Correctional facilities form an integral part of any country’s criminal justice system. Such institutions employ and train professionals who are able to maintain security and help incarcerated citizens transform their behaviors. This field has helped support social and economic goals by punishing criminals and discouraging members of the community from engaging in such vices. Unfortunately, most of the prisons in the United States are facing numerous challenges that have the potential to disorient their objectives. One of them revolves around the question of attracting, hiring, training, and retaining correctional officers. This paper provides a detailed analysis of this predicament and its implications for the wider process of criminal justice.
Background and History
The United States is one of the countries with many people serving sentences in different prisons. According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, this country had over 700,000 citizens in local jails while over 1.1 million were found various state prisons (LeMasters et al., 2022). Federal prisons were reported to have over 174,000 inmates (LeMasters et al., 2022). From an historical perspective, the last four decades have seen a sharp rise in the percent of incarcerated individuals by around 500 (Schuster, 2022). This trend has increased the demand for correctional workforce in the country than ever before. Over the years, experts have observed that the level of turnover rates have averaged 55 percent in different states across the country (LeMasters et al., 2022). In most cases, individuals who choose to quit the field tend to serve for five years or even less (LeMasters et al., 2022). The absence of proper strategies to retain most of these professionals has also worsened this present challenge.
The government and state agencies have failed to consider sustainable measures to make the working environments for correctional officers attractive. Individuals planning to pursue better careers have also been keen to avoid the profession. The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) have worsened the situation since more workers have been quitting their jobs. Schuster (2022) indicates that the possible occupational risks have triggered such an outcome. Additionally, individuals working as correctional officers have for many years complained of poor psychological support, improper work-life balance arrangements, and uncompetitive remunerations (Schuster, 2022). Much recently, some officers have also been fearful that the profession could expose them to the risk of COVID-19. LeMasters et al. (2022) support this argument by revealing that 142,469 workers in different prisons were found to have contracted the disease in January 2022 (LeMasters et al., 2022). The report went further to indicate that around 256 professionals had died while on duty (LeMasters et al., 2022). Coupled with historical problems, the existing gaps in regulation and health mandates have led to increasing levels of staff turnover.
Current Challenges
The increasing level of staff turnover in correctional facilities is a serious concern that calls for evidence-based solutions. Without a good inmate-officer ratio, chances are high that the current professionals will remain overwhelmed and incapable of providing their services efficiently (Seiter, 2017). The inmates will also be unable to transition accordingly or record the much needed behavioral changes. The inadequacy of the hiring and retention procedures in place today continues to make it impossible for the country to overcome the present shortage.
The selected problem is systemic in nature since it is widespread across all regions in the country. More prisons are finding it hard to attract and retain most of the officers. This problematic issue is making it impossible for the country to achieve most of the targeted goals. A number of reasons could explain the nature of this predicament in the country today. First, the existing policies lack adequate guidelines for attracting more people to work as officers. Second, most of the prisons are associated with unfriendly working environments that worsen the experiences of more professionals (LeMasters et al., 2022). Third, poor remunerations and motivation strategies exist, thereby discouraging more officers from continuing providing their services. Fourth, the government lacks proper strategies for retaining individuals working in most of the facilities.
Within the past two years, this challenge has become more pronounced in this country than ever before. The wave of COVID-19 has helped expose most of the occupational risks associated with this career. Consequently, the level of turnover has continued to rise as more people are no longer willing to contract the disease. Pivoney (2021) believes that the sector will continue to experience similar challenges in the coming years. This new reality has come at a time when historical issues associated with correctional profession have received little attention from different agencies and policymakers.
Comparative Analysis
Correctional centers need to have skilled officers who understand the challenges many offenders go through in their lives. Such workers should have access to the relevant resources and support systems to complete their duties diligently. Within the past two years, more American prisons are losing workers at an alarming rate. Blakinger et al. (2021) observe that the rate of turnover could be around 70 percent in some of the facilities. This problem appears to be worsening when compared with the statistics of 1950 to 2010. During these years, annual turnover rates in most of the institutions fell between 40 and 50 percent (LeMasters et al., 2022). Analysts observed that such occurrences were directly linked to the risks of the job and the absence of sustainable support strategies. In some institutions, the relevant leaders had gone ahead to introduce a number of measures to attract new talent. However, such approaches have been unsustainable and incapable of addressing the issue.
In the recent past, COVID-19 has led to additional challenges to most of the workers in different institutions. For instance, Blakinger et al. (2021) observes that most of these service providers have lacked adequate financial support to meet the needs of their families. Others have been exposed to the virus, thereby being in need of timely and personalized medical services (Blakinger et al., 2021). Those who had to be quarantined or hospitalized found it hard to meet their objectives. The working environment became risky and capable of triggering increasing levels of mental pressure and burnout. The absence of proper work-life balance arrangements affected the situation even further. Consequently, the turnover rate has increased to around 70 percent within the past two years (LeMasters et al., 2022). Most of the facilities have also failed to put in place practices measures to attract new workers and retain the current workforce.
Existing Solutions
The above sections have indicated that some facilities have various programs for recruiting and retaining their workers. The government also presents additional incentives and policies to allow institutions to identify new talent and provide desirable working environments. Unfortunately, most of these solutions have only offered temporary outcomes. This happens to be the case since the measures are not directly linked to the increasing percentages of inmates joining different prisons annually (Russo, 2019). The absence of additional study processes have made it hard for the sector to have progressive policies to deal with the concern.
The inefficiency of these solutions has resulted on varied impacts on some of the key stakeholders. For instance, the efforts have failed to improve the working experiences of correctional officers. Those who are unable to find better jobs are compelled to provide their services in risky environments. They also lack adequate incentives that could help them achieve their goals in life. Similarly, most of the inmates have been on the receiving end since the absence of adequate personnel exposes them to attacks from their colleagues (Blakinger et al., 2021). Some also lack the required guidelines and ideas that could result in transformation. Politicians have received the blame for failing to implement appropriate policies to meet the demands of these key stakeholders. Similarly, more citizens are impacted negatively, especially those who depend on these officers for support and food.
Insightful Thoughts
The insights emerging from this analysis support the notion that the recruitment and retention of correctional officers will always remain a problematic issue in this country. Most of the implemented solutions have failed to deliver sustainable results. This reality calls for evidence-based approaches that could eventually have a positive impact and help address this problem. For instance, it could be appropriate for the involved government agencies to focus more on releases rather than the process of sentencing more offenders (LeMasters et al., 2022). This strategy need to focus on individuals who could have reformed or served for at least a third of their jail terms. This strategy needs to be founded on the notion that incarceration is a terminal problem capable of harming all members of the community.
The relevant stakeholders could go further to invest more in programs that can support more offenders and expedite the process of reintegrating them in their respective communities. This effort needs a multifaceted approach whereby correctional officers, mental health professionals, and public health workers will collaborate to support these people (LeMasters et al., 2022). Such programs need to be pursued outside the criminal justice system if they are to deliver the much needed results. Through such programs, the country’s prisons will no longer be in need of an increasing number of correctional officers (Seiter, 2017). The strategies will allow the remaining ones to be more involved and willing to continue providing their services for longer. The government will allocate most of the available resources to such programs and eventually address the existing problem from an informed perspective.
