Work-life Balance: Affordable Care Act - Coursework Example

Work-life Balance Introduction The health policy of the United s broadly describes the functions and initiatives taken by the governmental institutions including local, state and national for the purpose of advancing and promoting good health within the nation. The US healthcare policy considerably targets the healthcare organizations, their financing processes along with their healthcare deliverance processes (National Council for Behavioral Health, 2010). In relation to the modern phenomenal development of the global healthcare systems, countries are often observed to renew their interest towards developing performance indicators to assess, monitor and manage healthcare arrangements and achieve efficiency, quality, effectiveness and equity (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2003). With due regards to the current policy, reformation initiates of the Federal Administration, work-life balance of each individual has been highly emphasized for the nation with the aim of yielding long-term benefits of the Americans. Emphasizing the current scenario in the US healthcare sector and policies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the primary intention of this essay is to critically explore a common problem wherein a working individual in the healthcare sector of the nation is likely to face challenges. Throughout the essay, the discussion significantly provides a clear illustration about the policies of the ACA Act that is likely to help employees to deal with personal and family crises. Moreover, the discussion of the essay also tends to include elaborating a conceptual framework regarding the working environment of the current healthcare institutions that help employees to improve their work-life balance efficiency. Background Information A healthy balance amongst working life and personal life is one of the crucial aspects for each individual to ensure an impeccable way of living both mentally and physically. In relation to the modern competitive environment in each professional sector, work-life balance has become one of the most essential factors for the employees to reduce their level of stress and improve their performance to achieve personal and professional goals effectively. The nursing staff members in the modern healthcare service industry have long been witnessed to undergo major obstacles in order to gain a perfect balance in their personal and professional life (Houseman, 2001). In this context, it can be stated that numerous aspects have been identified that affects the work life balance in the healthcare services (National Council for Behavioral Health, 2010). In most cases, nursing staff with huge family encumbrances faces major challenges due to their busy or long hours working schedule in the healthcare institutions. Nevertheless, the nursing staff members working in different healthcare institutions are often observed to face major obstacles in terms of balancing their profession with their significant parental responsibilities and care towards their children. In this regard, it is quite evident in the recent phenomenon that nursing staff members are one of the major groups of employees to face major challenges in terms of efficiently balancing their professional and personal life. Nevertheless, the challenges in work-life balance of the employees substantially reduce the overall business growth of the employer in the current healthcare and nursing industry. According to various survey results, it has been recognize that stiff or long working hours often reduce the productivity, capability and quality of work of the employees. Moreover, it also increases annual attrition rate of the organizations along with higher rate of absenteeism in healthcare services. The study results obtained from different primary research also reveals that a family-friendly working environment with flexible working schedule substantially improves performance of the organizations and helps in maintaining a balance (Casey & Chase, 1998). Significant Problem/Issue The significant problem or issue of this essay is regarding the work-life balance of nursing staff members in the healthcare institutions. The nursing employees across different healthcare institutions in the US more often face major obstacles to maintain a healthy balance amongst their personal and professional life. The budding growth and need for responsibilities in the profession is more likely to compel major hurdle for the employees to maintain good care of their family members including parents and/or children. With regard to the selected problem of this study, nursing staff with retired mother and her two children have been determined. In this regard, the discussion significantly highlights about the complexities of this particular nurse to manage her daily working schedule with her professional responsibilities. Moreover, she also undergoes significant difficulties in terms of managing financial requirements associated with the education of her children and dealing with personal and family crisis. Discussion The US healthcare policy comprises an effective set of provisions that are developed not just to provide adequate and efficient healthcare support to the vast group of patients. The provisions also tend to protect its wide range of employees resided across different communities within the nation. In relation to current policies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employees irrespective of their job roles in the healthcare sector are protected by a strong set of governing agendas that ensure each individual to improve their work-life balance (Cappelli & Keller, 2013). In the context of the current policy measures of the Federal Administrations, medical experts, practitioners, and nurses among others are more likely to avail wide range of beneficial aspects with regard to their various