Analysis of human resource policies within healthcare settings Essay Example

time for patient care and nursing issues. The evolution of the human resources department follows a similar path as other areas within healthcare or any organization. Like finance and purchasing departments, human resources began with specific responsibilities and expanded accordingly. Tasks that share common characteristics are often bundled together due to their relatedness and the need for specialized skills and expertise. For instance, activities involving money such as paying wages, bills, managing bank accounts and investments have been centralized within the department.
The finance area has evolved, leading organizations to establish a dedicated division or department known as Finance. Previously, activities such as accounting and payroll were grouped together under the broader term of finance, which eventually became the overall management of money. Similarly, before the emergence of "human resources," organizational activities related to people were referred to as "forces." Some organizations still use this term while others have shifted from forces to human resources due to changes in scope and approach. However, for many organizations, this shift was merely a name change without any significant changes in activities. Human resource management is concerned with managing people at work and embodies a new philosophy, approach, and mindset. It recognizes the important role of the human factor in management.According to Appley (1990), management is not about controlling things but about developing people. Human resource management focuses on various aspects such as performance appraisal, career planning, training and development, organizational development, systems development, incentives, and assistance measures. The key assumptions of human resource management include recognizing the untapped resources of employees and the need for top management to tap into those resources. Plans and strategies must be developed

for implementation while nurturing a culture of harmonious relationships. Self-development of employees is also important, benefiting both the organization and its members through organizational development.

Human resource management differs from other functions in its strategic role within the organization's employment function. It is seen as a strategically driven activity that contributes significantly to the overall managerial process similar to finance or marketing. The direction of an organization's human resources is considered a significant investment that requires empathy and tact in handling them.

Peter Drucker emphasizes in his book "Practice of Management" the importance of directing all managers towards a common goal. This visionary leadership concept plays a crucial role in human resource management.Douglas McGregor advocated for a management philosophy based on attitudes and beliefs about people and achieving integration. This involves involving all members of the organization to work together with a sense of common purpose. Fair organizational human resources policies should contribute to the achievement of goals while providing a conducive working environment for employees to maximize productivity. Skilfully managing human resources greatly influences an organization's culture and values, which is crucial for success.

In Essay 2, it is emphasized that everyone in the organization should embrace and practice its guidelines. By doing so, human resource management will benefit from untapped resources and cultivate harmonious relationships between superiors and subordinates. This fosters an overall environment where the organization and its human resources can perform at their best. In the healthcare sector, proper planning and development methods for human resources are crucial as they are essential to any healthcare organization or system within a country's infrastructure.The supply and utilization of healthcare resources, including personnel, facilities, economic support, management,

policies, payment methods, and service organization are crucial in healthcare planning. These resources are allocated based on the organizational and financial structure of the healthcare system. This allocation affects service provision in both public and private sectors. Adequate economic support is necessary for ongoing education of high-quality human resources and effective utilization management. Government regulation of healthcare personnel plays an important role in licensure and discipline. Controlling medical practitioner supply and promoting efficient healthcare are key concerns in system reform. Planning for healthcare personnel involves considering demographic changes, practitioner supply/distribution, technological advancements, immigration/emigration effects on workforce supply, cost-benefit analysis of professional-to-organization ratios versus preventive measures, shift towards ambulatory/preventive care, and task delegation among professionals. Health systems have access to facilities, personnel, and financial resources to provide services with resource allocation determined by organizational/financial structure in both public/private sectors.The structure and payment methods have an influence on the way healthcare services are provided. It is crucial to ensure adequate economic support for healthcare systems in order to educate and manage high-quality human resources. Government regulations, including licensure and discipline, play a significant role in controlling and regulating healthcare practitioners. Incentives to promote efficient healthcare, as well as measures to control or limit medical practitioners, are important considerations in reforming the healthcare system. According to the World Health Organization, human resources for health planning involves estimating the number of individuals with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to achieve health goals and improve outcomes. Human resource planning is a dynamic process that includes three stages: inventory, forecasting, and designing temporary workforce. The inventory stage aligns recruitment and selection of key healthcare professionals with strategic goals. Forecasting