Conclusion
Staffing shortages in correctional facilities across the country have been directly linked to poor hiring and retention strategies. The existing working environments and remunerations have been unacceptable, thereby compelling more workers to seek better opportunities elsewhere. COVID-19 has helped expose most of the predicaments and how they disorient the quality of services and support most o the inmates expect from such facilities. The introduction of new programs aimed at empowering and reintegrating offenders in the society can help reduce the need of more workers. The move to release most of the prisoners could also help mitigate this challenge and promote the effectiveness of incarceration facilities across the country.
References
Blakinger, K., Lartey, J., Schwartzapfel, B., & Thompson, C. (2021). US prisons face staff shortages as officers quit amid COVID. ABC News. Web.
Police officers are traditionally discussed as the representatives of the community whose function is to protect the interests of the public. As a result, the selection and recruitment process is a challenge for the agencies to hire qualified human resources who can respond to the requirements of the police services and the provided standards. The selection and recruitment process is extremely important for the agency because the ineffective selection process can result in recruiting persons who have problems with communicating with the public or overcoming problematic social and criminal situations. To hire people effectively, New York City Police Department uses the developed recruiting strategies based on the seven-step recruitment procedure and further training programs. Thus, the thorough and well-designed selection and recruitment process at New York City Police Department along with the advanced training and career development programs can guarantee the high-quality performance of police services provided.
The typical recruitment and selection process at agencies includes several stages which are the status, physical, and mental tests and examinations, including the interviews and background examinations. The recruiting strategy developed by New York City Police Department includes seven steps that can be completed during several months. The first stage is the Applicant Processing Division when applicants receive the opportunity to join the recruitment process, and they are selected according to their traits and abilities. During the further interview, applicants focus on their integrity and present the details of their lifestyle. The medical examination and physical tests provide the manager with information on the applicant’s physical appropriateness for the position. Psychological stability is the important factor to choose future police officers, thus, the psychological test is the important stage of the selection process. The psychological, as well as the character investigation, is performed in written and oral forms in order to receive the most complete information on the applicant’s psychological and mental state. Suitability in relation to the position with references to biographical history is examined during the final interviews and assessments (The NYPD hiring process, 2012).
The recruited persons receive the opportunity to improve their knowledge and develop their skills with the help of specific training and career development programs. New York City Police Department works in association with the Police Academy where the recruited policemen study to receive the necessary knowledge and skills. During the study and training process, the recruited persons concentrate on the theoretical and practical aspects of the process and work in patrols. Those policemen who intend to develop their career also study in training centers and participate in programs in order to obtain the hirer or different positions of a detective or juvenile officer, for instance. The career development programs proposed by New York City Police Department are oriented to assisting policemen to receive the necessary knowledge in order to obtain the positions associated with the higher ranks (The NYPD hiring process, 2012). In this case, the recruitment process for the entry-level and higher positions is different.
The recruitment and selection process at New York City Police Department is developed according to the standards and principles followed by the agencies in order to hire qualified human resources to work within the community. The main difference of the New York City Police Department’s recruiting strategy is in the unique mental and psychological tests, as well as the questionnaires, proposed.
In the United States, the president nominates Federal Judges who are currently later confirmed by the Senate to serve judicial courts. Federal judges refer to both Article III and Article I judges serving as magistrates and handling bankruptcy. The selection process has been disputed for a long time, as some suggest that the selection process is more political (Paul 2). Like judges and magistrates, the federal government is committed to protecting people’s rights and providing security. In the recent past, people have been restricted from free movement to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, resulting in an imbalance between people’s liberty and safety. In my opinion, electing judges seems more appropriate than nomination. This essay is a critical exploration of the political influences arising from the nomination and election of judges, alongside weighing the balance between peoples’ freedom and safety.
Federal judges include Article III, Article I, and senior judges. Article III judges are appointed to serve for life in courts of appeal, districts courts, and in the court of international trade. The reign of federal judges is determined by their good behavior while exercising the judicial power of the United States. Article I judges are not entitled to life tenure and protection compared to Article III judges. Congress can reduce Article I judges’ salaries depending on their behavior. They serve the appeals court for the armed forces, veterans claims, U.S. tax court, federal claims, U.S. bankruptcy courts, and other territorial courts. The U.S. senior judges refer to the retired professionals who wish to continue their services to serve the law. The minimum age limit for becoming a senior judge starts from 65 up to 70 years.
Becoming a federal judge starts with the nomination of a candidate by the United States president. The nominee fills out a questionnaire which the senate committee reviews. After responding to the questions, the Senate holds a physical interview with the candidate to question philosophy, experience, and past rulings. After the encounter, the senate votes for the candidate depending on the satisfaction levels achieved. If the Senate does not approve the nomination, the candidate returns to the president for a re-nomination. If the Senate approves the second nomination, the candidate starts a lifelong commitment to serving as a judge. Still, if the re-nomination fails, the candidate cannot become a judge.
There are no formal qualifications to become a judge, which allows the president to choose candidates from different fields. Although judges require prior knowledge about law, the president can choose candidates from other professions. I believe that the president can appoint nominees with a hidden political influence. The appointed judges will most likely return the favor once approved (Paul 2). The president may also nominate judges for personal benefits, such as selecting family members and friends. Federal judges have the power to overturn activities such as cancellation and approval of bills presented to them. If the president wants a specific bill passed, the nominated judges must return the favor by ruling according to the president’s will. I prefer the election of judges to cater for justice and fair verdicts. The president will always have a dictatorial authority other than the nominated judges compared to fairly elected judges. There is a true reflection of the public’s interests if the federal judges are elected.
The government should protect the citizens from all forms of danger, including terror, diseases, and natural disasters. Sometimes, protecting people requires the government to undertake strict measures that may conflict with peoples’ freedom. The federal government relies on information obtained from people and investigative departments to assess the country’s security. Physical attacks such as September 11 resulted in spying of information from people’s phones and communication networks. The United States security levels were low, resulting in additional measures taken by the government to enhance security. The homeland security department was created for local terrorism detection and prevention (McEntire 24). The government had no choice but to fetch information from residents both directly and indirectly. Spying on peoples’ phones and emails was a highly criticized act. Still, the government defended the action by insisting that spying on people’s information was to aid in matters of national security, which was a high priority by then.
In many countries, people exercise the freedom of movement to any place at any time. After the outbreak of coronavirus in 2019, governments around the world imposed lockdowns and travel bans to regulate movement. Lockdowns denied the right to free movement in efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. In the United States, areas with high infections faced curfews and closedown of public places, triggering anger and complaints from employers and employees. People were encouraged to work from home, whereas those without work stayed indoors. Although the COVID-19 restrictions were harsh to people and the economy, compliance was the most effective approach towards preventing and curing the virus. If the governments did not implement the lockdowns, virus casualties would have increased, especially in low-income countries with limited access to health resources (Winskill 6). People need to stay healthy to continue working and living normally.
I support the actions taken by the United States government on both security and health safety measures. On the issue of security, jeopardizing a country’s security affects everyone and the economy at large. The September 11 attacks scared investors away from the U.S.A. and resulted in fear of insecurity among American citizens. If my security is guaranteed, I will allow the authorities to violate my privacy by accessing information I share with other people. Since I have no intention of harming, the government can continue to spy on my devices as they search for suspicious details about the nation’s security. I would love to live and work in a peaceful country.
