Relationship Between Employees and Health Care Organizations Essay

Analyze the factors affecting the relationship between employees and health care organizations to determine which single factor is the most significant. Explain your reasoning. The long-term economic success of healthcare organizations depends on the efforts of employees with the appropriate capabilities and motivation to perform their jobs well. Organizations that are successful over time have understood that individual relationships do matter and should be managed. (Flynn, Mathis & Jackson, 2011) The relationship between individuals and healthcare organizations is influenced by outside forces. Four of the biggest influences are economic changes, the expectations of different generations of individuals, loyalty, and changing career expectations for women. These factors affect the psychological contracts in a number of ways. (Flynn, Mathis & Jackson, 2011) All of these factors are just as significant and important but the only that I feel has the more impact is the loyalty. One important organizational value that affects employee loyalty is trust. Employees who believe that they can trust their managers, coworkers, and the organizational justice systems are much less willing to leave their current employers. According to a survey conducted by a nursing magazine, one of the top reasons given for RNs leaving their previous employers was a lack of trust and confidence in management. (Flynn, Mathis & Jackson, 2011) Supportive learning and working environment are crucial factor for job satisfaction, especially in the field of nursing. An ageing population with an increasing number of patients suffering from chronic diseases are included in the factors affecting work environments negatively, resulting in dissatisfied employees. To improve the environment and prevent persistent employee dissatisfaction, Richer at al. 2009) suggested â€Å"appreciative inquiry† to create radical changes. Knowles (1990) reported that a supportive learning environment is considered to be a critical  element of human resource development, and he acknowledged the need for the development of individual workers through improvements to the educational aspect. Four of the biggest influences between employee s and health care organizations are economic changes, the expectations of different generations of individuals, loyalty, and changing career expectations for women. All these factors play a significant role in the workplace and staff and leaders have to be cognizant of them. I believe the most significant in this relationship is the ever-changing economy, especially with the onset of the Affordable Care Act. The economy has been in a recession, and many organizations have had to cut their budgets to stay afloat. Personnel have been laid off, they have quit their jobs in healthcare to find a more stable job field, and providers have additional regulations that in turn change their practices. Healthcare is still appealing and a necessity, but the demands are becoming more and more stressful on employees. You absolutely need loyalty and managers and leaders can control it but they cannot control the economy hence why I believe it is more significant. You can’t control the difference in generations, but you can understand the differences and change the leadership style to accommodate those gaps. You cannot control the economy and it can drive substantial decisions that can be unfavorable * From in the e-Activity, determine how well the health care organization you found is addressing the factor you identified in the first part of this discussion. Discuss additional steps the organization could take to do a better job. Samaritan Medical Center is the largest hospital in the Watertown, New York area. It is a 294-bed community medical center. In order to retain their current employees Samaritan Full-time employees are eligible to participate after six months of employment and may be reimbursed up to $3,000 annually for tuition assistance. Part-time employees are eligible to participate after one year of service and may be reimbursed up to $1,500 annually. They offer 401(k) Retirement Benefit + Employer Match, RN, LPN, Tech Retirement and 403 (b) retirement plans. They offer paid time off and also the following other benefits: * Employee Referral Quit for Life Smoking Cessation * Employee Fitness Rebate * Aflac Cancer Coverage * Cafeteria and Gift Shop Discounts * Over the Counter Pharmaceutical Discounts * Employee Assistance Program (ESP) They also offer the following insurances for all employees: * Medical Insurance * Dental Insurance * Vision Insurance * Life Insurance * Accidental Death and Disme mberment Insurance * Short Term and Long Term Disability * Medical and Dependent Care Spending Accounts This hospital also recognizes that employees are happy when they continuously learn and grow in their jobs. They offer a professional development program as well. I think that this hospital does a terrific job at concentrating on all areas of incentives and purpose for their employees to retain the best qualified personnel. â€Å"Samaritan recognizes the importance