Overview of the Process
The duties of the human resource department in any organization are to manage the firm’s resources, mostly the personnel. Additionally, the human resource department is mandated with the responsibility for ensuring that the policies employed in the management of resources within the firm support the general organizational objectives. The processes of human resources management vary across organizations, but the most basic principle of the acquisition remains the key to human resource management. The success of an organization lies in the ability of the firm to incorporate the right skills in the organization. For this reason, the acquisition process of the human resource department is an essential aspect of organizational development.
The acquisition process includes planning, recruitment, interviewing, selecting, and hiring of personnel is an essential aspect of organizational development (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011). The human resource personnel must be up to date on various aspects of the acquisition process to ensure that they get the right people in the organization. The healthcare industry has changed over time following the rising needs of the aging generations and changes in healthcare practices. As such, the human resource department within the industry must be well equipped to propagate the growth, development, and the needed change in the industry.
The process of acquisition in healthcare organizations is much similar to that of other industries. The planning process in human resource management entails analyzing various departments within the organization to determine human resource needs. Understanding the needs of various departments helps the human resource recognize various skill needs within the organization. The planning process involves a detailed procedure on how to conduct the recruitment and the training process as well. Recruiting happens immediately after the planning process. The recruitment process involves companies setting and sending out the requirements of a suitable candidate and the application for the position by suitable candidates (Niles, 2013). The human resources department must have a document that details the specific needs of the organization to help in the recruitment process.
The interview process follows the recruitment of a suitable candidate from the applicants. At this stage, the human resource employee asks the candidates specific questions that are in line with the organizational goals to establish the right person for the position. Based on the interviews, the human resource employee selects the right person for the position. The basis of the selection is the specific skills that an individual can add to the organization. In addition, the selection process must be in line with certain laws and regulations to avoid unnecessary lawsuits. Lastly, the hiring process involves presenting the job description and specification documents to the selected candidate for signing. Additionally, the hiring process involves negotiations between the management and the candidate. Following the entire process is vital in healthcare organizations because a single miscalculation can lead to a great loss (Fottler, Khatri, & Savage, 2010).
A Comprehensive Strategy for Training Human Resource Personnel
Human resource employees must have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the organization. Therefore, the training program will detail various functions and responsibilities of human resource personnel at different stages of the management process. In addition, the training program will provide certain recommendations that human resource personnel can use in executing their duties in the organization. The basic functions of the human resource department include acquisition, development, compensation, and development. Human resource personnel must develop ways through which the four main duties of their office serve to achieve the overall organizational goal. The greatest responsibility of healthcare facilities is to provide quality health care to the public (Fottler et al., 2010).
The acquisition is the process of getting the right people in the organization. The process also entails assessing and analyzing various departments within the organization to determine the required skills. As mentioned earlier, the healthcare industry is facing many changes with the changing needs of the world, thus demanding a change of approach in the human resource department. Lack of certain qualities and skills in a healthcare organization can cause turmoil in society. For this reason, the human resource department must ensure that they get the right person for various positions without compromising laws and requirements governing the employment process (Niles, 2013). The involved personnel must use the right questions in conducting interviews to achieve success in the acquisition aspect of human resource management. The right questions incorporate the organization’s strategy and the requirement of the community served by the health institution.
Development is the second role of the human resource department. Development involves the training of employees to ensure that departments within the organization operate smoothly. The personnel must come up with idea training packages that equip the employees with the ideal knowledge to achieve success in this area. Performance appraisal is also an important aspect in the development of employees. The human resource personnel must devise ways of assessing the performance of the staff to ensure that the organization’s goal remains the objective. Effective development of employees reduces turnovers and replacements, which allows the budget department to stabilize the cash flow within and without the organization (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011).
The third responsibility of the human resource department is compensation. People deserve reasonable compensation for their efforts. Salaries and wages take care of the financial needs of people while appreciation takes care of the emotional needs of the staff. The human resource personnel must ensure that they compensate people equitably and in a fair way to avoid unnecessary conflicts in the organization. Additionally, the department must come up with appreciation mechanisms that honor exemplary work to take care of the emotional needs of the people. The staffs in the healthcare industry face many challenging situations every day; therefore, emotional support is essential to improving the productivity of the employees (Niles, 2013).
The fourth role of the human resource department is maintenance. Human resource personnel must ensure that the policies are in line with the organization’s vision and objectives. Some of the things that foster effective maintenance include the provision of health covers and retirement benefits to the employees. Additionally, handling grievances effectively in the organization enhances the maintenance of the organization. As such, human resources personnel must ensure complete professionalism in handling policy issues within the organization (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011).
Strategies to Motivate Employees during the Training Process
Training human resource personnel can be challenging because they are the people who train the rest of the staff in the organization. Human resource employees control the organizational activities; therefore, subjecting them to training and submission is not easy. The use of self-instruction and role-playing in the training process can help release the tension, hence allowing the new human resources employees to learn their responsibilities. Role-play training involves having the trainees act out a certain role, such as conducting an interview with a candidate. Other than making the training process interesting, role-playing helps the trainees to grasp key techniques in their duties. Self-instruction, on the other hand, allows trainees to take responsibility for the training process (Niles, 2013). Human resources employees are leaders; therefore, taking responsibility will help them have a taste of their future roles in the organization.
Key Issue That Human Resource Employees Encounter
The major challenge facing human resource personnel in the healthcare industry are those involving staffing and retention. Unlike other industries, it is rather imperative for a healthcare organization to hire the right skills and retain employees for as long as possible. The number of qualified nurses is currently low, thus raising the cost of maintaining the right people in healthcare facilities. To deal with the challenge of staffing and retention, human resource personnel in health care organizations must employ the use of new technologies and ideal hiring processes. An organization can use binding contracts in the hiring process to ensure that employees do not leave the organization until a specific period. The strategy helps cut down on the costs of replacements. Human resource personnel must outsource for specific talents when hiring for effective staffing (Fottler et al., 2010). The productivity levels of employees and the adherence to the organizational goals of the staff is a good evaluation criterion to determine the success of the staffing and retention process.
References
Fottler, M., Khatri, N. & Savage, G. (2010). Strategic human resource management in health care. Bingley, UK: Emerald.
Niles, N. (2013). Basic concepts of health care human resource management. Burlington, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Pynes, J. & Lombardi, D. (2011). Human resources management for healthcare organizations: a strategic approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.