Management of Human Resources



Management of Human Resources



Chapter Objectives



1. Discuss employment law as it relates to health care.


2. Review the recruitment process for patient care staff.


3. Identify the steps in the employment process.


4. Review the importance of a résumé in the employment process.


5. Differentiate between the various types of interviewing techniques used in health care.


6. Differentiate between various types of questions used in the employment interview.


7. Identify the role of the nurse manager in the hiring process.



Definitions








EMPLOYEE LAW


There are a number of federal and state laws that play a major role in the employment of staff. It is very important that you have an understanding of these laws and any local or institution-specific regulations affecting the human resource function of your job. Understanding of these laws will decrease your exposure to liability in your hiring practices.




Equal Employment Opportunity Laws


Several laws have been implemented to ensure that there are equal employment opportunities for all individuals regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. These laws are enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).


The federal laws prohibiting job discrimination are as follows (http://www.eeoc.gov/abouteeo/overview_laws.html):



• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin


• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination


• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older


• Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments


• Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government


• The Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.


Included in these laws are laws that prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace (see Chapter 18). It is the responsibility of the organization to have human resource policies and procedures in place that are in compliance with the requirements of these laws (Table 15-1).



Many of these regulations relate to the hiring process, while some relate to the work environment. Those relating to the work environment (e.g., Title VII, ADA) have been discussed in other chapters.


In addition to the employment laws and regulations, many institutions are unionized. Some organizations have differing unions for different sets of employees. The nurses may be unionized under a nurses union, the environmental care employees may be represented by another union, and the licensed practical nurses may belong to a separate union. In such a multiunion environment, it is important for you to know the provisions of the union agreement(s). The union agreement(s) will affect everything from the hiring process to the delivery of patient care. If you join a unionized environment, as a new employee you will receive orientation materials to the union and its benefits and contract requirements. The new manager in a unionized environment will also receive information about all of the union rules that affect the management of the unit.


The initial contact of a potential employee starts with the actual employment process. Hospitals must provide an adequate number and appropriate types of staff consistent with the hospital’s staffing and strategic plans. Integral to these efforts is the recruitment and hiring of appropriate staff.



THE EMPLOYMENT PROCESS


It is the responsibility of the organization to provide staffing adequate to deliver safe and competent care. The numbers of staff required will depend on the acuity of the patients, the requirements of the job, mandatory staffing law (if applicable), health department regulations, and hospital policies. As positions become vacant or new ones are created, the first step in the employment process is to determine the competencies required for the position. This will require a job description. Sample job descriptions are available at the following websites:



All organizations will have a template for the job description. You need to familiarize yourself with the format in your organization. An effective job description needs to minimally include (1) title, (2) job objectives, and (3) a list of duties. As the job description is finalized, the job is “posted” according to the organization’s policies. The process of “posting” is the initial stage in the nine-stage process of recruitment (Huber, 2006).



As a nurse manager, you will play a role in each stage of this recruitment process. Your actual role in each stage of the process will depend on the organization’s hierarchal structure. As a new nurse, you need to be aware of the process to which you will be exposed in your first hire.








THE INTERVIEW PROCESS


The most challenging aspect of the hiring process is to find the right person for the job. The job interview is the best way of determining the “fit” of the individual for the job and for your unit and organization. Remember, matching the job qualifications with the individual is only one aspect of the “right fit”—the personality and values of the individual also play a role in determination of the “right person for the job.”


Prior to the interview process, a professional résumé is shared with individuals in the recruitment process. A résumé is a summary of professional and personal experiences—education, clinical experience, employment, skills, and interests—designed to introduce the candidate to potential employers. Often the résumé is the employer’s first of impression of the candidate. As a new nurse manager, you will need to evaluate the résumé for “right fit.”


For a résumé to be effective, it must be targeted to the job being applied for. A single “catch-all” résumé that a candidate expects to use in looking for various types of jobs is much less effective than several well-focused résumés that highlight pertinent experience or expertise. If, for example, a candidate planning to apply to both hospital-based and community health center–based positions might be better served by having two résumés, one focusing on hospital experience and the other focusing on the community health background. Remember, for a nurse looking for a job, the purpose of a résumé is to obtain an interview, so it must make a strong argument to the reader that you have something to offer (Vice Provost for University Life at the University of Pennsylvania). The purpose of the résumé to the nurse manager is for evaluation of a potential candidate’s education, skills, and experience related to the open position. A résumé is different from a CV (curriculum vitae) in that a résumé is a summary of your academic and work history, while a CV is a more-detailed document of work history, academic experience, publications, etc. A CV is usually used in the academic world. All nurses need to keep their résumé current; it is very frustrating to attempt to write a résumé after 5 years and try to remember everything you have accomplished! Update your résumé at least every 6 months.



RÉSUMÉ WRITING


Both new nurses and nurse managers and leaders need to pay attention to their résumé. Tips for résumé writing are listed in Box 15-1.



Box 15-1   TIPS FOR RÉSUMÉ WRITING AND PRINTING










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Dec 3, 2016 | Posted by in NURSING | Comments Off on Management of Human Resources

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