HR Management of Laurel Surgery and Endoscopy Center - Case Study Example

Individual Paper Barbara Wallace October 26, Individual Paper on HR Management Introduction Human resource is considered to be the most vulnerable factor of production, due to the complexity of human nature, interactions and attitudes. As any other economic sphere, labor market requires its regulation and control. Despite the macroeconomic situation in the country, every organization has to provide fair and relevant treatment to human resources within own communication processes. Accepting ordinary job position, each potential employee enters into relations with employer as much as with a state, because the process of hiring supposes the interaction of three parties. Every time when a person starts to work in a company, he accepts its rules and obligations with a help of which employer influences his workers. However, the role of each democratic state is to ensure citizens with efficacious laws and normative acts, using which employees are able to affect employer’s attitude and behavior. Hence, due to the National Labor Relations Act, each employee has an undisputed right to form, join and help labor assembles with an aim to bargain and protect own security and working conditions. In its turn any employer must not display discrimination to those workers, who are members of trade union. Nowadays many superiors realize the need of labor organizations and try to express respect to workers demands and requests, assisting to reach compromise. It is well known that any conflicts between employer and employee bring losses to both sides. For instance, when employee rejects to commit his working obligations unless employer does not take inferior’s claims into consideration, company feels the lack of labor power and consequently the production process suffers from stoppages, which involve time and financial losses. In addition, the striker faces the losses of salary while he is trying to reach justice. Such predicament influences economy of the whole state negatively, because during the occurrence of any work conflict state budget loses additional monetary unit that comes with taxation payment of company’s reduced profits. Therefore, it is fair to admit that friendly environment on work places is imperative and desirable by all parties of personnel management. Reasons of unionization Analyzing the current labor market and its regulations, it can be concluded that peaceful solution of work conflicts has not always taken place in the past of the United States. Long time ago, when people were not so much acknowledged about legislation and own rights, workers had to endure severe working conditions and accept unprofitable propositions from potential employer. This happened because of overwhelming labor market and primary attitude of firms’ superintendents, who did not cherish labor force duly. It is important to mention that in the past employer had dominant position, which gave him right to dictate own rules. For instance, superiors did not care much about proper working conditions or fair salaries, because nobody wanted to lose money by investing in human factor that was in a huge supply. Each employer knew that if some worker was not content with working opportunities and stipulations, he could easily fire such person and hire at least ten new employees instead of this one. The main reason of employer’s confidence can be explained with a big level of labor supply and low level of demand, which have compelled people to accept the most unprofitable and the least favorable offers for being able to ensure at least vital functions. Such unequal state of two market’s parties kept on living for many decades. However, one day suffering from advantageous position of employers, workers managed to cross the boundary of patience and obedience to unfair treatments. This happened in the period of mass industrialization, when cities started to increase a number of plants and factories, which, being eager to conquer competition and gain the highest profits, offered poor and often even dangerous working conditions, extremely low wages and long duration of working day. Therefore, people started to realize that it was the right time to fight for own rights and protection. Consequently, the main reasons that caused mass organization of labor unions were the following: poor and dangerous working conditions; low wages and lack of fringe benefits; long hours of working day; using of child labor; difficult working stipulations and unfair treatment of women; discrimination of workers on the ground of race and nationality; mass layoffs due to the company’s bankruptcy along with dismissals without specific reasons and service benefits; cruel treatment of workers during strikes and boycotts that frequently caused injuries and even deaths of employees; lack of security and confidence in tomorrow’s day; low motivation and lack of any respect to workers. Historical events of unionization According to Commons et al. (1918), “The year 1864 was a year of rapid increase in the number of local unions. The number of trades increased to 53 and the number of unions to 270” (p. 20). Later on the Great Depression that gave a push to decrease of economic activity encouraged people to consider unions as necessity ensured workers’ protection and stability. Employees started to fight for the increase of wages, eight-hour working day, fringe benefits, union shops, job security, training programs, and grievance machinery. Although trade unions are often