more. Lowering the standards to hire those who would normally not qualify for the job. This nation is the way it is because of the woosy generational culture.

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