Generation Z's attitude to urological work place environment-a pilot study

It is known that Generation Z (GenZ) has different needs and expectations with regard to the world of work than previous generations. A secure working environment with long-term prospects must be created for them. These facts are essential for further improvement of urological education and residency. Thereof, we conducted a survey among Swiss urologists and urological residents.

Between July and September 2025 invitations to participate in our online survey were send. The pilot survey consisted of 93 items, e.g., the validated Workplace Gender Discrimination Scale.

Two-hundred-three questionnaires were received, leading to an overall response rate of 33.1%. Twenty (9.9%) of the respondents belonged to GenZ (all residents). Regarding the Workplace Gender Discrimination Scale GenZ had a median total score of 4.5. Only two persons (10.0%) from GenZ experienced a high level of discrimination. These facts were not significantly different from the previous generations (p = 0.418; p = 0.704), respectively. Regarding working conditions 13 (65.0%) of GenZ already experienced discrimination or disadvantage in their professional career, which is significantly more than in non-GenZ members (p = 0.009). However, we must assume that this study is not without limitations, like the response rate with only 20 GenZ members can lead to selection bias.

Urological residents of GenZ have already experienced a significant higher level of discrimination than previous generations. This must be addressed in further research and development of structured residency programs to increase job satisfaction and therefor quality of patient care.