Regarding the freedom of movement, it is clear that if we interact unnecessarily during the COVID-19 error, we will be casualties or carriers of the virus. I support the curfews and lockdowns imposed to regulate local and international movements. Without regulation of peoples’ interactions, the infection rate would increase, resulting in more deaths and health problems. People should accept harsh measures during desperate times to secure their chances of survival. I would give up my freedom in situations of physical danger, personal health, and in cases where I may affect the well-being of others. Being healthy and physically safe is my number one priority to be able to exercise my freedom and human rights. Electing judges is the formal way to practice democracy and fairness in matters relating to the well-being of society.
Works Cited
Paul, P. T. “Recruitment and Appointment of Judges and Justices in Europe and the U.S.” Radboud University Nijmegen, 2018, pp. 1-6, Web.
McEntire, David A. Introduction to Homeland Security: Understanding Terrorism Prevention and Emergency Management. John Wiley & Sons, 2018. Web.
Winskill, Peter, et al. “Report 22: Equity in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Assessment of the Direct and Indirect Impacts on Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Populations in Low-and Lower Middle-Income Countries.” Imperial College London. Report no. 22, 2020, pp. 1-21, Web.
The shortage of trained nurses to cater for the rising populations that need nursing services has been constantly rising globally. Just like in the United States, the world is having a severe shortage of nurses probably due to increasing health problems that may make the services of the nurses outstretched. By the fall of 2000, the United States of America had a shortage of 110,707 nurses.
The figure was estimated that it would have risen to 275,215 nurses by the fall of 2010 and further 808,416 by 2020 (Buchan & Sochalski, 2006).
Going by these figures, it is evident that there is a crisis that nations must address concerning the issue of shortage of nurses. Various countries have adopted different measures to ensure that the shortage of nurses is addressed although the ability of the poor countries to raise the number of nurses to address is doubted.
To address this issue, the Department of Health and Human Services has resulted to recruit foreign trained nurses especially from poor countries where the nurses find life in the United States better due to advanced facility and job opportunities. However, there have been several ethical issues that have been raised about the practice of recruiting foreign nurses (Buchan & Sochalski, 2006).
The issues revolve around the rights of the nurses as individuals, the effects of brain drain caused by the relocating nurses to the country of origin and whether a developed country like the United States should take advantage of the vulnerability of poor countries by taking their trained nurses while the available nurses in such countries are far below the required average.
According to Brush, Sochalski and Berger, (2008), the issue of recruitment of foreign nurses is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing to the nurses who come from the poor countries as well as to the United States of America while it is a curse to the countries that lose their trained man-power due to their financial vulnerability.
The process of recruiting foreign nurses has also been examined based on the added value that it causes to the populations of the United States (Goff & Burke, 2006).
Xu and Kwak, (2007), notes that while the practice of recruiting foreign nurses has helped bridge the growing gap between the required nurse-population and those available to offer services to the growing populations, there should measures to establish whether the foreign trained nurses meet the expected standards to ensure that the American populace is always given the best nursing care.
Questions have also been asked whether the United States of America must import foreign nurses while it has the best capacity to train nurses that are needed by its population. According to Nooney, and Lacey, (2007), it is wrong for the richest nation in the world to deprive poor countries especially those in Africa from their few and expensively trained health personnel while the United States have the ability to train its own nurses.
The main stakeholders that are involved in this arrangement are the government of the United States through the health department, the mother countries where these nurses are educated and trained and the nurses themselves.
As far as the recipient country, which is the United States of America is concerned, its role is seen as predatory and that takes advantage of the vulnerabilities of poor nations that cannot be able to offer the best salaries on a global scale to attract and retain its own human talent. The other stakeholder, the country where the nurses are trained and educated, suffers from the effects of brain drain especially due to the lost talent that takes huge proportions of their budgets.
As far as nurses as individuals are concerned, the main issue that comes to the debate is their human rights and freedom as individuals and as family members. It is generally agreed that every individual has the right to work and live in a place of choice. It would therefore be a violation of basic rights of these nurses if policies to restrict foreign nurse recruitment were to be enacted (Patricia & Amanda, 2010).
Due to the ethical questions raised above, there have been several suggestions that would improve the problem that has been witnessed in health care prompting the importation of foreign nurses into America. Nooney and Lacey, (2007), suggest that the population should be encouraged to enroll for nursing courses and those who choose to do this course given substitutes that would improve the attractiveness of the nursing career.
Another option would be to invite foreign students and training them in the American schools and later qualify them as nurses rather importing nurses that have already been trained by a foreign country that is in deeper need of these nurses than the United States of America. The last option is to continue with the practice of importing nurses from the poorer nations leaving these nations further constrained due to lack of nurses.
Each of the suggested options have their pros and cons. Should the United States of America opt to subsidize the nursing training through incentives to attract enrolment of nursing students, there would be the disadvantage of the time between the start time of the approach and the actual time the nurses qualify to serve the population.
However, this suggestion is beneficial in that it would provide a local solution to a local problem associated with shortage of nurses. Another advantage is that it would result to existence of trained nurses who understand the local problems of the American populations.
The other policy proposal would be to have foreign students being trained and gaining employment in the United States. This proposal is based on the idea that when the students are given their training at the United States, the question of ethics associated with recruitment of foreign nurses into the United States would be solved.
This is because the countries that provide the students would not have spent large amounts of money apart from the money spent on basic education. The advantage of this approach is that like the previous one, the country will get locally trained nurses who clearly understand the requirements of their populations as far as health care is concerned.
Finally, the third policy proposal is to maintain recruitment of foreign nurses from foreign countries. This approach has been criticized on the ground of ethics. The advantages of this approach are that the country saves on training costs that are associated with training nurses.
Another advantage is that the United States’ health workforce gains the required diversity brought about by nurses trained in various parts of the world making the entire workforce to be uniquely equipped with varying human talents. Although each of the outlined approaches may offer feasible solutions to the United States, the most recommendable approach is the one that uses incentives to both foreign and local students to enroll for nursing courses.
This is because such an approach would enable the United States of America forecast on its needs for health staff and adequately prepare in advance. The country will also avoid the ethical questions that are currently being raised concerning the appropriateness of the process of recruiting nurses from countries that need them more yet the United States have the ability to train its own nurses.
In conclusion, it is evident that the issue of health nurses is a pressing one globally. The shortage of nursing professional is not only restricted to the United States of America, but also to other countries of the world.
Due to this shortage, there has been rising need for governments through the departments of public health and human wellness to formulate approaches that would ensure that the deficiency of nurses is checked. It is also important to note that the practice of hiring foreign nurses to the United States has helped solve the shortage of nurses.
However, despite this hiring of foreign nurses into the United States health workforce, the shortage of nurses is far from being addressed and the figures that represent this shortage has been on the rise. Due to this rise in shortage of nurses, it is advisable that the United States adopt a different approach from the one of importing nurses from other countries.
References
Brush, B., Sochalski, J., & Berger, A. (2008). Imported Care: Recruiting Foreign Nurses to U.S. Health Care Facilities. Health Affairs, 23 (3) 78-87.
Buchan, J. & Sochalski, J. (2006). The Migration of Nurses: Trends and policies. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 82 (8) 587-594.
Goff, M., & Burke, C. (2006). Cultural Competency and Nursing Care: An Australian perspective. International Nursing Review, 53, 34-40.
