The Joint Commission: Human Resources Policies

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Introduction

Every patient, regardless of his/her ethnic and social background, level of income, and state of health, has the right to receive high-quality care. Although the significance of medications and procedures applied in the course of treatment is hard to overestimate, effective communication and trusting relationships established between the patient and the care provider is none the less significant for effective treatment.

This task is especially challenging in case of individuals who do not speak English or do not possess sufficient knowledge of the language to be able to communicate their needs fully and correctly. In order to provide equal care to diverse populations, it is essential to find methods of enhancing communication with patients of different backgrounds; otherwise, racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and quality of care delivery may get aggravated (Jeffreys, 2015). The major task of Joint Commission is to prevent this and assist hospitals in their efforts towards HRM improvement.

The Joint Commission is a non-profit organization that sets standards and accredits health care units, policies, and programs across the country. Since all medical organizations in the United States have to adhere to these standards, it can be stated that the Commission has a direct influence upon the major functions of HRM. The latter is supposed to maintain all hospital activities in such a way that they allow the organization to remain accredited.

Furthermore, the Commission has drastically changed the role of leadership, expanding it from the control function to planning, coordinating, directing, and improving all services provided. The Commission specifically stresses the role of culturally and linguistically proper care that hospital leaders have to ensure through the development of effective frameworks (Shaw et al., 2013). That is why HRM has to update its practices regularly in order to comply with the current position statements and recommendations.

For acute care hospitals, this implies annual reviews of policies and procedures since these units are subject to numerous risks for patients that must be minimized to guarantee safety. In addition, it is essential to make sure that not only employees but also leaders are in compliance with necessary training and are well aware of new standards HRM has to meet (Shaw et al., 2013).

The Importance of Collaboration Between HR and Department Managers

Effective collaboration between HR department and department managers is the key factor allowing a health care unit to select and hire the best specialists in each field. There are numerous cases when the process of filling open positions takes too long owing to the lack of cooperation between managers and HR. The former slow down the process by delaying interviews, responding, selecting, and making decisions (being sometimes too preoccupied with other problems, requiring immediate actions), while the latter have to wait for the right moment to interfere.

Moreover, it is not infrequent that managers simply do not inform HR about the criteria that potential employees are expected to meet until the very last moment when there appears a position that must be filled in the shortest possible time. It creates the situation of urgency when there is a risk to take anyone who at least partially meets the requirements. That is why forward-looking managers try to engage in the process of solving talent gaps before they start threatening the quality of care.

HR should involve them not only in recruiting but rather in the whole process of workforce planning, selection, and hiring. They must be held accountable for recruiting even despite the fact that it is not their direct duty. Otherwise, the lack of collaboration between the two parties will bring about deplorable consequences: The hospital will have a lot of vacant positions to be filled immediately, HR department will have to lower standards to be able to find more candidates, managers will feel pressed for time and will skip important selection steps, and finally, no one will be satisfied with the results.

A Training Program for Managers

Preliminary of the training program

choosing the most suitable type of assessment (MBTI, FIRO-B, the 360 assessment, DISC or any other that will allow performing detailed evaluation);
making sure that all members of the HR staff are aware of online modules;
introducing the program and making the participants acquainted with one another and the trainer via conference call;
organizing an interview with highly competent and experienced leaders;
providing instructions on how to review learning objectives in person;
sending all the participants the journal containing guidelines with the key points;
giving a reading assignment to cover at least several articles and books both in business and law for managers to be well-versed in employment laws and regulation as well we the most effective hiring practices.

The classroom part

teaching how to eliminate arrogance and the feeling of superiority while remaining self-confident;
discussing questions, interpretations, insights, peculiarities of the application process, etc.;
studying practices of the most successful people of the industry and identifying the most effective of their solutions;
reviewing laws and regulations in a group to make sure that everyone has a proper understanding of them and there is no ambiguity left;
learning interviewing techniques that could be helpful to select the best candidate for the position, which include:
- setting proper place, time, and character of the interview to eliminate uncertainties;
- preparing the plan of the interview and the questions in advance since all candidates must have equal opportunities (the same challenges, questions, and the same amount of time) to facilitate comparison;
- reviewing facts concerning the jot and learning to look at each resume being prepare to assess it;
- listening actively to the information provided by the applicant and ask clarifying questions to obtain required details;
- paying close attention to the candidate’s ethnical, racial, and heath care background, which is essential to comply with the anti-discrimination law, prohibiting bias attitude to people of color and physically handicapped candidates;
- taking notes of everything to be able to assess observations later;
- encouraging interviewees to ask question to see how much interest he/she has in the job and the organization;
studying Performance management, which involves proper goal setting, providing coaching and feedback, ensuring compliance and discipline, and evaluating the outcome;
concentrating on motivation methods, incentives, and recognition;
going into daily practices that include issues concerning development of employees, meeting organization, team building, action planning, etc.

Practical assignments

developing a personal plan of conducting an interview;
testing the plan in an experiment;
applying reflective journaling of the course of the experiment;
assessing the results together with the training manager;
making conclusions and developing the best suiting scenario;
implementing it in practice;
evaluating the outcome in 60 days.

Factors That Should Be Considered in Order to Develop Compensation and Benefit Plan That Is Fair, Competitive, and Aligned With the Organization’s Strategic Objectives

For the organization to achieve its goals, it is crucial to provide employees with incentives that would act as motivation. The compensation plan has to be developed in such a way that the outcome of its implementation is beneficial for both parties involved. The following factors are to be taken into consideration:

The vision of the organization has to be clearly determined so as to be reflected in the provided compensation. Managers must remember that the impact of a strong retirement program, reimbursement plan or non-financial incentives could have an equally strong impact upon employees inducing them to stay in the organization. Thus, the company must consider which option will be the most competitive and advantageous. This factor has a direct affect on the company’s position in the market.
Identifying if the selected plain fits the budget of the organization. This factor is highly influential since in case of wrong assessment of the budget capabilities, it could become impossible to keep the plan regular.
Estimating research options. Since there are numerous ready-made compensation plans, it is recommended to borrow some of their solutions to come out with a unique product. This factor determines how multifaceted and comprehensive the plan will be.
Taking into account both short- and long-term opportunities. The balance of these incentives is essential for keeping employees constantly inspired and motivated.
Remembering to be realistic rather than generous. Employees must be sure that they are going to receive everything of the promised so that they do not get disappointed in the authority of the leader.
Resorting to the services of a lawyer as soon as the plan is ready. This factor is decisive in providing legal guarantees that no issue has been left unanswered, contradictory to law or vague.

References

Jeffreys, M. R. (2015). Teaching cultural competence in nursing and health care: Inquiry, action, and innovation. Berlin, Germany: Springer Publishing Company.

Mohapatra, M. (2015). 360 Degree Feedback: A Review of literature. Research Scholar of Management KIIT University Bhubaneswar Orissa, 2(1), 112-116.

Shaw, C. D., Braithwaite, J., Moldovan, M., Nicklin, W., Grgic, I., Fortune, T., & Whittaker, S. (2013). Profiling health-care accreditation organizations: An international survey. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 25(3), 222-231.

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