HR's Role in an Organization - Essay Example

? HR’s Role in an Organization Barbara Wallace September 15, HR’s Role in an Organization Introduction Any kind of business requires specific number of resources, which can be material, financial and human. It is impossible to imagine a process of production without raw materials, equipment and workers. And if majority of factories and plants can be mechanized, so that frequently manual labor is substituted by technologies and innovative machines, in the sphere of services labor is considered to be the most essential factor of production. Especially human factor is indispensable in medical field, because it is well-known that nevertheless nowadays technological level allows using numerous of up-to-date advanced gadgets, still every machine needs to be controlled by people. Huge responsibility is laid on medical staff, whom we entrust with the most important thing that we have – own health. In this respect, the process of choosing and recruiting the right employees becomes the most initial for medical establishments. Effective and correct work of personnel influences on the customer’s satisfaction, which in its turn affect competitiveness, reputation and profits of the hospital. Sometimes one little mistake of medical employee is able to cause drastic and destructive consequences, which also not always can be remediable. For avoiding such situation and providing clients with highly qualitative treatment, it is recommended to take the recruitment, development and training of human resources into careful consideration. It is important to realize the significance of appropriate personnel, which is able to become the biggest competitive benefit of the organization only on conditions that a company implements various programs of constant development and improvement of workers’ productivity. For a better understanding of main role, training process and job satisfaction of human resources, Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center has been chosen as an object of further research. This medical center provides ambulatory care, offering different procedures of anesthesiology, gastroenterology, general surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pain management, and pediatrics. Multi-specialized medical establishment has a strong reputation of showing high professionalism and qualitative outpatient services during the last 6 years. Human recourses as competitive advantage Today more and more companies start to realize that human is the most significant factor for pushing own business to effectiveness and profitability. However, only few of them pay much attention at personnel development, considering such action as money-loosing. In reality numerous practical examples show that the more entrepreneur spends up on own staff the bigger return comes later on. Competition can be rather unsteady phenomenon, which depends on various elements. The most considerable of them is highly professional service that makes clients content and creates customer’s loyalty. Frequently one detail of personnel’s work can affect customer’s attitude to the whole company. And with a help of word of mouth one unsatisfied consumer is able to influence on groups of people, which in own turn can proceed the chain of negative review. But if a company has a qualified team of real specialists, who posses deep knowledge along with good interpersonal skills and comprehend the significance of customer’s satisfaction, then such enterprise will be in demand on the market. That is why effectively used human resources can become a huge competitive advantage that manages to attract new customers and affect the financial results of company’s performance later on. Despite developed equipment and new techniques used during medical procedures, the personnel of Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center guarantees a good old-fashioned patient care. Medical staff of the center looks after each client extremely attentively, ensuring pre- and post-operative treatment, the questions about which potential patients may find out from the special hot-line team. Saari and Judge (2004) stated, “Employee surveys, used effectively, can be catalysts for improving employee attitudes and producing organizational change” (p. 402). That is why for being able to develop own performance, stay competitive and attract new consumers, it is important constantly to raise the quality of employees’ work. With this aim, it is recommended to provide human resources with thorough monitoring, interminable training programs and incentives, which can improve job satisfaction. Only with a help of these methods the center will be able to receive the biggest effectiveness and return from hired workers. Impact of training on company’s performance Each collective is dynamic structure, which requires everlasting development and control. If there are no any changes, movements and improvements in the work of a team, then company looses opportunity of growth. Each representative of personnel should develop own skills, otherwise employee will be demotivated and later on will get bored of everyday repeated obligations. This in its turn may lead to decline of labor productivity and enhance the fluctuation movement of personnel. Such consequences will cause additional losses of time, which is needed for hiring new employees, giving them some days for adaptation and bringing up to date concerning their main responsibilities and duties. It is well known that time-loosing involves supplement financial losses that are not favorable for any company. Parsley (2006) founded that “business strategies and human resources practices are related to the training decisions of firms” (p. 16). In this respect, companies should provide employees with possibility to increase awareness about company’s strategic plans and improve knowledge with a help of training instruments that may later on implement worker’s potential in a full way. Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center cares about staff qualification, ensuring constant process of learning during completion of everyday duties. Hence, the center offers serious and thorough selection of professionals. New workers receive complete information about main obligations, so that they will not have any misunderstandings concerning own duties later on. Moreover, the company encourages its employees to increase own qualification, providing various rewards and benefits. Also annually medical staff attends seminars and conferences for gaining new knowledge and for being able to broaden own professional skills. In addition, sometimes the center invites mentors and lectures that help employees to build a strong team, improve communication process, and raise managerial skills. The most important task for Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center is to stimulate higher learning process of staff. This can be achieved with a help of providing greater responsibilities to workers for assisting them to identify their need for further training. Moreover, such strategy will emphasize employee’s significance in company’s performance and encourage staff to improve own devotion to work. Also it is recommended to implement annual inner exams for medical staff. This will allow finding out exact shortages in knowledge base of each employee. According to Wirtenberg, Harmon and Fairfield (1999), “A big advantage to sustainability is getting employees engaged because they want to make a difference in the world” (p. 16). In this respect, it is required to cause and maintain staff interest to company’s performance and own role in its successful functioning. It is recommended to launch job swap programs, rotating positions where it is possible for eliminating boredom with repetitious job tasks. Incentive methods For compelling employees to cherish job position and to benefit company’s performance, each firm uses specific stimulus, which can be monetary and non-monetary. It is obvious that on the beginning stages of person’s career the most considerable influence goes to monetary incentive. However, as employee gets used to his job responsibilities and becomes sated with everyday duties, the requirement of other stimulations arouses. The Medical Center provides employees with competitive salaries and periodical rewards for special achievements. There is always opportunity for promotions and increment of financial payments. The center offers additional financial bonus in the end of every year. In addition, there are special awards for employees, who have served for 20, 30 and 40 years. Despite strong monetary incentives, Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center should implement more attractive non-monetary stimulus. One of which can be formal letters to good workers from chief executive officer. Also it can be useful to reward employees with special signs as medallions, badges or t-shirts that may be presented on the anniversary of the medical center each year. This will manage to increase recognition of worker’s achievements and encourage staff to show successful work later on. Measures of job satisfaction For making customer content, first of all, it is initial to provide job satisfaction to own employees, because only on these conditions personnel is able to work wholeheartedly. Llorente and Macias (2005) founded that if a person is not satisfied with his job then he will intend to change it (p. 672). Therefore, to avoid financial and time losses each company must elaborate mechanisms for increasing job satisfaction. Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center uses formal and measurable instruments to evaluate job satisfaction, such as observation of reactions, behavior and productivity. However, for better results the center should provide wide system of personnel surveys and questionnaires, which are able to give full information about employee’s attitude and help to elaborate main directions of possible solutions. Personal and group interviews may be extremely helpful in defining company’s strategy concerning management and financial policy. Conclusion Human resource is the most promising factor of production, effective using of which is able to create reliable competitive advantage. For receiving high labor productivity, competitiveness and profits, each company should implement efficacious methods of staff stimulation and motivation. Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center cherishes its staff and provides each employee with fair remuneration. However, taking into account that training is the sign of employee’s development and rewards along with recognition cause significant influence on job satisfaction, which in its turn affects working efficiency, it is recommended to the medical center to implement training programs, thorough monitoring and various non-monetary incentive methods. References Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center. Bell Graphics Inc. http://www.laurelsurgery.com/ Llorente, R., & Macias, E. (2005). Job satisfaction as an indicator of the quality of work. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 34, 656–673. Macdonald, S., & MacIntyre, P. (1997). The generic job satisfaction scale: Scale development and its correlates. Employee Assistance Quarterly, 13(2), 2-16. Parsley, C. (2006). Employee training decisions, business strategies and human resource management practices. Communications and Marketing Branch Industry Canada, 5-18. Saari, L., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395-407. Wirtenberg, J., Harmon, J., & Fairfield, K. D. (1999). HR’s role in building a sustainable enterprise: Insights from some of the world’s best companies. Human Resource Planning, 30(1), 10-20. Read More