Nooney, J. & Lacey, L. (2007). Validating HRSA’s Nurse Supply and Demand Models: A state- level perspective. Nursing Economics, 25 (5) 270-278.
Patricia, P., M. & Amanda, F., J. (2010). U.S. Based Recruitment of Foreign-Educated Nurses: Implications of an Emerging Industry. American Journal of Nursing: 110 (6) pp 38-48. Web.
Xu, Y. & Kwak, C. (2007). Comparative Trend Analysis of Characteristics of Internationally Educated Nurses and U.S. Educated Nurses in the United States. International Council of Nurses.
Any healthcare managers understand that the value of healthcare practice is only as good as the staff. Today, much emphasis is placed on a multidisciplinary team to deliver care, implying that maintaining healthcare staff to meet current healthcare needs is vital for the practice to achieve intended goals. However, healthcare managers face a critical challenge of recruiting and retaining the best talents for the practice.
In this regard, the most effective approaches to overcome staff recruitment and retention issue include adjusting organizational values to account for contemporary workplace dynamics, well-designed compensation programs, creating a sense of belonging among employees, developing a sense of self-esteem, and training and developments. These approaches can simply be adopted from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs because such needs are extremely relevant to all employees irrespective of their positions.
The workforce has become more dynamic. The modern workforce consists of highly skilled, multitalented, ambitious individuals who have diverse perspectives about work. The so-called GenX professionals have moved to replace the aging workforce. At the same time, opportunities in healthcare have continued to increase significantly.
Consequently, healthcare facilities must compete for the same workforce against other organizations, leading to strain on recruitment and retention. While attracting fresh talent is a critical role of hospital management, retaining the recruited healthcare professionals could be a serious challenge. Hence, retention also requires the same attention as recruitment.
One must understand the challenge in details to know the magnitude of the problem. Hospital managers, particularly the human resource managers are charged with the responsibility of staff recruitment and retention. A significant link has been found between organizational performance and the quality of staff recruited.
Thus, the recruitment and retention abilities are major roles for healthcare management. A lack of sufficient workforce could lead to massive failure of strategic plans and organizational mission. It is necessary to comprehend why healthcare professionals choose to leave their jobs. The reasons could be less apparent or simple, but they all have the same impact – inadequate healthcare professionals to cater for the growing needs of patients.
First, it has been noted that there is a decline in the rate of population growth since the 1960s (Holtz 1). Consequently, the labor market is adversely affected. The modern generation is taking up roles left behind by aging baby boomers. It is also observed that baby boomers have greater life expectancy, and healthcare facilities are striving to meet their health needs with reduced staff. Second, the already difficult labor condition is further made worse by financial difficulties of managed care. Third, other private organizations tend to offer more wages relative to hospitals.
Hence, healthcare organizations must compete with these organizations for the same talent. Fourth, the challenge arises from schools where enrollment in healthcare courses has declined as students opt for other attractive courses. In addition, a new trend has emerged in which current healthcare workers exit the profession for other different opportunities. Finally, within the sector, other healthcare providers may poach for staff from other hospitals. This practice could be rampant when little ethics exist to inhibit it.
Healthcare workers often leave the profession because of prospect for increased compensation and rewards in other professions. In addition, the lack of correlation between the pay and performance has also contributed to employee departure. Other nurses have noted that the absence of new opportunities for career and personal growth has also led to staff attrition. In this instances, healthcare workers feel that they lack support or unappreciated by their employers, or they lack sufficient resources to perform their tasks.
Healthcare workers have also cited unclear goals and expectations in their facilities. In most instances, such issues lead to job dissatisfaction among healthcare workers. Management has been noted has too unresponsive, withdrawn, rarely ask for inputs from nurses and does not seem to acknowledge nurse role in the profession.
Nurses have also complained that their role is now clerical because of increased documentation of patient details. At the same time, nurses complain of burnout due to increased numbers of critically ill patients who require greater care (McHugh et al. 202).
Healthcare management can play critical roles to avert high rates of attrition and increase staff retention. First, the management can change values to develop employee loyalty. Healthcare managers who fail to recognize the shift in labor market and subsequently fail to formulate policies that recognize shift in employee attitude are most likely to suffer drawbacks with regard to employee recruitment and retention.
Gen Xers will seek for employment in organizations that offer more flexibility and respect dynamics in the workplace. The current workforce is made of individuals who have experienced job cuts, layoffs, downsizing and poor career growth among the previous generations. Consequently, they have developed different work ethics characterized by enhanced sense of independence, limited self-sacrifice for the good of organizations and improved self-reliance. They take more roles, want to advance fast and at the same time, ensure work-life balance.
A culture change can also be an appropriate method of enhancing employee recruitment and training. Managers should present a business case to demonstrate impacts of turnover on the organization. Consequently, leaders will support such culture shift to enhance employee loyalty and retention. Hospitals should track their retention performance and use information to formulate training and development programs that enhance employee engagement in decision-making, training, supervision, and mentor programs.
Therefore, healthcare managers should develop flexible work schedules for the current breed of employees. Hospitals, for instance, can condense working hours to allow for adequate time for work-life balance. This approach is most likely to reduce burnout and stress among healthcare workers. Consequently, fewer employees will leave the profession.
Nurse managers who understand what their employees consider important are most likely to recruit and retain more employees. In this regard, healthcare managers should consider changes in the modern workforce and develop strategic plans using simple models such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to account for diverse needs of their staff. For example, healthcare may recognize that employees require better compensation, job safety, a sense of belonging and self-esteem.
Healthcare managers also need to review their compensation strategy. Obviously, through a robust, competitive reward program healthcare organizations can also recruit and retain the best talents in the labor market. While compensation alone cannot guarantee employee retention, it is a good starting point to improve terms of employment. Well-designed compensation programs are relevant. For instance, healthcare managers may change certain provisions such as sign-on bonuses or bonuses evenly paid over time.
Healthcare facilities can also pay higher wages to attract and retain highly talented employees. In this case, employees are most likely to be attracted to such facilities because of good reputation. Consequently, healthcare managers can control high rates staff turnover. Employees develop a sense of pride for their organization, which is only focused on the best employees, effective screening, selection and compensation.
Healthcare managers also need to create a work environment that promotes a sense of belonging among employees. Employees who demonstrate stronger connection with their organizations are often reluctant to leave their jobs. Healthcare managers therefore have a responsibility to develop programs that encourage a sense of connectedness and belonging. For instance, excellence performance should be rewarded to create a sense of belonging. A sense of connectedness can also be created through information and knowledge sharing.
Organizations that withhold information from employees create unproductive culture. Hence, the relationship should be facilitated through open communication to build trust among employees. Hospital managers can encourage open communication through regular sharing and publishing information using the intranet, chat rooms, notice boards and bulletin boards among others. Open discussions also encourage information sharing. For instance, hospital management may discuss financial performance with their employees to engage them in revenue generation processes. This can create a sense of ownership among employees.
Hospitals also require a collaborative environment that promotes team spirit. A multidisciplinary team is most likely to develop a strong bond between team members. A strong personal bond can emerge between staff members and further develop a sense of belonging and a community of work. It is imperative to recognize that strategies that enhance a sense of belonging have no or negligible financial burden to an organization. Hence, even budget strained healthcare facilities should not fail to create a sense of connectedness between staff members and the organization.