financial or family related problems. In this regard, the availability of alternative working schedules, flexible timing of job roles along with maternity and child-care options are few of the major initiatives that protects healthcare employees from various hurdles. In addition, the policies also ensure to offer a wide range of beneficial aspects to different healthcare employees to avail financial support with a minimum or less amount of premium or interest. Employees are often involved in the initiates underneath the ACA policies in terms of availing educational assistance for their children along with healthcare support to each members of the family (AMN Healthcare, Inc., 2013). In accordance with the current healthcare policy of the nation, it can be recognized that a number of political actors and their governing system who have provided adequate support to the nation enhances the efficiency of its healthcare services. The major actors or institutions underneath the US healthcare policy are significantly observed to a large involvement of both private and governmental sector. Evaluation of the ACA Policies in respond to the Personal and Family Crisis of the Employees According to the problem identified in this essay, the issues associated with family burden are most commonly faced by the nursing staff in the US healthcare industry. The stiff schedule along with overlong work timing of the employees more frequently compel the staff members to inadvertently overlook their primary support to the family members including parents and children among others. In addition, the adequate support in the context of financial is also a major concern for this segment of professionals in the growing healthcare industry of the nation. The nursing staff members are located across different states of the nation and face major financial difficulties in order to meet basic requirements of the family members regarding their education, health care and day-to-day needs (Breaugh & Farabee, 2012). With due regards to the aforesaid problem of the employees in the US healthcare sector, ACA policies have long been recognized to ensure adequate support to each staff member irrespective of their working schedule, financial needs along with family obligations. Few of the major initiates that are more frequently identified to protect employees from different hurdles have been highlighted through the following factors. Flexible Working Hours or Telecommuting Ensuring employees with alternative arrangements can be identified as one of the major aspects in the ACA policies for supporting nursing staff members from different personal or family related obligation. According to the policies associated with the Act, healthcare institutions are more likely to provide adequate flexibility to the employees performing their job roles in accordance with their convenience. The major types of flexible working hours include flextime, compressed working weeks, job sharing and telecommuting (Potter, 2003). According to the policy, telecommuting provides employees to perform their job roles away from the conventional working location or institution. The off-site job location if most frequently the home of the employees or it may also be any location when he/she travels to any other locations within the state. However, telecommuting cannot be considered as a right of the employees. It is basically a privilege for a specific groups or individuals who are proven to be an expertise in this type of working arrangement (Breaugh & Farabee, 2012). In relation to the problem identified, the nursing staff members are generally associated with their operations by keeping themselves present in the institutions while serving patients. However, the telecommuting arrangement of work generally includes individuals with administrative roles and responsibilities in the healthcare institutions. Flextime The policy term associated with flextime generally provides a working schedule with range of variable timings regarding the arrival, departure and/or lunch time of the employees. It is basically intended to facilitate employees to manage their own working schedule irrespective of the standard or actual working schedule of the institution. From an institutional viewpoint, the working arrangement in flextime enables departments to confirm necessary operational hours or customer service and interactions are addressed especially during the peak working hours (Crosse, 2014). In respond to the case problem, the flextime would substantially facilitate nursing staff to manage working hours in accordance with her family obligations. The adequate flexible option of working hours in this arrangement would substantially offer the nursing staff to perform her family responsibility towards her retired mother and children in a better way. Job Sharing According to the policy terms, employee job sharing is also a major aspect of alternative working arrangement in the US. According to the term policy, job sharing significantly refer to a voluntary arrangement of individual work wherein two or more working individuals share responsibilities of a particular fulltime job role. In this arrangement, the wage amount or other benefits associated with the specific job role are distributed among the individuals in accordance with their contribution of working hours. With due regards to the problem associated with the job arrangement of the nursing staff, job sharing would facilitate the individual in sharing her responsibilities with other subordinate member(s). Moreover, it would enable the employee to reduce specified workload and manage time for her family members and maintain a proper balance. However, it may also cause negative impact on the financial outcome as job sharing arrangement tends to distribute wage and monetary benefits with other subordinate members involved in this particular job role. Compressed Working Weeks The working