SERVICIOS i) Servicios comerciales
ENTREVISTA Medio: TELEAMAZONAS
In the beginning of the present century, the words „human resource policies‟ and „human resource departments‟ were unheard of in hospital administration. The matron, medical superintendent or business manager, who were the immediate supervisors, were responsible for the hiring and firing of employees. Training, promotions and other benefits were handled by numerous supervisors without any rationale. The nature of the handling of employees in hospitals depended primarily upon the whims and fancies of these authorities.
The haphazard and ad hoc manner in which human resource problems were handled in the past is now considered as unsatisfactory by many
lxix executives, whether thy are in the fields of industry, hotel, business or hospital. The change in their attitude has been due to: (a) the increasing power of labour unions; (b) the introduction of legislation; (c) the expansion of their enterprises; and above all (d) the fact that the enthusiastic support of employees is of vital importance to the success of their organisation.
Today, each employee in the hospital wants to know the terms and conditions of his employment, the regulations which govern his employment and the principles which guide the administration of the hospital in its relationship with him. The body of such principles, rules and regulations establishing working conditions and administration of the hospital is known as the human resource policy of the hospital. The human resource policies should be founded on three social policies:
1. Justice – a code to ensure equitable and consistent treatment to all employees.
2. Human needs – a policy fulfilling human needs.
3. Democratic approach – for securing the willing cooperation of employees.
The human resource policies of a hospital should be clear-cut statements of its aims and objectives, setting out clearly what is to be achieved in the areas of employment, training, remuneration, human relations and welfare.
Human resource policies are of two types: (a) general policies stating broad principles governing the administration‟s relations with the employees employed in the hospital; and (b) specific policies which are the application of the general principles to specific situations. In order to achieve integration of all specific policies into a major pattern for good employee relations, each of the specific policies must fit into the broad application of the general policies. These policies should fulfill the needs of both the employee and the employer.
1. Needs of the employee: Adequate remuneration, job security, the urge to contribute something worthwhile, recognition of creative abilities, the feeling of being recognised as a human being, etc.
2. Needs of the employer: Achievement of organisational goals with the optimum utilisation of available resources.
Thus, a sound human resource policy must aim at:
1. maximising employees‟ satisfaction to enable each employee to make an effective contribution
2. planning for the development of employees of all categories
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3. creating an organisational structure by clearly defining responsibilities and establishing lines of authority, to prevent misunderstanding and duplication of work
4. encouraging employees‟ participation in the management of the organisation to build trust and develop interest, not just in the job but in the hospital as a whole and in the standards which it seeks to attain
5. keeping in mind the human and social implications of organisation management
6. developing an effective system of communication to keep people informed about all relevant matters, to remove doubts and avoid any undercurrent of dissatisfaction
7. maximising utilisation of existing human resources.
There are various advantages of having human resource policies:
1. Policies promote consistency and fairness. They help to avoid confusion and misunderstanding among employees.
2. Policies act as controls over the line managers and their employees.
3. Policies avoid repeated analysis of the same type of problems, resulting in saving time and energy.
4. Policies ensure uniformity in application.
The human resource policies should be drafted in unambiguous language so that the chances of misinterpretation are minimised. They should also be in detail so that they cover each and every aspect of human resource management and act as a true guide. Human resource policies generally cover the following points:
1. Definition of the words such as hospital, administrator, management, workman, board, executive committee, medical director, etc. (whatever is applicable in that hospital)
2. Classification of employees, i.e. permanent, temporary, apprentice, probationer, casual, etc.
3. Medical examination of the employee and medical-care facility for the employee and his/her family members
4. Appointment (terms and conditions of appointment and job description)
5. Orientation and identification cards 6. Hours of work and shifts
7. Attendance and late coming 8. Salary and stipend
9. Promotion 10. Transfer
11. Personal search
lxxi 12. Uniform
13. Locker
14. Provident fund scheme 15. Gratuity scheme
16. Incentive scheme, if any 17. Loan facility
18. Hostel rules 19. Housing rules 20. Private practice 21. Double employment 22. Re-employment policy 23. Part-time employee policy 24. Annual increment policy 25. Dearness allowance policy 26. House rent allowance policy
27. City compensatory allowance policy 28. Conveyance allowance policy
29. Uniform allowance policy 30. Training facility
31. Leave rules governing casual leave, festival leave, sick leave, annual leave, maternity leave, study leave, leave without pay, etc.
and procedure for routing leave applications 32. Information concerning patient‟s condition 33. Performance appraisal
34. Termination of employment and the notice thereof to be given by the employer and the employee
35. Misdemeanour and misconduct
36. Procedure for disciplinary action (dismissal, suspension) 37. Grievance redressal procedure
38. Retirement
39. Authority to interpret human resource policies 40. Powers to amend human resource policies
41. Any other matter relevant to the terms and conditions of employment.
The human resource policies must place emphasis on the selection and placement of the right type of employees and facilities for their education and training so that they may do their job efficiently and with dedication.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Employees of all types are found in an organisation. Thus they may be the young or the middle aged, authoritarian, submissive or the type needing reassurance, support, motivation, inspiration, etc. So the Human resource manager should look for the employees whose own philosophy
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matches the organisational philosophy. Such employees can take the organisation to such heights for the following reasons:
1. Good employees take responsibility. They do any assigned task and are always happy to be helping others and never like to sit idle.
They always seem to be doing something to make life easier for patients, visitors and their colleagues.
2. Good employees understand the financial position of the organisation. They know what activities make money for their organisation. So they focus on those activities.
3. Good employees keep their commitments so that the hospital can serve their patients better.
4. Good employees of a hospital know that patients are their bread and butter. They really take pain to serve patients and always show concern and empathy.
5. Good employees do their jobs carefully even if the job is not their favourite.
(a) Good employees consistently do what is best for the organisation while the others do what is best for them.
(b) Good employees are disciplined and stay on track.
(c) Good employees are consistent performers so that the management can depend upon them.
(d) Good employees are self-motivated. If they have nothing to do, they utilise their time either in learning something or helping others.
(e) Good employees give credit to others.
(f) Good employees do more than what they are asked to do and they do a better job than expected.
5.0 SUMMARY
The emphasis of this unit is that every human resource manager should think of forming a team of such employees who can deliver better goals and really serve the customers i.e. clients and patients plus their relatives and organisation to the best of their abilities.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
Discuss the procedure available to human resource manager to make human resource inventory.
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING
Adepoju, A. (2006). Management Concepts and Applications. (2nd ed.).
Lagos: Concept Publications Ltd.
lxxiii Akinwale, E.J.A. (1999). Human Resources Management: An Overview.
Lagos: Concept Publications Ltd.
Akinleye, T.A. (1976). Management by Objectives. Ibadan: Government Printers.
Amitai, E. (1964). Modern Organisations. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Flippo, E.B. (1988). Personnel Management. New York City: McGraw-Hill Book Comp.
Ikemefuna, C.O. (2005). Management Theory and Practice. Lagos:
Concept Publications Ltd.
Massie, J.L. (1987). Essentials of Management. (4th ed.). New Delhi:
Prentice-Hall.
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MODULE 2
Unit 1 Manpower Power in Hospitals
Unit 2 Deciding Workload Ratios and Human Resource Strength in various Departments
Unit 3 Training and Management Development I Unit 4 Training and Management Development II Unit 5 Wage and Salary Administration