Healthcare managers can enhance employee recruitment and retention by adopting effective programs that promote self-esteem of individual employees. In this case, employment policies should promote better relations between managers and employees. In addition, measuring employee performance should be regular and scheduled to promote transparent processes and act as employee retention strategy.
Feedback should be immediate and constructive for employees. Such approaches encourage employees to be self-driven. Managers should recognize and appreciate an exemplary effort from employees. Employees should also be encouraged to nominate their peers for excellence performances, and awards for such employees should be open.
Employers should assist their employees to attain their best performance. This can be classified under self-actualization. For instance, training and development, fee reimbursement, mentor programs and on-the-job training should encourage employees to stay with their employers. In most cases, employees who are trained by employers feel comfortable and do not frequently leave their jobs. Hospitals should develop in-house training to develop major skills and knowledge required for various roles among employees.
Orientation training programs, for instance, are ideal for newly recruited employees. Training programs should be formal, structured or even informal and unstructured to enhance skills and knowledge acquisition. Hospital managers should also offer technical training and provide current information and new healthcare devices to motivate staff while developing their knowledge base, skills and competencies.
Such improved competencies and skills would allow employees to perform at the highest levels based on their qualifications and training. Training and development programs should be continuous while accounting for a wide range of topics and methods adjusted to meet unique training needs of specific staff members.
In most cases, healthcare managers are concerned about costs associated with employee retention (Jones and Gates Manuscript 4). However, costs are normally related to certain retention methods applied by an organization. Healthcare facilities may opt for increasing nurse wages, redesigning work environments, purchasing new equipment and/or introducing training and development programs among others. Since healthcare facilities may adopt a combination of techniques to cater for their diverse needs and budgets, costs may vary considerably.
While some strategies adopted may be free to implement, others may be cost-intensive and even difficult to quantify based on return on investment. Organizations that adopt widely accepted practices such as involving employees in decision-making processes, culture change, improving work environments, enhancing leadership, and offering support to employees may not be able to quantify such costs. However, their impacts on employee recruitment and retention could be obvious.
Healthcare management faces a critical challenge of employee recruitment and retention. It is also noted that the quality of care delivered depends on the quality of staff available. Given the major drawbacks associated with high rates of attrition, healthcare managers must adopt specific strategies that can help to combat dysfunctional attrition rates in their organizations.
Appropriate strategies that focus on culture change, recognizing labor market shifts and even adopting simple practices developed by Maslow can help managers to enhance recruitment and retention in their organizations.
While costs are associated with strategies that improve recruitment and retention strategies, some notable practices such as culture change, involving employees in decision-making, improving work environment, providing effective leadership and recognizing workforce dynamics may not involve costs or such costs could be negligible. Employees are most likely to stay with their current employees when working conditions are favorable.
Works Cited
Holtz, Greg. “Hospital Staff Retention Strategies in the Managed Care Era.” Cath Lab Diest (2002): 1. Print.
Jones, Cheryl Bland and Michael Gates. “The Costs and Benefits of Nurse Turnover: A Business Case for Nurse Retention.” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (2007): Manuscript 4. Print.
McHugh, Matthew D., Ann Kutney-Lee, Jeannie P. Cimiotti, Douglas M. Sloane and Linda H. Aiken. “Nurses’ Widespread Job Dissatisfaction, Burnout, And Frustration With Health Benefits Signal Problems For Patient Care.” Health Affairs (Millwood) (2011): 202–210. Print.
Quality health care is a human right; to attain this noble need, medical service providers should have highly trained experienced and robust team. Human resource department in either service or good industry has the mandate of ensuring there are adequate, well trained employees in their organization. In a health facility, quality, experience and qualification of medical staff is crucial for the delivery of quality health care. Medical staffs include, nurse, doctors, physicians and support service staffs (Gatewood, Feild and Barrick 7). This paper discusses the process followed by human resource department in a medical facility business to develop an orchestrate team.
Determination of deficit in an the facility
The initial point in recruitment process recognition of employees’ deficit; the deficit should be documented and human resources department advised accordingly by related departments on qualification, experience and number of personals required. Sometimes additional facilities may be required to accommodate the additional staffs, or experts in certain fields are required; this stage is the planning stage, it should ensure that before the beginning of the process, there are enough facilities and policies implemented and developed to gather maximum utility of new staffs. Sometimes finances may not be adequate to fill all posts as requested by various departments; this call for prioritizing and restructuring in a way that the deficit created will be lived with effectively.
Advertisement
Having made appropriate measure and after ensuring that all is set to go, the next step is advertising for the posts; advertising takes two angles, internal and external advertising. As a motivational measure, posts that can be filled internally should be advertised internally; this should not be a loophole for staff members to bring their friends and relatives for posts but should be taken as a motivational approach. When advertising for the posts, experiences, qualification, age, salary scale, and any other relevant details should be disclosed. Applications for the post should be given a deadline and measures taken to ensure there is equality and objectivity in receiving the application.
Medical staffs’ especially technical staffs need to have proper qualification and their potential need to be well tapped. Adverts should have well explained minimum requirement to be adhered in the process (Bruce and Fottler 25).
Short listing and interviewing
After applications have been scrutinized, short listed candidates are contacted for interviewing; it is ethical to accordingly advice those applicants who were not successful. Different organizations have different methods of interviewing; the method used is guided by organizational culture/human resource practices and requirement of the particular medical facility. The interview process adopted should be elaborative enough that potential and qualification of an applicant can be gauged and compared with the post on offer. Objectivity, integrity and transparency should be the order of the day and be highly upheld. Some posts that may require having a hand on job interview, where an application is given a chance to prove that he can perform in the applied post. Interviewing is a substantial stage and should be taken effectively; it gives the medical facility recruiting team a chance to evaluate and choose the best candidate.
After successful interviewing, the right candidate should be chosen with a lot of objectivity and integrity; he should have some special attributes that satisfies the panel and makes them believe that he or she can perform. After analysis, the candidate is employed on probation terms (Gatewood, Feild and Barrick 7)
Probation and contracting
Probation is an engagement contract where an employer gives a new entrant the chance to work with the medical facility with the anticipation of employing him or her after the employee satisfies the management and meets the expected goals. In a contracting engagement, a company offers a contract to a service provider, which is defined in the engagement contract. Contracting in health facilities mostly happens with physicians and experts in different fields. Track record of their previous works is considered when contracting.
Probation period has some special terms that defined the engagement; they include termination of the contract terms, salary and relationship between the employer and the employee. It offers a chance for the employer to learn the potential of the employee and further analyze whether such skills are required. The employee gets a chance to get challenges from the health facility and learns the hospital organizational culture.
Different jurisdictions have different probation laws and regulations. It is the role of human resources department and the employee to ensure that they observe and respect such rules. At times probation may be extended for a reason well-explained and understood at the time of engagement. Both parties to a contact have the right to terminate the engagement using a well elaborated method as per the contract. After successful completion of the probation period, an entrant is deployed on full employment terms (Mathis, Robert and Jackson.34-46)
Conclusion
Human resources department in a health facility, like in any other firm, has the mandate of ensuring there are adequate and experienced, medical and support staffs. Recruitment process is the initial stage in a human resource management program, when well coordinated; it ensures that human resources needs in a hospital are well met in quality and quantity.
References
Bruce, Fried, and Fottler Myron. Human Resources in Health Care, Managing for Success. Michigan: Health Administration Press.Print.
