Introduction
HRM is one of the critical attributes, which defines the company’s success (Aslam, Alsam, Ali, & Nahib, 2013). Nowadays, this department not only helps distribute and train human resources effectively but also enhances the organizational strategy (Aslam et al., 2013). The local acute hospital does not underestimate the significance of HR function. The management of this medical institution understands a critical contribution of training and a well-established compensation and benefits system to the organization’s success.
In this case, I was hired as the Manager of Human Resources, and my tasks pertain to design a relevant set of policies and procedures and ensure the alignment of the HR strategy with the company’s goals and mission statement. Consequently, it is critical to understand the role of Joint Commission in defining the function of HR division. Simultaneously, underlining the significance of collaboration between HR and department managers and proposing a detailed outline of a training program is vital in the context of the presented paper. Furthermore, it is critical to offer compensation and benefits plan, performance appraisal method, and design a strategy to resolve performance- and behavioral-based employee issues based on the theoretical dogmas and practical experience.
The Joint Commission and the Functions of HR
In the first place, one of the organizations, which affects the role of HR in the acute care hospital, is the Joint Commission. Nowadays, ensuring health and safety regulations for both patients and employees is vital. The Joint Commission considers these matters as important. This fact implies that paying pivotal attention to the working environment is of the major functions of HRM (Karen, 2014). In this case, it defines that HR department is responsible for complying with safety norms and regulations and providing a favorable working environment for personal development.
Simultaneously, the Joint Commission highlights the issue of employees’ fatigue and burnout due to the overwork (Karen, 2014). Consequently, distributing and managing human resources effectively is another function of HR. Furthermore, the Joint Commission emphasizes the importance of communication, the availability of healthcare to the patients of different ethnicities, and the concept of patient-centered care (Shamji, Baier, Gravenstein, & Gardner, 2014). These aspects underline that other basic functions of HR are training, monitoring compliance with the quality standards, and motivating the employees.
Based on the analysis conducted above, the policies will be affected by the Joint Commission. According to new policies, the company is expected to underline the patient-centered care and the gravity of communication to minimize cultural disparities. Reflecting these values in the organizational set of standards and corporate culture will help ensure the alignment with the Joint Commission’s principles and the company’s mission.
Simultaneously, the hospital has to establish a set of regulations to ensure the effective distribution of medical personnel and favorable working conditions for their professional growth in the hospital to avoid burnout, overwork, and enhance commitment. The medical institution should introduce policies, which will underline the significance of training and the number of training hours to be completed to gain the required skills.
Importance of Collaboration between HR and Department Managers
To gain a profound understanding of the HRM functions, one cannot underestimate the HRM partnership with the department managers. This collaboration is vehemently important during the hiring process while filling open positions. In this case, this partnership will help recruit candidates with the right set of skills and competences, which comply with the actual needs of the departments.
These structural units of the acute care hospital should work as a team and notify each other about the changes in organizational structure and open positions. In this case, the HR department will be responsible for creating the job offer, screening the CVs, and interviewing the candidates. However, the final recruitment decision will be dependent on the viewpoints of representatives of other departments. Following these steps will make the hiring processes more complicated, as the HR manager has to consult the representatives of other departments constantly to understand their needs and opinions.
Based on the analysis conducted above, it could be said that this collaboration will ensure the alignment of HR actions with the actual objectives of the company (Aslam et al., 2013). It will contribute to higher efficiency and productivity of the organization, as the workforce will be hired according to the company’s goals. Taking part in this collaboration will reveal the role of HR as a strategic partner and underline the competitive edge by focusing on the actual needs of the acute care hospital.
Detailed Outline of a Training Program for Managers
Training is one the essentialities of the HRM practice. Proposing a precise framework of a training program will help cultivate the required skills among managers in the acute care hospital. The first module of the program is learning the ways to design an appropriate job offer. The HR manager has to be able to gather the information about the required position from the managers of other departments, summarize it, and write a concise description. Devoting two lectures will be enough to enrich analytical and writing skills.
The second part of training is focusing on screening techniques to select suitable candidates. The participants of four sessions will learn the concepts of paper and video resumes and will use them to measure the cognitive skills of the applicants (Hiemstra, 2013). Simultaneously, the managers have to be able to ensure the fairness and avoid discrimination in the selection process (Hiemstra, 2013). Advancing these skills helps screen the candidates effectively with the assistance of the technology and will make the overall recruitment process faster.
Lastly, the last module of the training program has to include the interviewing techniques to select the best candidates and ensure the compliance with the employment laws. One of the approaches of conducting an interview is using a 3D model, which stands for “development, discussion, and decision” (Ullah, 2010, p. 108).
