By Cheryl Carron, Contributing Writer

Frontline healthcare workers show the highest performance confidence and strongest sense of purpose across all industries, but they are among the least satisfied employees. They struggle with work-life balance due to a lack of flexible schedules and feeling undervalued despite their essential contributions. 

Why the disconnect? Healthcare facilities excel at supporting productivity and patient care, but they fall short on human-centered design that supports the people delivering said care, according to JLL’s Workforce Preferences Barometer research. 

The research surveyed 3,411 frontline workers — 82 percent of whom are healthcare workers — to find a sobering reality: Nearly one-half do not consider their company a great place to work, compared with only 38 percent of office workers. Twenty-three percent are considering leaving within the year. Today’s healthcare employees report worse working conditions than colleagues in warehouses, factories and bank branches. 

Behind those numbers is a fundamental misalignment between facility design and human need. 

Why productivity is not enough 

Frontline employees confirm their workplaces support operational efficiency and customer service, but too often those facilities lag on what matters most to healthcare talent: wellbeing, social connection, professional development and work-life balance. 

For starters, 52 percent of healthcare workers say they want flexible scheduling, but only 29 percent get it – the largest disparity across all sectors. This finding hits especially hard given that 66 percent of healthcare workers prioritize work-life balance above everything else, more than any other industry. Meanwhile, healthcare employees have fallen behind significantly in AI training — 46 percent versus 70 percent of office workers — raising serious concerns about future readiness. 

Combined with the general stress of a truly high-stakes profession, is it any wonder that burnout is more prevalent in frontline work like healthcare than in office work? 

Five strategies for human-centered facilities 

With healthcare margins shrinking due to insurance coverage changes and funding uncertainty, facilities leaders need cost-smart approaches that are operationally efficient and authentically human. Consider the following strategies to strike that balance for healthcare organizations: 

Scheduling. Enable flexible scheduling through smart design, not just policy. Infrastructure can support flexible arrangements, when planned accordingly. Think digital shift management hubs that allow real-time shift swaps, 24/7 support amenities such as staffed kitchens and concierge services, and adaptive spaces that reconfigure based on shift patterns. For instance, modular break rooms could transform from quiet zones during day shifts to collaborative spaces during night rotations. Ultimately, the workplace should fit employees, not the other way around. 

Physical environments. Only 49 percent of healthcare workers have access to well-automated, ergonomic environments, and it shows in satisfaction rates. Ergonomic zones that reduce physical strain, acoustic solutions that combat healthcare’s relentless noise, air-quality control systems and comfort-first design can help make the difference between burnout and sustainable careers. 

Wellness. Build comprehensive wellness infrastructure. A nurse finishing a 12-hour shift needs dedicated staff space and not a shared common room with patients. This means dedicated rest areas with plenty of natural light and greenery, employee kitchens stocked with healthy snacks, mother’s rooms, prayer and meditation spaces and wellness areas where staff can catch their breath and decompress. 

It is no easy feat to create staff-only wellbeing spaces without compromising patient care space or expanding your footprint. Space ecosystem mapping can identify overlaps between departments to combine workspace suites and create economies of scale while freeing up square footage for essential staff areas. 

Artificial intelligence. Provide AI-ready learning environments. Frontline workers view AI as a threat more than office staff do, and fewer see it as valuable for career advancement. This technology anxiety compounds existing burnout. Reverse the trend with dedicated training spaces, simulation environments and digital learning hubs designed specifically for frontline AI education. As human-machine collaboration accelerates, talent retention depends on creating environments where every healthcare pro can thrive alongside emerging technologies. 

Space management. Create spaces that foster managerial empowerment. Healthcare workers often feel disconnected from decision-making despite being closest to patient care. Designate spaces that foster ownership and growth, from recognition walls celebrating team wins and decision-making spaces where frontline staff can participate in operational discussions, to career development centers with mentorship programs and peer collaboration zones. When workers feel empowered, they feel happier about staying. 

With a fresh approach to workplace design, organizations can promote employee satisfaction alongside productivity. The real key is to treat each facility – whether hospital, clinic or urgent care center – as what it actually is: a unique intersection of life-and-death operational demands, deep professional identity and fundamental human needs. Healthcare workers show up every day with unmatched purpose and performance. They deserve workplaces that show up for them, too. 

Cheryl Carron is the chief operating officer of Work Dynamics Americas and president of the healthcare division of JLL.