Why Under-Investing in Your Lab Is Costing You Top Talent

Your Lab’s Tools Define Its Future

If you’re struggling to hire or retain top laboratory leaders — from Lab Directors and VPs of Operations to medical technologists and pathologists — your equipment and systems may be part of the problem.

Outdated analytical lab equipment, aging laboratory information systems (LIS), and a lack of digital pathology capabilities can make even the best labs hard to staff and even harder to lead.

At Connexis Search Group, we talk every week with senior lab professionals — and they’re clear about what drives their decisions:

“I want to work where the technology supports accuracy, efficiency, and growth — not where I’m constantly fighting broken tools.”

Outdated Equipment and Systems Affect Everyone — From Bench to Boardroom

The impact of lagging technology isn’t just on your frontline staff. It ripples through the entire organization — right up to senior management.

When VPs of Operations, Lab Directors, or General Managers evaluate new opportunities, they look at three things immediately:

• The condition of analytical instruments and automation platforms
• The reliability and usability of the LIS
• The lab’s ability to adapt to new workflows like digital pathology or hybrid diagnostics

If the answers point to outdated tools and manual workarounds, top candidates often walk away. They know they’ll be accountable for outcomes without the technology to support success.

Case Study: When Delaying Investment Becomes a Closing Story

One long-standing diagnostics lab we know recently shut down.

They never transitioned to digital pathology or optical slide scanners, which meant all reviews had to happen on-site. Recruiting anatomical pathologists to their remote location proved nearly impossible.

To fill the gap, they turned to locum tenens, paying up to five times the cost of a permanent pathologist. Without digital workflows or hybrid diagnostics capabilities, they couldn’t move work off-site or collaborate efficiently.

The result: unsustainable costs, operational bottlenecks, and ultimately, closure.

It’s a clear example of how short-term savings on equipment and systems can create long-term losses in people, performance, and profitability.

What Great Labs Do Differently

Labs that continue to thrive — even in today’s talent-constrained market — share several common strategies:

• Modern equipment: They replace outdated analyzers before breakdowns become routine.
• Upgraded LIS platforms: Their systems talk to one another, reducing errors and delays.
• Digital pathology adoption: Enables flexibility and attracts pathologists who prefer remote or hybrid work.
• Hybrid diagnostics workflows: They combine on-site testing with digital collaboration for faster results and better scalability.

These labs understand that technology isn’t just operational — it’s cultural.
It communicates innovation, respect for employees’ time, and commitment to quality. And it directly affects how attractive your lab appears to candidates at all levels.

The Hidden Costs of “Saving Money”

Holding off on upgrades can appear fiscally responsible, but it often leads to bigger costs elsewhere:

When you add it up, not upgrading your lab is often the most expensive choice you can make.

The Recruiting Reality: Tools Tell the Story

Today’s candidates — from bench-level technologists to senior operations leaders — evaluate your tools before they evaluate your offer.

They’re asking:

• “What analyzers and automation platforms will I be working with?”
• “How modern is your LIS?”
• “Do you support digital pathology or hybrid diagnostics?”
• “Will this be a lab I’m proud to show to clients or partners?”

Your answers determine whether top performers — especially those in leadership — see your lab as a place to build or a place to avoid.

Leading with the Right Tools

Strong lab leadership starts with the right environment.
Executives who join modern, well-equipped labs can focus on performance, innovation, and people — not constant troubleshooting.

By contrast, leaders in outdated settings spend more time reacting than improving. Over time, that frustration affects morale, quality, and recruiting reputation.

How Connexis Helps

At Connexis Search Group, we’ve partnered with CLIA labs, hospitals, and diagnostics companies for over 24 years to hire:

• Lab Directors
• VPs of Operations and General Managers
• Anatomical Pathologists
• Department Heads and Technical Supervisors

We understand how equipment decisions influence leadership outcomes — and we know what today’s candidates expect from the labs they join.

If your lab is ready to compete for the best, it starts with the tools that make leadership possible.