Gatewood, Robert, Feild Hubert, and Barrick Murray. Human resource selection. New Jersey: Cengage Learning, 2008.Print.
Mathis, Robert, and Jackson John. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. New Jersey: Cengage Learning, 2007. Print
There are some questions that have been asked time and again in the world of nursing, and the role of this research, is to try and bring the answers to the minds of people, who have through the years asked the questions. Nursing education is a part and parcel activity in the world of nursing, and its mandate of developing the staffing arena remains inevitable. Due to this fact, there is every reason to try and empower the present and upcoming nursing staffs, so as to be in an efficient position to effectively fulfill their mandates.
The research seeks to answer some of the nagging questions in most people’s minds, like the roles of the organizations in recruiting and retaining the best nurses available, in the midst of a profound shortage in their nursing staffs (Weinstein, 2007). The research will also seek to unfound the ways that organizations ought to bring the beginners or inexperienced nurses out of the shackles of newness and inexperience, into a world of great levels of professionalism, competency and proficiency, to be able to achieve the goals and objectives of patient care in the least time available and the resources at hand.
Literature review
Saudi Arabia has constantly been faced with a shortage of nurses in the last three decades. This has in most occasions been followed by high rates of turnover. The highest number of Saudi nurses are the expatriate nurses who are in every health care facility in the country, and this has calculated to a partly 29.1 percent of Saudis in the entire nursing workforce combined (Sharon, 2004). This fact may be shocking to most of the Saudi natives, but it becomes even more shocking in the private health sector, since the percentage here is partly 4.1 of the whole workforce.
To this effect, it is undoubtedly clear that the Saudi people are faced with a mammoth task, when presented with the challenge of developing the nursing staffs. With the nurses expected to respond to a plethora of the new demands that arise each day due to the complex state of the healthcare system, the emergence of increased tasks like priorities in the finance arena, improvement in accountability, new regulations and the increased demands for professional standards, the task of empowering the nursing staff in Saudi is a daunting one for them.
The development of new staffs through nursing education is the driving force towards a successful planning in succession, reduction in unnecessary costs and management of priorities that are effective for competition. The practitioners are more than educators, since they lay great emphasis into efficiency, safety and effectiveness, while at the same time hastily ushering in assorted generations of nurses into practice (Downs, 1999). This is basically due to the fact that they have the ability of developing careers, understanding certain principles in adult learning, transforming management, strategic planning, and developing educational programs.
Significance of the study
The results of this study will equip us with the needed knowledge that will serve as a feedback to the population of the Saudi republic, and will give the Saudi people, more so, the nursing fraternity, a platform where they can be able to gauge their true picture of the roles they have played in trying to empower the upcoming nurses, and how they have been involved in the development of the nursing staff altogether. This study will also act as a reprieve to the young ambitious people, who aspire to be nurses in future. They will have an amicable research, where they will get to understand the nursing system in Saudi Arabia, and the things to anticipate when the chance comes along. It will act as a blueprint that will either make them continue pursuing their dreams of becoming nurses, or change to other professions, if the profession, or the way of empowering the nursing staffs seems unfriendly to them.
The nurses and the administrators will be able to determine whether the level of developing staffs meets international standards or not. The results thereafter will allow the administrators to uncover the areas that need urgent or long term solutions, basing on the extent of the problems and the programs that ought to be implemented to be able to solve those problems. By implementing the necessary changes, the administrators will encourage more and more people to join the nursing arena, through the improved staff development procedures that will be a great motivation to aspiring nurses. The results will also act as a basis for future development in the nursing system of Saudi Arabia, and will equip them with better skills to make sound decisions and implement workable policies (Kerfoot, 1998). These results will further aid in developing community health and promotion of health care in the country.
Research methodology
In this study, both the quantitative and the qualitative research will be used and it will focus predominantly on an experimental nature. The assessment of needs will be carried out through interviews and observation. Data relating to the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia will be obtained from the already existing literature, ranging from the documents in the ministry of health, health institutes and health centers, to the respective hospitals through online databases like Medline, Saudi databases of health, Health journals in Saudi, Google scholar, Relevant texts and CINAHL (Nancy, 2009). Data will be collected in the order in which they pertained to the Saudis M.O.H services, and this ranges from the social system, nursing research and services, managerial and organizational activities, arrangement of the formal organization and the employees. The information obtained will then be scrutinized through analytic induction to uncover its relevance and will later be convened in a thematic basis.
References
Downs, F. (1999). Essential nursing care: a workbook for clinical practice. New York: Lippincott William and Wilkins.
Kerfoot, K. (1998). The journal of continuing education in nursing. Journal of Nursing, 29 (1), 59–62.
Nancy, R. (2009). 101 Global leadership lessons for nurses. New York: Lippincott William and Wilkins.
Sharon, M. (2004). Practical guide for general nursing science. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Weinstein, S. (2007). Nursing without borders. New York: Sage.
Acute shortage of nurses over the last decade has characterized the National Health Services (NHS). The main cause of this shortage is the fact that there was an under investment in the nursing education during the 80s. It has therefore become essential for The British government to recruit nurses from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean in order to substitute the already ageing population of indigenous nurses.
However despite the fact that Britain needs these nurses, measures to protect foreign nurses and other practitioners is still a far cry. (Lorraine, 2005) Though there is very little research of African’s nurses in the UK, it is known that ethnic minority nurses suffer discrimination but their precarious situations force them to endure discrimination among many other negative experiences that they undergo. Right from recruitment, training, orientation to employment and subsequent remuneration, ethnic minority nurses have experienced one or two forms of discrimination while working in the UK.
Statement of the Problem
A study carried out in Southern England showed that discrimination and denial of equal opportunities were the main problems experienced by the ethnic minority. An interview involving nurses showed that both white nurses and patients are cruel to the black nurses. It emerged that the white nurses and patients were not having trust in the services offered by the blacks even when their services were just the same.
The British government has for the last five years been involved in recruiting trained nurses from former British colonies. (Lorraine, 2005) However the British government has not taken the necessary step to ensure that when the nurses come have a good working environment. There have been cases of white nurses being abusive to the blacks and the Asians. The victims however said that they had to endure undergoing such negative experiences since they feared being deported to their countries. However it also emerged that the foreign nurses were also benefiting from the professional experience they were getting.
Given the prevailing situation that Britain is experiencing acute shortage of labour, there is need then to ensure that hired nurses from outside the country are treated with dignity they deserve because both the Britons and the nurses need each other. It is important to note here that nurses from different countries and continent have different forms of training and work experiences and so therefore there is need for consideration of orientation of the new nurses instead of them being looked down as non-performers. It is the National Health Services responsibility to make ensure that there are no any forms of discrimination and denial of equal opportunity taking place in Britain. (Kemshall, 2002)
Aims
The aim of study is to critically evaluate the issues of recruitment and selection within the NHS and to analyze the effectiveness of equal opportunity policy in UK organizations in solving discrimination problems to promote equality.
Objectives
The overall objective of this research work is to carryout the Analysis of diversity issues in the health labour market. The other objective is to critically review equal opportunity legalities of the United Kingdom. To carryout an analysis of employees’ views relating to discrimination in the health sector and lastly to evaluate the equal opportunity best practices in UK health organizations
Research Questions
Based on the objectives of this study research questions will include the following:
Does equality play a key function in attaining organizations goals or objectives?
