Introduction
Productivity is an important indicator of every company’s performance. Managers’ main task is to increase employees’ efficiency to improve service quality. It is important for every highly qualified specialist to enjoy doing what they love and to maintain a balance between work time and personal life. This essay reveals the themes of the Orlando Health team’s organizational performance and the proven ways the management can increase the quality of work and rest for employees: nurses and physicians.
Work-Life Balance Problem on Organization Performance and Individuals
The medical field is a very complex and important activity area for human society. Doctors and nurses become heroes, saving many people from diseases. Work often comes first for people involved in medical services. Duty, night shifts, heavy hours of surgery: Many employees usually sleep at work and rarely spend time with their families. This problem has been particularly pronounced at Orlando Health since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The morale of healthcare workers is severely affected by these high stresses, which reduces their work efficiency—emotional burnout results from increased pressure at work and feelings of exhaustion (Hussenoeder et al., 2021). Employees become more cynical and less involved in patients’ problems, and medical errors increase (“International classification of diseases for mortality”, 2018). It can be dangerous for both doctors and patients. Quality personnel is the backbone of a company, so organizational performance declines very noticeably.
Sustainability of the Work-Life Balance Trend
The continued high workload for medical staff has continued through 2020-2022. The most significant spikes in the level of involvement of Orlando Health physicians in the workflow occurred during the increase in the incidence of Covid-19 and the complications caused by the disease (winter and autumn months) (Aymes, 2020). These situations require the presence of all hospital staff near patient rooms, including those in intensive care units. Complications can start at any time or night in the most difficult patients. Doctors at the hospital are otherwise engaged in routine medical activities: examinations of patients, elective surgery (including innovative breast cancer treatment), and night duty for a certain proportion of the staff. The coronavirus vaccination campaign has been successful in the USA, so most cases are mild. It means that in the medium and long term, the productivity and efficiency of the hospital will increase, and most of the staff will be able to spend time with their families and pursue their hobbies.
Ways to Improve Work-Life Balance
Orlando Health actively uses a corporate strategy that outlines the main vectors of development and dictates the need to provide quality healthcare services to any population group in Orlando and the surrounding areas. At the same time, this founding document outlines the need to create a supportive work environment for employees in any way possible. As noted above, the high workload of the medical staff reduces the quality of the work environment, so the corporate strategy should include items to improve the work-life balance of Orlando Health employees. There are many ways to improve working conditions for employees in the 21st century, and the main ones will be discussed below.
Advanced Company Policies and Systems
Many modern companies are making changes to their working time policies for employees. For example, an important milestone in improving work efficiency and work-life balance for staff is the desire of companies to ensure gender equality for men and women. Businesses, including those in the health sector, only began actively pursuing equalization policies in the 1980s (Weber, 2018). Often, women doctors had to work twice as hard to have the same level of career advancement as men. This inequity deprived many people of the opportunity to be happy and contributed to burnout, so at Orlando Health, gender equality is one of the pillars on which the work process is based. It is evidenced by the IRB Membership and Practice Policy (“IRB Policies and Procedures”, 2022). The matrix system of organization gives department managers a high degree of discretion. They are local leaders and can make decisions without negotiating with the board of directors (Sipayung et al., 2021). These opportunities allow the institution of leadership to be used to improve the balance between personal life and work tasks.
Using Leadership
The department manager can implement flexible schedules depending on the season and the number and severity of patients. If a person has the right authority, they can show the effectiveness of such a schedule by example, and subordinates will follow it and improve their productivity. Company management can also motivate employees, set transparent goals, and tell them about new career opportunities (Aymes, 2020). Young doctors find it especially easy to lose faith in themselves and their motivation to be in the profession if they have no clear prospects for their future careers.
Vacations
In today’s labor market realities, encouraging the granting of leave at any time is very helpful in improving employee efficiency. Even the most dedicated and motivated employees need rest, especially in the medical field, which is physically and psychologically demanding. When one does not think about work but rests and concentrates on other pleasurable things, it increases engagement and motivation when one returns to work (Weber, 2018). Sea and mountain trips, hanging out with friends in bars, and family picnics are great for improving people’s spirits, especially if they know a vacation ahead.
Innovative Approaches to The Time Management
There are some innovative approaches to planning for modern companies to increase professional flexibility. Two important ways are the active involvement of the staff in the scheduling process and the implementation of the principle of harmonious existence. A time manager, in organizing the work process, considers employees’ opinions and choose their most convenient working hours (Norton, 2019). The idea is that each employee knows better than the others which schedule is the most attractive for their work-life balance. The harmonious existence is based on the organization of the work process, considering all the positive aspects and advantages of each team member, making it possible to perform work tasks more effectively. The work-life balance improves as doctors and nurses have more free time.
Another important role in improving work-life balance for Orlando Health is the active use of modern technology. For example, having a stable Internet connection and the necessary software allows physicians to consult with patients at home if the option exists. It will enable to spend their working hours in a more pleasant environment. Remote working is possible when there is no need for the doctor to be present in person, as opposed to surgery or gynecological soma (Weber, 2018). Often modern companies also have a large IT department that develops and supports enterprise software. The implementation of document automation will allow employees to significantly reduce the time spent on unnecessary bureaucratic procedures and filling out a huge amount of paperwork. In Orlando Health’s strategy, digitalization and collaboration with the Department of Health to increase technology is key.
Conclusion
Nowadays, people are very susceptible to burnout and often give up all of themselves at work. In the end, it negatively affects the efficiency of employees and the whole company. Orlando Health presented the ways and methods that improve the work-life balance of doctors and nurses and increase the level of motivation. These approaches address the topics of leadership, internal company policy, organizational structure, and the introduction of modern technology into the work process.
References
Aymes, S. (2020). Work-life balance for physicians: the what, the why, and the how. MedicalNewsToday.
Hussenoeder, F. S., Bodendieck, E., Jung, F., Conrad, I., & Riedel-Heller, S. G. (2021). Comparing burnout and work-life balance among specialists in internal medicine: The role of inpatient vs. outpatient workplace. Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, 16(1).
Norton, P. (2019). 5 Methods That Innovative Companies Use Employee Scheduling Software. Medium. Web.
Sipayung, F., Ginting, L., & Sibarani, M. (2021). Organizational design, organizational climate and burnouts in health services companies. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 15(3), 257-275.
Weber, J.L. (2018). 17 ways companies help employees achieve work-life balance. Project Manager. (2018). International classification of diseases for mortality and morbidity statistics. Web.
(2022). IRB Policies and Procedures. Web.