Labor Relations Between Nursing and Employment Body

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

A positive relationship between the employee and the employer is a crucial aspect of employment. In an effort to maintain high-quality service, foster self-driven motivation, and enhance employee engagement, managements need to nurture this type of relationship. Healthy relations are defined by labor agreements and collective bargaining agreements. The initial dictates the terms and conditions of engagement between the laborer and the employee organization. The latter explicitly defines fair wages and the working conditions of employment. Collective bargaining provides a foundation for the discussion of the salary, working time, training, equal treatment, among other agendas that may be the essence in employment. This essay will argue for the Labor relations between nurses and their employment body. In the form of two questions, the essay will highlight the critical aspects of labor relations mentioned above and illustrate how they come into play.

The nurses are entitled to additional compensation due to their supplemented engagement requirements. In reference to Geiger-Brown and Trinkoff (2010), registered nurses clock a total of 8 to 10 hours of work a day. This sums up to 40 hours a week and would equate to 80 hours if summed up over two weeks (Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010). At this level, the hospital employing the nurses in question requires the standard work time from its employed nurses (Holley et al., 2008). Nonetheless, on top of this standard regular working time, the nurses were required to be on-call for another 20 hours during this pay period. This is an additional requirement that should attract supplementary compensation if enforced (Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010). Such compensation represents itself in the form of wages, vacations, holidays, overtime payment, and shift premiums (Holley et al., 2008). According to Holley (2008), work rules that define compensation should be contained in a formal labor agreement. Once discussed, such rules should be implemented immediately when the situation arises.

The additional cost incurred from being on-call should attract further compensation. The nurses were required to respond to calls within 15 minutes. This meant that the nurses could only be within reach in terms of their location (Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010). According to the other aspect of their work rules (they ascertain the employee and employer job rights and obligations), it was required that the nurses be within the vicinity (Holley et al., 2008). Travels that would take more than 30 minutes away from the hospital were restricted.

Alcohol consumption and even medical visitations were censored. For these conditions to be met, the nurses need to procure a place to stay 30 minutes within reach of the hospital, which costs them more money (Holley et al., 2008). It also meant that in case of a personal emergency during the pay period, the nurses would not be allowed to respond to it. Such requirements would be unreasonable if no compensation followed. Holley et al. (2008) argue that such levels of commitment drain energy out of a health provider. It would be unethical if such services are not rewarded by increased vacation time, preliminary wages, or any form of compensation that the institution can offer.

On top of that, being on-call during the pay period indicated that the nurses were being called to provide additional skills and services. This meant that beyond their 40 hours a week schedule, this obligation implied that the nurses would add an extra 10 hours to the week (Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010). Based on the illustration provided by Holley (2008), any added service or skill offered by an employee to an organization or institution of health should attract additional compensation (Geiger-Brown & Trinkoff, 2010). To deliver high-quality services and their capability to maintain high productivity levels despite exhaustion, these nurses deserve compensation (Mamikhani et al., 2013). As a legal right and also as an ethical obligation, the hospital should acclimate its nurse employees.

Moreover, the additional working time intensifies the nurses routine, leaving them exhausted at the end of the day. Such strains on the physical body inhibit the nurses from furthering other aspects of their lives and would therefore require some aspects of compensation. Apart from risking their lives by daily exposure to bacteria and viruses, the hospital needs them to offer more of their time and energy to the same (McHugh &Ma, 2014). The only equalizing solution is for them to be afforded their due right, compensation. According to the standard rates for hours clocked while on call, the nurses in question should be paid a minimum of 30 dollars per hour (McHugh &Ma, 2014). This rate is inclusive of the differences that exist in wage payment in different regions. The compensation would also vary depending on the qualification of the individual nurses. Furthermore, additional bonuses and commissions should be incorporated.

It is legal for the hospital to subject nurses that violate the established work rules to disciplinary action. Assuming that the work rule that requires the nurses to be within reach and respond to calls in 30 minutes is indicated in the formal legal agreement, then the institution is allowed to take action against them (Holley et al., 2008). Legal relations form another relevant aspect of healthy employment relations. The labor-related laws offer management and employees a framework for defining their legal rights and responsibilities (Holley et al., 2008). The fundamental law foundations spoken of by Holley and colleagues uphold the right of employment bodies to discipline their employees.

The institution owners are afforded management rights. According to the managements rights clause, the governing body holds, retains, and exercises management functions, rights, privileges, and powers associated with them being in control (Holley et al., 2008). This supplies the hospital the legal rights to pass judgments on members of staff that defy the legal agreement (Holley et al., 2008). Nevertheless, for such decisions to be made, the same management needs to assign a person to investigate the issue before disciplinary action is taken (Holley et al., 2008). After the correct facts have been collected, the body can now determine the best action to take based on the level of rules violated.

Management functions are diverse, and the legal right to discipline employees is defined by these functions. In the case of the hospital, the institutional board is responsible for managing the facilities running in the hospital (Holley et al., 2008). It directs the working force, changes or fixes the number of hours and duration of work shifts, as well as alters the work schedule (Holley et al., 2008). The management also deals with the assignment of work, hiring, training, promoting, among other human resource duties (Holley et al., 2008). As a consequence of such responsibilities, they also bear the role of discharging employees for just cause and disciplining them for the violation of rules and regulations (Holley et al., 2008). Because the managing body understands the mission and objectives of the company or institution, they understand what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and by who. They are then better positioned to maintain order by regulating operations and justly disciplining those trying to violate them.

In summary, the hospital is expected to offer its nurse employees compensation based on the additional skills and services they expect them to exercise. Apart from that, the amount of cost they incur to be able to achieve the requirements is high enough to earn them an allowance. These health workers are expected to dedicate their lives to their work, neglecting personal duties, especially during the on-call period. The restrictions to the vicinity and further censoring on who or where they can visit deprives them of a life outside their profession. Such expectations can only be matched by compensations that can come in different forms. The hospital can offer wages, vacations, holidays, overtime payments, and shift premiums to consolidate the work done by the nurses.

In addition to that, it has been shown that the management body has a legal right to disciple its workers when they violate a formal agreement or regulation that has been put in place. Their managerial functions afford them this power. Therefore, if a nurse violates the 30 minutes work rule that requires them to respond to a call within 30 minutes, they are eligible to receive any form of discipline as dictated by the legal agreement.

References

Geiger-Brown, J., & Trinkoff, A. (2010). Is it Time to Pull the Plug on 12-Hour Shifts?. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 40(3), 100-102. Web.

Holley, W., Jenkins, K., & Wolters, R. (2008). The Labor Relations Process (9tg ed., pp. 243-373). South-Western Cengage Learning.

Mamikhani, J., Tofighi, S., Sadeghifar, J., Heidari, M., & Hossieni Jenab, V. (2013). Prioritizing the Compensation Mechanisms for Nurses Working in Emergency Department of Hospitals using Fuzzy DEMATEL Technique: Survey from Iran.Global Journal of Health Science, 6(2). Web.

McHugh, M., & Ma, C. (2014). Wage, Work Environment, and Staffing: Effects on Nurse Outcomes.Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 15(3-4), 72-80. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!

Labor Relations Between Nursing and Employment Body

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)