This concept underlines the whole process before and after the interview. Another technique is using semi-structured interviews, as they can adapt to the responses of the candidates (Macan, 2009). In this case, learning such tactics as taking notes, applying behavioral assessment scales, and organizing panel discussion (Macan, 2009). Learning these techniques will help avoid discrimination in the decision-making and comply with the current regulations. Eventually, this program will supply the managers with the required set of skills to contribute to the sufficient recruitment and its compliance with the company’s needs.
Compensation and Benefits Plan
One of the major functions of HR is motivating the employees’ and assuring their commitment. Consequently, focusing on the compensation and benefits plan will be one of the instruments to improve the quality of the services and enhance employees’ satisfaction, as workforce’s satisfaction is the most important factor to reach organizational goals. In the context of the presented case, providing training program within the working hours and helping the employees’ pursue their goals will be one of the examples of non-financial compensation. Using this tactic will ensure the alignment with the company’s strategy, as the employees are the primary definers of the service quality. In this case, HR will serve its major function in defining company’s competitive edge simultaneously (Aslam et al., 2013).
Despite the importance of the monetary rewards for motivation, the organization has to make sure that the employees are fairly paid for offering their services. Financial factor also has a critical impact on the motivation of the workforce. Nonetheless, the acute care hospital has to conduct the sufficient analysis of the rewards systems in other medical institutions to become competitive regarding employees’ payment system. Underestimating this step might lead to the decrease in the employees’ satisfaction or financial inefficiency. Subsequently, assessing internal and external factors will help HR manager ensure the relevant payment and initial alignment with the company’s strategy (Aslam et al., 2013).
Performance Appraisal Method
Another strategy to enhance the quality of the services and institution’s profitability is choosing a suitable performance appraisal method. In the context of the acute care hospital, it will be relevant to use a combination of future and past-orientation approaches (Lunenburg, 2012). In the first place, the managers can use performance-ranking scales to evaluate different dimensions of employees’ competences (Lunenburg, 2012). It will help highlight the qualities that require improvement and evaluate the need for additional training. In turn, checklists is another instrument to measure the ability of the employees to meet the organizational goals.
It could be said that the results can be delivered to the employees during the private interviews. The workers will have a clear understanding of the areas that require improvement. At the same time, the future-oriented tactic can be implemented in the form of setting personal goals to each employee (Lunenburg, 2012). In this case, the workforce will have a clear understanding of their future goals and will be committed to complete the tasks for a particular reward. In the end, applying past- and future-orientation performance appraisal strategies simultaneously will be beneficial for the overall organizational performance, as it will be easy to monitor the changes and motivate employees.
Strategy to Manage Performance- and Behavioral-Based Employee Problems
Despite the well-established policies and plans, the different conflicts and issues might take place in the organization. In the first place, the management has to understand the particular reasons for the existence of the certain issue. As for the prevention strategies, ensuring the compliance with the labor laws, safety requirements, and highlighting the importance of building trusting relationships with employees and patients will help minimize the frequency of these issues (Shamji et al., 2014).
Nonetheless, following these steps might not be sufficient. As it was mentioned earlier, communication is one of the critical definers of success in the medical sphere (Shamji et al., 2014). Consequently, the HR manager of the acute care hospital has to evaluate the employees’ performance constantly. After detecting any behavioral or performance deviations, an employee will be contacted individually. Being in direct contact will cultivate trust between supervisor and subordinate and help resolve the issue. Nonetheless, careful attention has to be paid to the actions of this employee after the interview to detect any progress in his/her performance and changes in behavioral patterns.
References
Aslam, H., Alsam, M., Ali, N., & Nahib, N. (2013). Importance of human resource management in 21st century. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 3(3), 87-96.
Hiemstra, A. (2013). Fairness in video and resume screening.
Karen, R. (2014). The Joint Commission addresses health care worker fatigue. American Journal of Nursing, 114(7), 17.
Lunenburg, F. (2012). Performance appraisal: Methods and rating errors. International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity, 14(1), 1-9.
Macan, T. (2009). The employment interview: A review of current studies and directions for future research. Human Resource Management Review, 19, 203-218.
Shamji, H., Baier, R., Gravenstein, H., & Gardner, R. (2014). Improving the quality of care and communication during patient transitions: Best practices for urgent care centers. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 40(7), 319-324.
Ullah, M. (2010). A systematic approach of conducting employee selection interview. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(6), 106-112.