consists of demand prediction for future needs and supply prediction for availability assessment. The final stage involves developing a flexible recruitment strategy based on assessed demands and cost-effective benefits.In healthcare, both quantitative and traditional approaches are valuable for making enumerative decisions. These decisions rely on subjective managers' anticipation of employee salary expenses and an evaluation of primary employee needs in relation to organizational design and system. Activity-based cost management effectively controls the allocation of resources, managing labor and costs efficiently. Forecasting demand in medical workforce planning is intricate and depends on relatively mechanistic estimates of medical care demand.

Dr. Thomas L. Hall (1991) proposed five generic methods for estimating healthcare demand, including the forces to population ratio method that calculates the ratio and number of healthcare personnel compared to the population. The health-needs method involves expert opinion about people's specific healthcare needs, which are linked to staff requirements. Health needs are determined by analyzing disease-specific morbidity and mortality rates.

Staff demands evaluation considers factors such as service type, norms, frequency, quality, staffing standards, and the particular category of healthcare workers necessary for providing services. This assessment may necessitate sophisticated information systems, reporting capabilities, and high-level planning expertise.The service-demands approach focuses on the number and types of healthcare services that clients and patients are likely to use rather than specific services. This approach can provide valuable information on the economic implications of using private healthcare establishments compared to government-funded sectors.

In a managed healthcare system, there is a defined client population with reasonably good access to healthcare facilities. However, flexible socio-political trends and economic recessions can influence healthcare policies and reforms.

Human resource supply planning involves utilizing information from both

external and internal labor markets. Factors such as staff turnover and workforce stability are considered in determining effective measures for internal supply in relation to human resource planning.

The external labor market provides a comprehensive assessment of resource availability and importance, considering factors like supply, demographics, and socio-geographical considerations. On the other hand, internal supply focuses on determining the appropriate number of individuals needed for specific jobs while effectively managing HR processes like training programs, promotions, retirements, and career planning to maintain a steady HR supply within an organization.Replacement charts are essential in HR planning as they provide a roster of potential candidates for promotion, selection, and high-level recommendations. These charts evaluate skills, competencies, abilities, and levels of experience. In the healthcare sector, outsourcing serves as a temporary worker planning technique to address staff shortages. However, it is crucial to assess the costs and benefits when considering outsourcing healthcare workers. Commonly outsourced services in healthcare include ambulatory and walk-in services, diagnostic services, dietary services, laundry services, medical transcription services, among others.

This text discusses human resource accounting and human resource auditing within a healthcare organization. Human resource accounting involves evaluating investments made by the organization concerning its workforce. On the other hand, human resource auditing focuses on assessing existing personnel's strengths, weaknesses, and developmental needs. Both practices are vital in ensuring quality patient care and meeting evolving demands within the healthcare sector. Furthermore, human resource auditing identifies shortcomings in workforce management and aids in developing future plans based on emerging healthcare requirements.Finally, the text discusses the importance of enhancing human resource management to improve overall effectiveness. Human resource management involves recruiting, selecting, training, and developing employees to