arrangement is defined as a process of scheduling the conventional 40-hour week into specific days through adjusting numbers of working hours in each day. The working arrangement is primarily used by a particular group of company intending to reduce their rate of employment layoffs. The working arrangement significantly enables organizations or departments to effectively deal with potential risks that might be derived from the number of employees within the operations (Lutz, 2012). With regard to the problem associated with nursing staff, the arrangement will offer a benefit to obtain feasible working schedule by completing the standard working week within fewer than five days. The arrangement will provide the employee to obtain a compensation of one or two days off to manage her personal or family obligations (Boushey & Glynn). Therefore, the policy terms associated with alternative working hours in ACA can be duly accepted to provide major support to the nursing staff members. According to the working arrangement policy terms, the nursing staff member would be able to gain adequate flexibility to perform her job roles. Moreover, the arrangements as discussed above can also provide adequate opportunity to manage an effective balance amongst her personal and professional life. ACA Policy Terms in Respond to the Working Environment for the Employees The major purpose of the US healthcare policy can be recognized to ensure adequate healthcare facilities by incorporating the initiatives concerning the development of health of each individual from diverse range of communities within the nation. Moreover, the healthcare policy of the country also tends to promote wellbeing of each individual from different demographic backgrounds and ensure to protect Americans from different health related issues (National Council for Behavioral Health, 2010). In this regard, the policy terms associated with the ACA guidelines also develop a strong set of compliances regarding the environment of the workplace for employees within the organization. The workplace wellness provisions in ACA involves the non-discrimination provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, wherein the employers and employees are accountable for maintaining adequate safety and care of the working environment along with each equipment and material within the workplace. According to the policy guidelines regarding the workplace environment, safety of each individual staff member along with their cooperation to meet the operational goal can be duly accepted as a major provision, which protect employees from different potential risks (United States Department of Labor, 2014). Loans and Other Financing and Coverage Programs The primary purpose of the US healthcare policy is also to bring adequate response towards the staff members associated with different healthcare institutions in terms of their wellbeing and different health related concerns. Besides the utmost priority on the healthcare facilities to each American, the healthcare policy also seeks to ensure adequate insurance assistance to each working staff member in order to obtain appropriate healthcare benefits. In this context, the US healthcare policy also ensures to protect each American through providing adequate healthcare coverage system in order to alleviate illness and health conditions, preventing future healthcare difficulties along with reducing the possibilities of generating health hazards in their life (Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, n.d.). According to the present day context, the nursing staff members of the country are highly eligible for the various types of healthcare insurance and various coverage plans rendered by both the government and private healthcare agencies (Konrad & Mangel, 2000). Conceptual Framework Recommendations In relation to a critical assessment of the problem, it has been perceived that work hour flexibility or ensuring adequate alternative working hour options can substantially enable nursing staff members to improve their work-life balance (Abraham, 1990). With regard to the current ACA policies and measures regarding the work hour flexibility, the work arrangement in accordance with flextime guidelines would substantially enable nursing staff members to reduce obstacles in terms of meeting work life balance (Mattke et al., 2013). The work arrangement in flextime would offer adequate opportunities to the employees to perform their assigned roles by managing their arrival, departure and/or lunch time in the healthcare institutions. The arrangement would further help employee to effectively deal with their personal and family obligations as well as professional (Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, n.d.). Conclusion Healthcare services in the US can be considered as one of the major elements in contributing towards the country’s economic performance. The segment is also regarded as an efficient source for the people of America being a major employment generator. However, the industry is often recognized to face major rate of employment attrition due to rigid working hour facilities that compel a large group of staff members especially nursing employees to improve their quality of life. In this regard, the ACA policy guidelines of the nation significantly facilitates the employees in the recent healthcare industry to gain adequate opportunity of selecting their convenient working schedule that significantly helps them to maintain effective balance amongst their personal and professional life. References Abraham, K. G. (1990). Restructuring the employment relationship: The growth of market-mediated work arrangements. New Developments in the Labor Market: Toward a New Institutional Paradigm, 85–119. AMN Healthcare, Inc. (2013). Survey of registered nurses: Generation gap grows as healthcare transforms. 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