What are the different ways of ensuring equality in health labour market in UK?
How can the NHS management link equal opportunities to performance in its effort of trying to achieve stated objectives in the health labour market?
What are the appropriate remedies for recruiting of the health industry staff based on the equal opportunities existing?
Benefits of Conducting the Research
This research will not only benefit the health organizations in the UK but it will be applicable to all those health organizations who wish to attract and retain a motivated workforce that can accomplish stated objectives efficiently. It will provide focus and insight to the management of NHS as well as portraying to the management the importance of equally satisfied workforce in any health organization.
Limitations of the Study
Because this is an exploratory study it will mean that more time will be required to carry out the research in order to find the relevant information that will reflect the issue of equality as a key force to achieving results in any health organization. Also another limitation is that of availability of funds because the study will require the researcher to reach to a wider population through interviewing many respondents.
Literature Review
Discrimination can take place in many forms including race, age, marital status, disability, gender, status, ethnic background, domestic belief, etc NHS has the responsibility to be proactive in ensuring that discrimination is eradicated if not minimal and has a duty to ensure that equity is practiced among people groups. It has to ensure that nobody seeking employment or seeking or medical services feels that the he is of lower class whatsoever.
The Importance of Equal Opportunities
Equal opportunities are fundamental to the delivery of necessary medical services to the sick. It is out of this realization that NHS fights for equal opportunities for its clients. A non discriminated member of staff is naturally expected to provide services out of his good heart and therefore eliminating discrimination promotes good will of the service provider subsequently improving on the quality of services provided. However is important to note that there it is one thing to come up with policies and another to ensure that it has been effectively implemented. NHS goes ahead to supervise and ensure that there are administrators who will be responsible for implementation.
For equal opportunity to arise in a working environment there should be administrators who are responsible of educating the workers of their duties and responsibility. An organization is expected to organize for meetings, educational seminars etc for the purpose of ensuring that everybody is aware of both his responsibilities and rights. Mostly this falls under the Human resource department. The HR officer ensures that all the policies are adhered to the latter and that in case of any breach of policies necessary action is taken in order to protect the victim and punish the offender accordingly. (Lorraine, 2005)
Many employees of NHS are recruited from foreign land and especially developing world. The member of staff will not therefore be expected to be up to speed during his first day of days at work. it is expected therefore that before delegation of duties, there will be an orientation program that will ensure that all the foreign members of staff are familiar with advanced machinery of this new country that they are working for. It is also expected that they will be treated without prejudice, with respect, no harassment or down grading. The new employees should be given enough time not only to come up to speed with the new working environment and race but also with other social amenities.
For example the new employee should be given ample time to become familiar with the geography of both his working and living environment. This will help him relax and learn fast as opposed to when he is being pressured for results and efficiency even before they can learn their physical surrounding. It is also important that the policies are presented to them in their first languages to avoid any ambiguity or misunderstanding.
A cultural background of the indigenous people will also be required in order to familiarize the new worker of the kind of people he is working for and with. As a result of the research conducted for the ethnic minorities working for NHS it emerged that there are patients and local nurses who are abusive to the foreign workers. It also emerged that the local nurses made the patients believe only the whites can offer qualified services and that the foreign nurses were less qualified. As a result, many patients have very little trust for the foreign nurses and inhibit the quality of services that they would otherwise receive if they had been made to believe that these nurses are as trained. (Kemshall, 2002)
It is ironical that during recruitment in their respective countries only the best nurses are given the opportunity to go abroad to work but when the same qualified nurses get to the other side they become the least. There are often breaches of contracts where nurses have been promised an attractive package of remuneration and allowances only to get to the other side and find different arrangements. This becomes very difficult for them to live with since they can not go back to their country and the living standards in the new country are not accommodative.
Governments should therefore come out straight with their foreign policy in order to avoid such misrepresentation of their working policies right at the recruitment stages so that the nurses already know what to expect. There are even times when qualified doctors and nurses are taken in as just social health workers. This is another breach of contract that has been reported to take place. When this occurs the victims of such acts are demoralized and frustrated since they were used to a particular status quo in their country only to find different treatment on this other side.
Types of Discrimination Practiced During Recruitment
Racial discrimination
Apart from downgrading of the nurses, most of them are discriminated against just because of their colour. Different geographical setting and continent have people of different colours. There unfortunately has always been discrimination against people just because they have a different colour. Blacks and Asians are always considered inferior to the white on the basis of the colour of their skin.
It becomes ironical then that the same inferior colour has the most needed services. Take for example Britain, since the 80s, there has been under production of qualified nurses for different reason including under investment in such an important sector of a country, to an extent of recruiting from outside not only the country but the continent. Isn’t then ironical to imagine that the same source of the necessary nursing services is inferior to its own that does not even produce enough for their services? It is evident that the so considered inferior countries have great manpower and ought to be respected as opposed to be discriminated just because of the colour.
Gender discrimination
Gender has always been another base of discrimination. It is ironical that women are also seen as inferior to men especially black women are seen to be like a double disaster, yet they are the majority. If they are inferior in any way then their numbers would not be speaking too loud to their discriminators. They do well in school, contribute to the economy yet they are denied the status quo they deserve in any given community.
In her book Young Female and Black, Heidi Safia has tried to show clearly that women may have different functions from me but they are not less gifted or performers. In many African and Asian communities, women were seen as inferior to their men on the basis of provision. However Heidi was able to prove that to be false when she found out that West Indian women contributed significantly to their homes and were in fact the major bread winners in their communities. It is therefore wrong to judge women as inferior. It makes it worse to judge them as inferior just because they are blacks.
From her book, Heidi establishes a sad truth that though the West Indian women were put in the same class as their white men counterparts, the women were not considered worthy of the same pay as their male counterparts. The scale of pay was so different and this adversely affected the choice of career of many black women since they could not see hope in the future. The NHS is therefore expected to provide a different environment in order to attract the most needed workmanship. It is of no benefit to have Acts like Sex Discrimination Act and Race Relations Act that clearly stipulates how women and different race members should be treated in books yet nothing is happening on the ground.
Ideological statements should not be made in speeches and documented just for the sake of it because at the end of it all is what that is happening on the ground that really matters. Though there is scanty information about the well being from African and Colored nurses working in Britain, there has been complains from the black women nurses that little is implemented on the ground despite legal frame works being put in place. What really matters should be the treatment these foreigners on the ground and not what is documented or stipulated in many legislation. (Coral and Peter, 1989)
Disability
Apart from the issue of gender, and race discrimination, there is also another aspect of disability. It is obviously rare for any government to recruit a disabled person. However understandable this may be due to the much requirement these persons might need, this must also be viewed a serious form of discrimination that must be dealt with. Policies must be put in place to ensure that even during recruitment be it local or foreign persons with disability are considered just as normal persons. Once this has been taken care of and the person with disability has been taken in as a member of staff, follow up measures must be taken to ensure that just like his counterparts he experiences a better working conditions. (Armstrong and Carlopio, 2005)
He must for example be provided with suitable mode of transport, a comfortable home, and especially in the working place there must be special amenities for the disabled. It should be put into consideration that disabled people may not be able to work with the same machinery that the other normal people use. Therefore there should be not only machinery but also separate working station for the disabled as need may arise. When it comes to orientation or training programmes, the disabled should not be ignored since they also need to be appraised on what is happening. Due to their special needs, their remuneration should also be considered according to their specialty. Also, the disabled persons should not be subjected to stigmatization based on their areas of disablement. As such, the disable will feel as part of the community and as a result the community will benefit from their services. (Gray, 2003)
Negative effects of Discrimination on an Individual Worker
Research indicates that when decisions in an organization are made basing on the issues of inequality and biasness it leads ultimately to some negative effects i.e. on both the workers and to the organization itself. Such workers effects include the following;
Decreased job satisfaction; if workers are mistreated then they will not be motivated to work thus leads to low productivity in the workplace. For instance, if workers are exempted from decision making based on their race they will become demoralized to undertake their responsibilities.