considered as organizations that want to achieve only financial gains, Khan (2010) stated, “Unions also have beyond collective bargaining role such as role for environment, energy management, role in politics and law making, public health, productivity and efficiency improvement social role in poverty alleviation and disasters like earthquakes” (p. 79). In nineteenth century unions were considered as restraining factors that contradicted the policy of laissez-faire. As statistics shows after 1950s there has been a significant decline in union membership rate of the country. The problem of union influence has been always quite disputed query. Many defenders of labor organizations claim that unionized companies reach higher productivity level due to the low staff turnover. However, when in 1981 Reagan decided to fire all air traffic controllers who were members of labor unions, the number of such organizations dropped drastically. Wachter (2007) found, “The decline in unions is due to one factor — the shift from a corporatist to a highly competitive economy” (p. 27). Also some economists, defining three groups of workers as the hardest ones to be organized, such as women, service staff and educated employees, consider their growth as the most influential factor of union membership decline. Interview with HR manager Researching performance of Laurel Surgery & Endoscopy Center and analyzing its management processes, it can be concluded that the mentioned organization is unionized company that manages to motivate and control its personnel effectively. Union play significant role in making people sure that their rights will not be suppressed and violated. According to an interview with HR manager of the Health Center, it has been concluded that the main reason of current people’s reluctance to enter the unions is American perception of collectivism. Respondent asserts that population of the United States are deep individualists in most cases, who cherish own achievements more than collective work. Americans believe that the best result can be reached only if a person makes it by his own. Such attitude contradicts the nature of unions, which serve to attain a goal with a help of mutual strengths and endeavors. However, interrogated manager believes that unions create huge power of people’s security and it is important to workers to be able to participate in them without any condemnations and impediments, because when employees can join groups and organizations voluntarily, they observe democratic principles afoot. Possibility to protect themselves causes favorable effect on workers’ job satisfaction and, consequently, influences on productivity, turnover of staff and final financial results. That is why any company should not interfere or put obstacles in the way of employees’ intention to fight for own prosperity and comfort. Health Center’s policy of management Comparing HR management of Laurel Surgery & Endoscopy Center with historical events that have created the need for unions, several discrepancies can be defined. The main of them suppose that mentioned Health Center provides its employees with the following: fair and competitive level of salaries; additional fringe benefits; annual bonuses and one-time payments for distinguished results in work; appropriate duration of working day according to the law; paid holiday leave and sick leave; comfortable working places with all necessary facilities; active programs of trainings and probations; impartial and loyal treatment of workers. Today employers get along with an idea of necessity to create friendly working environment in own companies. If in the past such actions have been considered as useless process of money-spending, then currently additional investments in own human resources are able to bring profitable return. Therefore, it is very important to ensure workers with favorable working conditions and benefits, so that employee will not be ever managed to come with a thought of arranging a strike, picket or boycott. Conclusion Competition is a tough category, which cherishes stability, confidence and success. Therefore, each company must avoid any possibilities of facing disruptions and stoppages, especially when the thing is about the Health Center such as Laurel Surgery & Endoscopy, which deals with human factor stronger than any other economic sphere. That is why any working conflict may affect Center’s performance drastically and, consequently, cause inconveniences and flaws in the services of the hospital. For being able to evade this, employers should care about own employees, expressing respect, understanding and assistance whenever it is required. References Commons, J. P., Saposs, D. J., Sumner, H. L., Mittelman, E. B., Hoagland, H. E., Andrews, J. B., & Perlma, S. (1918). History of labour in the United States. New York, NY: Macmillan. Freeman, R. B. (2005). What do unions do? Journal of Labor Research, 26(4), 641-668. Khan, M. T. (2010). Role of labor unions beyond collective bargaining. Far East Journal of Psychology and Business, 1(1), 78-90. Levine, P. (2001). The legitimacy of labor unions. Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal, 18, 527-571. United States Department of Labor. (2011). Union Members 2010. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm Wachter, M. (2007). The Rise and decline of unions. Regulation, 30(2), 23-29. Whoriskey, P. (2009). American union ranks grow after bottoming out. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/ 01/28/AR2009012801621.html Read More