Managing Human Resources to Improve Employee Retention

Managers face increased challenges as the demand for health care services increases while the supply of employees with the requisite skills continues to lag. Employee retention will become more important in the effort to service health care needs. Appropriate human resource management strategies and policies implemented effectively can significantly assist managers in dealing with the employee retention challenges ahead.

Using volunteers in Ontario hospital libraries: views of library managers

BACKGROUND

Volunteers have been a resource for all types of libraries for many years. Little research has been done to describe the attitudes librarians have toward library volunteers. More specifically, the attitudes of hospital librarians toward volunteers have never been studied.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to explore and describe the extent of volunteer use and to determine library managers' attitudes toward volunteers.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

An anonymous, self-report 38-item questionnaire was mailed to the target population of 89 hospital library managers in Ontario. Seventy-nine useable questionnaires were analyzed from an adjusted sample of 86 eligible respondents, resulting in a response rate of 92%. SPSS 11.5 was used to analyze the data.

FINDINGS

The data revealed the attitudes of managers using volunteers did not differ significantly from the attitudes of managers not using volunteers. The findings showed that a majority of managers did not believe their libraries were adequately staffed with paid employees. Sufficient evidence was found of an association between a manager's belief in the adequacy of staffing in the library and the use of volunteers in the library (chi2(1, N=76)=4.11, P=0.043). Specifically, volunteers were more likely to be used by managers who did not believe their libraries were adequately staffed. The presence of a union in the library and the use of volunteers were also associated (chi2(1, N=77)=4.77, P=0.029). When unions were present in the library, volunteers were less likely to be used.

IMPLICATIONS

This research has implications for hospital library managers in the management of volunteers. Volunteers should not be viewed as a quick fix or as a long-term solution for a library's understaffing problem.

What great managers do

Much has been written about the qualities that make a great manager, but most of the literature overlooks a fundamental question: What does a great manager actually do? While there are countless management styles, one thing underpins the behavior of all great managers. Above all, an exceptional manager comes to know and value the particular quirks and abilities of her employees. She figures out how to capitalize on her staffers' strengths and tweaks her environment to meet her larger goals. Such a specialized approach may seem like a lot of work. But in fact, capitalizing on each person's uniqueness can save time. Rather than encourage employees to conform to strict job descriptions that may include tasks they don't enjoy and aren't good at, a manager who develops positions for his staff members based on their unique abilities will be rewarded with behaviors that are far more efficient and effective than they would be otherwise. This focus on individuals also makes employees more accountable. Because staffers are evaluated on their particular strengths and weaknesses, they are challenged to take responsibility for their abilities and to hone them. Capitalizing on a person's uniqueness also builds a stronger sense of team. By taking the time to understand what makes each employee tick, a great manager shows that he sees his people for who they are. This personal investment not only motivates individuals but also galvanizes the entire team. Finally, this approach shakes up existing hierarchies, which leads to more creative thinking. To take great managing from theory to practice, the author says, you must know three things about a person: her strengths, the triggers that activate those strengths, and how she learns. By asking the right questions, squeezing the right triggers, and becoming aware of your employees' learning styles, you will discover what motivates each person to excel.

Managing resources and ensuring accountability: understanding return on investment

Leaders of colleges of nursing face increasing challenges associated with insufficient resources coupled with growing market demands. Managing financial resources and ensuring accountability are essential leadership skills for deans and academic leaders across the nation. An understanding of "return on investment" or "ROI" analysis as a mechanism to negotiate and validate outcomes with varied stakeholders is critical to building a financial business case. ROI analysis is one component of metrics for knowledge management and must be understood from a business perspective. Providing leadership to a resilient college of nursing requires a willingness to utilize innovative strategies and effective metrics to measure outcomes. By raising the effectiveness of base spending, thereby increasing ROI, an academic leader is better positioned to innovate, which is crucial to the future success of nursing education.

Steering and rowing in healthcare: the devolution option

Claims of"underfunding" notwithstanding, the problems we are experiencing with healthcare in Canada are primarily attributable to a deficiency of governance of our ill-coordinated non-system of health and healthcare services.