of investing in their leaders with ongoing management training. Excel IV will assist leaders of all levels in developing greater efficiency through increased managerial competence. Excel IV focuses on the following Leadership Competencies: Communicating with Impact, Building a Successful Team, Facilitating Change, and Aligning Individual and Team Performance† (Samaritan Medical Center, 2013). References: http://www. samaritanhealth. com/join-our-team/why-choose-samaritan/professional-development ince the textbook indicated Griffin Hospital located in Derby, CT at number three on list of small companies in the Fortune magazine as one of the best companies to work for 10 years consecutively, I decided to look up this company on the internet. At Griffin Hospital, every employee is a caregiver and every employee makes a difference. We understand that employee satisfaction leads to patient satisfaction. Our culture of teamwork, professionalism, and respect makes Griffin Hospital a place where both patients and employees want to be. Griffin Hospital was named to  FORTUNE Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America  list for ten consecutive years and our management team has been nationally recognized for listening and responding to employee feedback. Also looking at the hospital, they give recognition and much gratification to their employees for all their hard work and dedication by having an awards program. They also offer bonuses to their employees. I would suggest having a flexible schedule if possible but the hospital appears to offer an array of great benefits and compensation to their employees which is why the rank so highly in the Fortune. And this a highlight that has taken place at the hospital to turn things around according the CEO, â€Å"We surveyed all of our departments, and the one that came out worst was our obstetrics. In fact it was so bad an outside consultant suggested we close it. † What were the things he did to turn around the obstetrics department? We turned the traditional maternity unit on its head. We created a welcoming, home like environment for women, but it was really based on empowerment and information. First of all we moved to all private rooms. We installed a Jacuzzi in our maternity ward to help relieve pain early in a woman’s labor. We also embraced the whole family in the birthing experience by having specially designed double beds put into private rooms so the husband could sta y with his wife from start to when the three of them could leave. In the past the husbands were relegated to the proverbial waiting room. So our approach to vastly changing our obstetrics department was the start of the transformation of Griffin. † From that auspicious beginning, Pat Charmel has raised the profile and patient centric care to one of the highest in the nation. It has won numerous awards for their approach, including awards for their nursing staff and the NAACP for their diversity program. References: http://www. griffinhealth. org/About-Us/Careers-Volunteers. aspx   http://blog. istage. com/ceo-tv-show/pat-charmel-ceo-of-griffin-hospital-explains-what-he-did-to-turn-around-the-hospital The health care organization I chose is a local healthcare organization-Saint Francis Medical Center; I believe they facilitate employee loyalty because on their website numerous references are made where they address employees as being family and the benefits of employment page offers various healthcare programs, continued education savings, a nd reimbursement plans, and savings and annuity plans. Additional steps I believe additional steps the organization could take to do a better job are by following the Richard Branson method of celebrating employees. His business meetings often consist of employees meeting for lunch at his home, entire department vacations, and inter-office costumed events. I believe all organizations should follow this method. http://positivesharing. com/2011/09/richard-branson-celebrates-employees/ Baptist Health System (BHS) has five acute hospitals and offers benefits to their employees to create loyalty. BHS is committed to providing a stable, rewarding and generously incentivized relationship with their employees and start every relationship with incentives in hopes of getting the highest level of performance from the very best people (baptisthealth. com, n. d. )  to better attract and retain employees. Some for their benefits include: health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, accident and life insurance, short and long term disability, paid time off (PTO), extended illness days (EID), and tuition reimbursement (baptisthealth. om, n. d. ). Beginning August, 2012, BHS no longer hires individuals who use nicotine products. They intend to provide healthy, smoke free environment for their employees. Employee loyalty provides a competitive advantage and is necessary for a successful business. If BHS goes above and beyond for its employees, it is likely the employees will do the same for BHS. BHS could promote and provide a culture of communication, flexible schedules , employee praise and respect, and birthday celebrations.