benefit the organization by ensuring a steady supply of skilled and unskilled workers. The success of this department relies on how they treat employees, establish policies, and hire staff. By implementing fair policies, their success rate is 33%. If they match individuals with suitable roles, the rate increases to 66%. However, if they prioritize employee satisfaction and retention rather than termination, their success rate reaches 100%. Recognizing the significance of human resources in achieving organizational goals is crucial since only humans have the capacity for growth and improvement. Unlike other resources limited by mechanical laws that restrict their potential output to inputs received, humans have the capability to develop and expand. The importance of human resource management can be further understood by considering various perspectives: (a) For the organization - ensuring an adequate workforce through recruitment strategies and promotion policies; fostering positive attitudes and necessary skills among employees via training programs; workshops for refreshing knowledge; performance evaluations;The text emphasizes the importance of maintaining high employee morale, promoting good industrial relations, and enhancing the quality of work life. This can be achieved through incentive strategies, employee involvement in management, effective grievance handling and resolution policies and procedures, as well as various welfare measures. By treating workers with respect and involving them in decision-making processes, their dignity of labor is boosted and personal development opportunities are provided. These efforts result in increased productivity, minimized losses caused by work stoppages and lockouts, optimized utilization of human resources, and a reliable workforce supply. In addition to these organizational benefits, it is crucial for industries like hospitals to fully utilize high-technology. While initial costs may be perceived as expensive in

some countries, introducing technology significantly streamlines operational activities in healthcare institutions. This leads to improved efficiency, time savings, and reduced human bias.Industries and hotels have already integrated high-tech machines into various aspects of their operations due to their financial resources. Conversely, hospitals tend to limit the use of high-tech machines to specific areas such as physical therapy, medical laboratories, X-ray departments, operating theaters, laundry, etc., while neglecting departments like human resources where manual work is still feasible. Nevertheless, by incorporating high-tech machines in this department as well, hospital management can enhance the efficiency of the human resources section and reduce human bias.

For example, conflicts often arise between office staff and employees over delayed reporting of duty. The implementation of computerized electronic time recording equipment proves highly advantageous for employees as it ensures accurate tracking of their time. Consequently, employees can have confidence that their time is being recorded correctly. Furthermore, this system eliminates discrepancies in attendance information between time keepers and department heads. It also enables department heads to access daily reports on the number of hours worked by their employees.

As a result, biases and differences among employees, department heads, time keepers, and human resource managers are eliminated. Additionally, the daily reports generated by this system regarding late arrivals and early departures contribute positively to punctuality and consistency within the workplace.Installing computerized electronic time recording equipment helps prevent employees from clocking in for each other, thanks to data received from the system. This can avoid misunderstandings caused by human biases and allows for quick generation of multiple reports for various departments. The impact of healthcare professionals' services on people's lives is direct and profound. Therefore,

the efficient performance of personnel at all levels is crucial for the effectiveness of a healthcare organization. Poor human resource management can result from factors such as faulty communication systems, reluctance to share information, functional ambiguity, inaccurate job descriptions, incorrect employee selection, lack of promotional opportunities, poor policies, unattractive salary structures, and ineffective management actions. These factors can be categorized into four major causes: discipline issues, high turnover rates, poor customer service from staff, and low employee morale. It is the responsibility of the human resource manager to address all these causes in their organization through effective and systematic implementation of human resource management functions. Attention should be given to ensure consistent and correct execution of all work processes.The implementation of these strategies can eliminate the need for constant checking and repetition, resulting in patient satisfaction and a decrease in complaints about hospital staff services. However, it is important for healthcare organizations to make genuine efforts to address legitimate complaints regarding poor service from dissatisfied patients and their families. This will not only improve patient satisfaction but also reduce the costly treatment associated with these patients. Furthermore, it will minimize employee errors and enhance human resource management practices such as manpower planning, workforce selection, efficient training methods, motivation techniques, and maximizing productivity. The HR manager plays a crucial role in workforce planning by identifying valuable candidates who can contribute significantly to the organization's success. This involves recruiting fresh graduates from educational institutions and providing them with on-the-job training while also hiring experienced professionals who adhere to organizational policies and procedures. Employee development is essential as it leads to organizational growth. Each employee has unique needs,

goals, and skills that the HR manager must identify and align with the overall objectives of the organization. Ultimately, forcing or bribing employees is not beneficial for an organization aiming to retain them.If employees wish to leave the organization, it should be accepted gracefully and they should be given permission to do so. A better method for keeping employees is to comprehend why they are leaving in order to prevent others from feeling compelled to do the same.