Strategic Human Resource Management in Health Care - Example

Reflection paper I. Introduction Atlas is a health care facility that strives to provide high-quality healthcare services to the surrounding community. Located in North Shore, Long Island the Atlas is an integral part of the community since it provides the vital health care services. In striving to improve the health of the local community, the facility remains committed to the provision of high-quality clinical service. In order to achieve this, the health care facility strives to educate both the current and the future generation of healthcare specialists in the society. The facility is always a center for biomedical research as it strives to find better ways of treating some of the most prevalent diseases tormenting the society. This implies that the facility is a health care service provider, an educational center and a research center. The health facility provides its services to the cosmopolitan society regardless of the locals’ ability to pay for the services (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011). As explained earlier, the health facility exists in a cosmopolitan society consisting of a population of more than seven million people of various races. More than twenty-five percent of the populations in the region are children, more than forty-five percent of the populations are youths of between 18 and 44 years and thirty percent of the population are elderly people aged above 45years. The health facility operates on an efficient system that ensures that it sustains the various functions and provides effective services to the locals including those who lack the capability to afford such. The local community faces numerous social and health problems that the facility seeks to revert. Substance abuse and mental health problems are on the rise. The health institution therefore strives to create a safe and healthy environment, improve the health of women, infants and children and contain the prevalence of HIV, other STIs among many other communicable diseases prevalent in the region. II. Summary of the interview The interview sought to investigate the roles and responsibilities of a human resource director in health facilities. The interviewee was the human resource director of a local health facility. He provided a firsthand experience of the profession explaining his strengths, weaknesses and the challenges he encounters on a daily basis. He began by explaining the factors that stress him. A human resource director is responsible for numerous employees in the organization. As such, he must make decisions concerning the productivity of every employee. Such is a hectic function since he strives for excellence and must, therefore, make effective policies that encourage the productivity of the entire health facility. The responsibilities of the director include ensuring that the facility operates as a unified unit with cohesive systems (Noe, 2013). He makes operational decisions that influence the daily operations of the health facility. He must always overcome the challenges. Key among such challenges is resistance to change. Some employees always resist decisions that institute change in an organization. Resistance to change slows down the rate of productivity of the institution. Fottler, Khatri & Savage (2010 explain that despite such challenges, the human resource director as the center of authority always finds ways of implementing such policies without aggravating the employee. The director understands that he is both a manger and a leader. As such, he has appropriate skills and personalities to ensure that he influences the employees and enhances the productivity of the health facility. In doing this, he overcomes his stresses, which may otherwise hinder his functionality. He coordinates with other managers within the facility such as the nursing administrator. Additionally, he must always interact with the rest of the staff. He created a conducive working environment at the facility, one that accommodates diversity within the facility and encourages communication. This way, he interacts with the rest of the employees and, therefore, obtains fast hand information on the factors affecting the productivity of the nurses among other employees in the facility. III. My perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of the director/Vice president of HR The director of human resource is an important individual in the management of the health facility. He manages the human resource, one of the key resources at the facility. In doing this, he must perform specific functions, which include controlling, directing, organizing and planning for the resources. Such are important roles that influence the productivity of the facility. Additionally, the director of human resource is responsible for the productivity of the nurses in the facility. This implies that he must perform his functions meticulously with the view to growing the productivity of the facility. The director of human resource makes vital decisions concerning the daily operations of the health facility. Such is a vital role that requires his understanding of the factors affecting the functionality of the nurses in the facility (Smith & Mazin, 2011). Sims, (2007) asserts that a human resource director is both a manager and a leader the two are complementary concepts that require specific skills and personalities. The director has the authority to direct the nurses throughout the facility. However, he must possess appropriate leadership skills in order to enhance the productivity of the facility by making appropriate decisions. The human resource director must, for example, have knowledge of the nursing practice. This way, he will interact with the nurses effectively and even orient new nurses. Managers with technical know-how earn the respect of their subordinates a feature that enhances the success of their leaderships. The human resource director has influence over the nurses. However, he must interact with them appropriately and nature them progressively by creating a learning environment, one where they account for their mistakes but also receive commendations for their productivity. IV. Lessons learnt from the interview Key among the lessons from the above interview is the fact that health facility is a like a system comprising of various components all of which must functions systematically and in tandem with each other. A health facility has numerous departments all of which function independently, but in tandem with each other. The consistency in the operations of the various departments within the health facility ensures efficient service delivery. The human resource director, for example, is one among the many significant people in the institution. Each department has its head who accounts for all the operations of the departments. The heads of departments answer to a manger who in turn coordinates the operations of the entire health facility. The human resource director, for example, manages all the health practitioners in the health facilities key among such personnel are nurses who in turn have a nursing administrator. The human resource director must, therefore, consult with the director thus influencing the functionality of the nurses in the health facility (Armstrong, 2007). The need to coordinate and manage the human resource in the entire health facility is a stressful job since it requires the proactive involvement of the director. However, the director has numerous other subordinates who answer directly to him. This way, the management function is easier. The human resource director makes vital decisions that influence the functionality of the nurses among other health practitioners at the facility. The director is therefore a coordinator; he works with numerous other