Human Resource Strategies

Hello, Welcome to todays presentation. We shall discuss various human resource strategies that can be utilized in the healthcare setting. You are all invited to ask questions or give feedback at the end of the presentation. Thank you.

Employers have a wide variety of choices for recruitment methods. These methods are congruent to the different avenues they can use to publicize vacancies. Referrals from current employees have been rated as some of the most reliable through surveys. The effectiveness is based on various reasons. Firstly, employees care about their reputation. Thus, they only recommend individuals who will not tarnish their reputations. This fulfils the prescreening part of the recruitment process. Secondly, the referring employees will likely offer realistic information about the position to prospective candidates. This enhances the decision-making for the candidate and the organization and reduces the likelihood of bad hires. Thirdly, the referring employees act as mentors to the candidates. Finally, the referral method effectively attracts the most suited candidates who may not actively seek a job but possess the required skills and work ethic. Referred employees tend to have better qualifications and last longer than those obtained using alternative methods. Employee referral programs also cost less than other recruitment methods. To reap all these benefits, it is essential to seek referrals from committed employees who understand the position well. Workforce diversity should be considered during the process (SHRM Foundation, 2009).

Most organizations post job vacancies on their websites. The websites offer an economical platform to share varied information with different audiences. However, the websites should possess various characteristics that make them highly visible to the targeted audience. These include easy navigation, easy process of posting resumes, attractive design, uncluttered, critical information on vacancies, notifying applicants on the reception of outline, and providing clear hiring steps. Websites can also include videos depicting the positions roles. The websites should also detail information that improves credibility, such as awards and certifications. Job boards may be categorized based on geographic location, sector, or level of remuneration. A job board is reliable but tends to provide numerous candidates who are qualified but may be uninterested in the position. The use of categorized job boards provides a solution to this challenge. Each job board offers different challenges and opportunities, requiring an organization to vet the platform and assess its capability to satisfy the recruitment needs. College recruitment can be done by selecting advanced educational institutions that can be used to fill vacant positions. The facility should consider the courses offered at the institution and the diversity, quality, and performance of employees from the institutions. The hospital should forge a good relationship with the institution, create a positive image among students as potential employers, interact with student groups, and offer internship opportunities. Internships allow an organization to assess the students directly and determine their work ethic and likelihood of fitting within the culture (SHRM Foundation, 2009).

Job descriptions and specifications result from a job analysis. Job analysis involves the study of specific jobs in an entity. After analyzing the roles an employee should play in a particular position, job analysis details the required equipment, tools, work aids, and working conditions. This information is used in planning human resources, recruitment, performance management, training, determining remuneration, safety, redesigning a position, and legal protection. It also reveals the positions relationship with other jobs (Azmy 2019). The process of analysis focuses on the job. A job description is a statement of facts regarding the contents of a job. It states the title of a position, nature of operations, authority, qualifications, relationship with other places, and working conditions. They are essential for delegation, recruitment and selection, performance appraisals, and training and development. Job specifications state the minimum qualifications required for a specific position. It is a translation of the description into actual qualities in human resources. With a job specification, it is possible to hire suitable candidates for the position. (Job Analysis, Job Description, and Job Specification, 2016).

Preservice education allows aspiring healthcare professionals to undertake specific courses that prepare them for their professions. The healthcare students acquire technical skills and learn about preventive care, palliative care, and therapeutics. During this period, the students interact with healthcare trainers in internships. These interactions allow students to experience the practical medical field. Similarly, students with primary care education obtain skills and knowledge at the post-graduate level, which is essential in improving the level and quality of care. In-service education allows healthcare facilities to enhance employees skills and knowledge through different training programs. Trainers can use other training techniques to meet the needs of the audience. Employees receive additional incentives that are monetary or nonmonetary to participate in these programs (WHO, 2016). This type of training allows organizations to address various issues related to the workforces capabilities and knowledge. Patient education and the creation of awareness are conducted in health facilities to ensure that the population is aware of their rights, privileges, new medical procedures, and other vital issues that are critical for decision-making.

Eight core aspects govern primary care. These include access, continuity of care, prevention, coordination, family and community orientation, comprehensiveness, and person-centeredness. According to the World Health Organization, healthcare professionals can provide high-quality care by applying the core principles. In the training or education aspect, teaching these aspects to healthcare professionals is critical in creating a culture of safety and quality in the sector. These aspects are essential to the patients well-being. Thus, improving safety and quality of care creates a vital part of the education process. Improving the skills and knowledge of current healthcare workers and instilling the same in upcoming workers leads to a reduction in errors. This reduction results in improved patient outcomes, leading to a healthy population.

Most importantly, well-trained employees exhibit higher morale and confidence, leading to greater productivity. Their ability to utilize new medical technologies and other procedures and interventions promotes greater efficiency and accuracy. Eventually, the performance of healthcare facilities improves tremendously due to the education and training of staff members (WHO, 2016).