Effective executive management in the pharmaceutical industry

Along with the boom in information technology and vast development in genomic and proteomic discoveries, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries have been provided the means and tools to create a new page in medicinal history. They are now able to alter the classic ways to cure complex diseases thanks to the completion of the human genome project. To be able to compete in this industry, pharmaceutical management has to be effective not only internally but also externally in socially acceptable conduct. The first department that requires focus is marketing and sales. As the main driving force to increase revenues and profits, marketing and sales employees should be highly motivated by compensation. Also, customer relationships should be maintained for long-term gain. As important as marketing, research and development requires the financial support as well as the critical decision making to further expand the product pipeline. Similarly, finance and technologies should be adequately monitored and invested to provide support as well as prepare for future expansion. On top of that, manufacturing processes and operations are operated per quality systems and FDA guidelines to ensure high quality. Human Resources, on the other hand, should carry the managing and motivation from upper management through systematic recruitment, adequate training, and fair compensation. Moreover, effective management in a pharmaceutical would also require the social welfare and charity to help patients who cannot afford the treatment as well as improving the organization's image. Last but not least, the management should also prepare for the globalization of the industry. Inevitably, large pharmaceutical companies are merging with each other or acquiring smaller companies to enhance the competitive advantages as well as expand their product mix. For effectiveness in a pharmaceutical industry, management should focus more than just the daily routine tasks and short-term goals. Rather, they need vision as well as commitment regarding the unique requirements of the industry.

Management competencies: intrinsic or acquired? What competencies are required to move into speech pathology management and beyond?

Speech pathology managers frequently move into careers beyond their clinical discipline. As practicing speech pathology managers and students of business leadership, we were curious about the nature of career transitions out of speech pathology management. We conducted an exploratory descriptive study investigating the perceived competencies that facilitate such career transitions and when further education is required to effectively equip one for such transition. The perceived skills related to a speech pathology background are identified along with the gaps in competence for moving into general management positions. Career management practices that facilitate this type of career transition are provided as recommendations for career planning.

The role of middle managers in the transmission and integration of organizational culture

When organizations merge, the role of the middle manager as an agent of change is to make sense of, unite, and transmit the organization's culture. This process is complicated because the manager must get deep inside a new organization's culture and come to know its needs processes, and people in a relatively short period of time to weld them all together into a smoothly functioning entity. Schein (1999) proposes eight essential steps that the manager must accomplish if cultural change is to occur. Bennis's (1989) four competencies of leadership is a framework to categorize and record actions that create a milieu of clear-cut goals, values, and basic assumptions for the organization's employees. Combining these two theoretical models illustrates how middle managers are able to create a "pull" style of influence (Kotler 2000) to attract and energize people to enroll in the new organization's vision of the future.

Physicians as clinical directors: working conditions, psychosocial resources and self-rated health

BACKGROUND

Physicians in clinical directors' positions fulfil their commitments in demanding work environments characterized by organizational changes and economic cutbacks. Little is known about the self-rated health of this group.

AIM

To investigate whether self-rated health was associated with psychosocial working conditions, professional networks, job support, social networks and social support, sick leave and salary in Swedish physicians working as clinical directors.

METHODS

A self-reported questionnaire was sent to 373 clinical directors. Odds ratios (ORs) were used for estimating the bivariate association between self-rated health and psychosocial resources.

RESULTS

A total of 274 clinical directors agreed to participate in the study. The response rate was 73%. The clinical directors exposed to high job demands had a significantly higher probability of low self-rated health [OR = 3.4 and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.6-7.0] than those who were not in this situation. Furthermore, participants who were exposed to high job demands had an increased risk of low self-rated health (OR = 3.8 and 95% CI = 1.8-8.1) irrespective of available social support inside or outside work. High average working hours more than doubled the risk of low self-rated health (OR = 2.2 and 95% CI = 1.1-4.4).

CONCLUSION

The job demands on physicians in clinical directors' positions may exceed ordinary means of support with consequent adverse effects on self-rated health. More research is needed to investigate the interaction between job demands and support systems in this group of health care workers.

The proper care and feeding of administrators. How to bridge individual performance and organizational effectiveness? Start by caring for your professional self

As many medical practice administrators focus on the proper care and feeding of their organizations, they've developed the same ailment as other "caregivers"--they tend to their own professional development and needs as an afterthought. But as any self-preserving caregiver can tell you, nurturing yourself actually helps those you serve. How should administrators balance and respond to their own goals and preferences and their organization's needs--while anticipating changes in the broader environment?