heads of departments and managers as they consult especially on issues concerning the daily operations of the health facility. In doing this, the coordinator must always interact with his staff. Interactions with the staff are vital in ensuring that the employees access the director in cases where they feel the need to talk to the director either formally or informally. Accessibility of the director is a vital factor that motivates the staff. V. Areas of concern identified by the interviewee Among the key areas of concern, the interviewee identifies is resistance to change. Change is always an inevitable process that occurs naturally in any organization. Changes occur in every sector of the society including economic, cultural, legislative and technological. Such changes always influence the operations of health facilities, and the human resource director must introduce changes to the facility. The introduction of changes should always be a systematic process that does not cause shocks in the organization. However, some employees will always resist change owing to over-reliance on traditional ways of doing things. The human resource director must, therefore, portray his management and leadership prowess in overcoming such resistances effectively and without affecting the productivity of the health facility. Another area of concern is the broad functions of human resource management; this covers every employee in the health facility. Every of the numerous employees have a set of demands that influence their productivity. As explained earlier, an organization is like a system that requires the input of every employee in order to function optimally (Niles, 2013). This requires the human resource director to overcome the various challenges and coordinate the vast department by creating a singular organizational culture, one that accommodates the various employees working in various departments. This way, the human resource director creates a conducive working environment for the various employees who in turn exist cordially thereby functioning optimally to enhance the productivity of the health facility. Making difficult decisions is yet another concern in the practice. Some of such decisions may always affect the employees. Additionally, the facility has a series of bureaucratic offices some of which are redundant. This makes the operations of the human resource director difficult since he must always consult other managers. Such offices slow down the process of decision-making. VI. Ways that nursing could collaborate with human resource The efficiency of service delivery at the health facility is essential to achieving its long-term and short-term objectives. Such is an important feature that requires a collaboration between nursing and human resource management. Humans are the most functional resource in the facility. They implement the policies of the organization thereby influencing its functionality. Effective human resource management practices will help enhance the productivity of the health practitioners at the facility thus helping the facility achieve its goals and objectives. The director of human resource must portray effective understanding of his roles and responsibilities at the facility. He must interact with the health practitioners appropriately and motivate them in order to improve their productivity. The director of human resource at the health facility is a manager. His basic functions, therefore, include controlling, directing, planning and organizing the various resources at the facility. He must employ the health practitioners effectively by considering their strengths and technical know-how thereby enhancing their productivity. Key among the vital responsibilities of the human resource director at the facility is to create a conducive work environment. The work environment influences the productivity of the employees. As such, the director must create a safe and friendly environment for his staff. This way, the employees love their responsibilities at the facility. They work hard to improve the productivity of the health facility. Safety and friendliness of the work environment motivates the employees. Motivation of the nurses is vital in ensuring increased productivity. The director of human resource must always strive to motivate the nurses. Key among the ways of motivating the nurses is to create a safe environment. Provide the nurses with adequate equipment among other resources they may require in their daily functions. Additionally, the director of human resource must strive to create an appropriate organizational culture, one that encourages the integration of the various cultures. Providing the nurses with competitive remuneration and allowing them an opportunity to further their studies are equally important since they enhance the productivity of the nurses. This way, the director systematically develops a professional workforce thereby improving the productivity of the health facility. VII. Conclusion In retrospect, human resource management is a vital function mandated by the management of all the employees in an organization thus influencing the productivity of an organization. Atlas is a busy health facility that performs various functions and therefore has numerous employees. As such, the facility requires a proactive human resource director who understands the practice and therefore formulates appropriate policies that enhance the productivity f the staff thus the entire health facility. The incumbent human resource director at the health facility strives to enhance the productivity of the facility by exhibiting appropriate management and leadership skills. He faces numerous challenges but overcomes them by consulting other stakeholders. Additionally, he interacts with his staff thereby formulating policies that enhance the creation of a conducive work environment for every employee. References Armstrong, M. (2007). A handbook of human resource management practice. London [u.a.: Kogan Page. Fottler, M. D., Khatri, N., & Savage, G. T. (2010). Strategic human resource management in health care. Bingley: Emerald. Niles, N. J. (2013). Basic concepts of health care human resource management. Burlington, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Noe, R. A. (2013). Fundamentals of human resource management. New York, NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin. Pynes, J., & Lombardi, D. N. (2011). Human resources management for health care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Sims, R. R. (2007). Human resource management: Contemporary issues, challenges and opportunities. Greenwich, Conn: Information Age Publ. Smith, S. A., & Mazin, R. A. (2011). The HR answer book: An indispensable guide for managers and human resources professionals. New York: American Management Association. Appendix Survey questions: 1.How often do you feel stressed as a Director of HR? oExtremely often oVery often omoderately often oslightly often oNot at all often 2.How often do you feel the resistance when you make the change to accomplish to reach your short and long term goals? oExtremely often oVery often omoderately often oslightly often oNot at all often 3.How often do you feel you have to make the difficult decision as the Director of HR? oExtremely often oVery often omoderately often oslightly often oNot at all often 4.How often do you feel you need to interact with Nursing Administrator when you create plans to achieve the short and long term goals? oExtremely often oVery often omoderately often oslightly often oNot at all often 5.Do you feel you are visible to your staffs? oAll of the time oMost of the time oSome of the time oHardly ever oNever 6.How often do you think you listen to staffs voices? oAll of the time oMost of the time oSome of the time oHardly ever oNever Read More