Competencies are defined as a combination of KSAs and personal characteristics that contribute towards improved performance of employees. These observable and measurable factors are critical in realising an organizations success. Knowledge refers to the facts, principles, and truths obtained through education, training, and experience. A skill refers to developed dexterities in various physical or mental processes. Skills are also acquired through dedicated training. Ability refers to the aptitude to carry out multiple activities physically or mentally. Power is connected to a specific sector or profession. Individual characteristics reflect a persons uniqueness. Core competencies include communication, accountability, team focus, leadership, technology orientation, customer orientation, and inclusiveness. When competencies are combined, they enable an organization to achieve its goals through the workforce (University of Nebraska, 2021).

The measurement of competencies is critical to the certification and recertification of healthcare providers. In the US, providers must take examinations and performance assessments every seven or ten years to assess their competence. Healthcare deliverys complexity is growing, and the market conditions change gradually. Scientific innovations are demanding that employers continually assess their workforces competencies. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requires that healthcare workers have their competencies validated so that the institution can be accredited. Using standardized tests, health institutions can document the workforces readiness for full responsibility. The measurement of competencies also highlights the employees knowledge of various policies and procedures related to high-risk aspects. This information is used for training, which improves the performance of the organization. To assess the efficiency of services, it is essential to conduct periodic assessments of the organizational and employee performance. The results highlight the training needs. In addition, a comparison of competence assessments and the implementation of employees tends to highlight other hindering issues, such as a lack of sufficient infrastructure. The same evaluations also inform the management of the employees ability to adhere to ethical and legal policies that govern the provision of quality and safe care (Kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).

Assessing competencies is essential in determining the efficiency of training programs. A training needs analysis exposes the present skills gaps and improves the training process. The trainers can assess the delivery methods, information provided, and instruction techniques used in a program. Managers can also identify employees who are ready to offer new services and those who need further training to improve their skills and knowledge. Individual performance review allows an entity to identify areas that need improvement among different employees. The information guides the design and development of training programs. During recruitment, the measurement of competencies determines the employees ability to carry out their roles and responsibilities. The entire process informs managers on the most appropriate methods to provide employee performance feedback. Eventually, the performance of individuals improves once the various gaps are addressed (Kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).

As already established, training is an essential activity in a healthcare organization because it improves performance. Hamblin defines the evaluation of training as attempts to acquire feedback regarding the effects of a training program and establish its value to an entity (Choudhury & Sharma, 2019). Various models can be used to evaluate training programs effectiveness. However, each model is founded on essential elements that guide the evaluation process. Feedback involves comparing the trainings outcomes to the objectives set initially. This element allows the company to create controls. The control element enables an organization to transform training into actual practice and consider cost-effectiveness. Research establishes the relationship between learning and training and the actualization of these aspects in the various positions. Intervention assesses the evaluations results within specific contexts. The main objective of all training models is to establish the effectiveness of a program.

The performance appraisal process should highlight qualitative aspects of a role and the characteristics of employees performance. This implies that the utility, precision, appearance, and effectiveness of an individual should be stated. This allows an individual to identify areas of improvement. Employees productivity, compared to the goals that are set, relies on information regarding the necessary skills and knowledge. The ability to meet deadlines is connected to an employees productivity and affects the organizations performance. The cost involved in a business activity matters to an organization because it affects the revenue levels directly. Thus, with all other aspects in consideration, an organization should be able to create an effective performance appraisal (Hearst Newspapers, LLC, 2021).

Various prerequisites are essential for an effective performance appraisal. Documentation involves the continuous recording of performance, which enables evaluators to support their ratings. The goals should be clear, achievable, understandable, time-bound, motivating, and measurable. The format should be simple, fair, objective, and easy to understand. The evaluation process should be honest and performance-oriented. Observable and easily measurable characteristics in employees behaviours should be used during this process. Open communication is critical to a successful performance appraisal. Open communication allows individuals to participate actively in the process. Feedback will enable employees to improve their performance. Timeliness and frequency determine its effectiveness and improve future performance. The lack of personal bias, which may result from interpersonal relations, can affect the process negatively. Thus, the evaluators should be well-trained to ensure impartiality (Sippy & Varma, 2014).

Even the most effective appraisal methods encounter challenges along the way. The potential barriers that impede an appraisals effectiveness include subjectivity. An evaluator may assess an employees performance based on patient comments or other sources (Nikpeyma, Abed_Saeedi, & Azargashb, 2014). These form a specific mentality which dominates the process. Poor communication techniques impede providing feedback, setting goals, and making suggestions that would lead to improvement. This aspect is connected to language barrier and cultural insensitivity. In addition, the lack of feedback and inconsistency in providing the same presents significant challenges to the process. However, each aspect can be improved with the evaluators commitment.