Poor career development; this is another effect on the health workers; lack of promotion for the discriminated people in the organization will greatly affect the workers development. Such policies like promotion being based on certain colour or gender instead of academic qualification will greatly hamper the development of the workers and they may opt to shift to other organization that provide opportunities for career development thus affecting the organizational negatively because of labour turnover. (Gray, 2003)
Loss of job; this may also be witnessed particularly when a worker will feel oppressed and may opt to contradict his/her bosses who advocates for such vices like sexual harassment. Since the bosses would not like to be viewed by their juniors as being on the wrong they may opt to sack such workers who refuse to adhere to their rules.
Stress and anxiety; is also another effect that may be caused by biasness in an organization i.e. both gender and colour biasness. For instance; workers may get stressed because of the way they are treated by their managers thus reducing their output level which will affect the organization’s operations and overall productivity.
Poor Productivity Levels; The most obvious effect that workers will exhibit is that of poor productivity levels. If workers are mistreated by the managers then they will reluctantly accept to work for the sake of their salaries and wages only but not putting the objectives of the organization to be their priority since they will not be motivated to work. Another effect is that of isolation and discrimination of workers either by the management or co-workers. If decisions for instance are made depending on gender or even colour barriers then it will imply that those who are not involved will feel discriminated and thus isolate themselves from those being involved in the decision process. Women also for instance abused in the workplace for instance sexually harassed by their bosses in the organization may opt to isolate themselves since they may have feelings that other workers within the organization are aware of what is going on. (Lorraine, 2005)
Personal insecurity; the gender isolation is believed to have made more women to be at a risk from violence in the health organizations where this segregation is regularly practiced such as workplace violence where physical disfigurement remains to be a serious threat to women in the country since many women are regarded as burdens rather than assets. However, it should be noted that not only women are subjected to personal insecurity but also men too are reported to at risk.
Methodology
Research Design
This study necessitated the researcher to identify the main causes and the methods of discrimination of workers in the health sector in Britain. The researcher mainly concentrated on the issue concerning the equality opportunities and how best it can be applied by health organizations in there attempt to boost there profitability levels. Given that this study was an exploratory research it was based on; desired activities and time-based plans, research questions, selection of sources and types of information required, outline of procedures for every research activity that was to be carried out and also it was based on the framework that specified the relationships among the samples identified for this research purpose.
Sampling Procedure
Before adopting the suitable sampling technique several factors for example; cost of conducting the research, time constraint, accuracy of sources to be utilized, availability of population respondents, physical impossibilities of acquiring all the necessary items in the target population and the destructive nature of certain tests was considered in detail in order to avoid minor mistakes in the course of conducting the research.
Probabilistic type of sampling technique was chosen since the sample identified gave each and every respondent a known likelihood of being included in the sample selected. For that reason, the research was conducted using simple random method of collecting data because it was difficult to reach all the participants in the population. Under this technique, the selected sample gave the person identified the opportunity to have an equal chance of being incorporated in the research work.
Target population
The target sample was mainly those workers who are involved in day to day operations in the health sector in the UK. However, some middle level and top managers were considered and given an opportunity too to air their views on the equal opportunity factor. A total of twenty respondents in UK were identified and questionnaires administered to them. However, the administering of questionnaires as a tool of measurement was based on the willingness of the respondents to adhere to the instructions thus in the process answer the questions in their best knowledge.
Techniques for Data Collection
Since a sample of the population was identified the researcher utilized both open and closed questionnaires to collect the required information from the respondents that were selected from the sample identified. This method was considered and found to be effective and efficient to the researcher since he was required to only drop the questionnaires to the respondents and collect them at a later date. The reason for choosing both open and closed questionnaires to be administered is that it gave the respondents an opportunity to answer freely to the set of questionnaires that were administered to them during the study.
Findings
Equal opportunity policies
There are many policies including recruitment procedures that stipulate that no job applicant should receive less treatment and consideration to from the other yet this is not what happens on the ground. White men are always given the first priority followed by their white women then colored and black nurses following in that order. It is not a wonder that even most managers in hospitals are white men as compared to their otherwise evenly qualified black women. Despite there being documented procedures of equipment, there are always exceptions to the rule within the rules that provide for unjustified recruitment. (Pyett, 2002)
Terms like classified position and ring fenced position are often used to justify recruitment of the most “favourable” persons. We find that it is true that advertisements are disseminated with the right format, i.e. no colour, age or gender discrimination so that no one feels discriminated against yet without saying the most favourable person to qualify for the job will definitely be the one that the system will feel comfortable with despite many non-favourable applicants having the same qualifications.
This is exhibited clearly when one looks as to who does what in a given hospital. It is no wonder to find that white male are the majority in the higher ranking of an organization and black female are the majority in the lowest rank of the hospital. Though it is normally stipulated very well on the recruitment forms that no one should be judged besides his capacity to do the job, more often than not additional advantages are normally considered for the “right persons”. It could be considered probably that a white nurse may well be suited to serve a white patient. Though this is not in books it is likely to happen leaving out another person just because of their difference in colour.
During training and development, every new employee normally undergoes through an induction program what is ignored that the foreign nurse might need more time since this is not his homeland. So in actual facts if the local nurse is to be given the same time of induction as the foreigner, the local is obviously advantaged since he is familiar with the machinery and the surrounding.
For example right now is winter in American and Europe while it is sunny in Africa, there will be obviously a great challenge for an African going to work in Britain as compared to a Briton. Such consideration must therefore be put in place to at least try and mend the gap though realistically is not completely possible but more effort should be put to ensure that at least foreign nurses are given a chance to prove themselves worthy of their calling and duties as life savers. (Armstrong and Carlopio, 2005)
Performance plays a key role in every aspect of working life and especially the health sector. It is therefore important that every member of staff have a plan that is tailored to specifically meet their professional and social need. This is significant because it is obvious that what is necessary for the local nurse may not crucial for the foreigner and therefore provision for both their needs must be customized to effectively serve them. When it comes to working environment for example, managers should ensure that members of staff are working within the environment that they feel free from any form of discrimination or harassment.
Since it would take time to change the mentality of the patient towards the non local nurses, it would be considerate for example to let an arrogant and abusive patient to be treated by a nurse of his origin in order to protect the non-local nurse who might end up being abused and hurt as opposed to her services being well received. Caution should however be taken to use this as an excuse for sidelining non-local nurses from performing their duties where could have otherwise have done so without trouble. On the other hand, offenders should not be easily let go and let behave the way they want, but rather dealt with according to the harassment policy. This way, cases of abuse will reduce and as a result, foreign nurses will not only feel protected but respected and will be able to offer their services better. (Brewster, 1995)
As mentioned earlier in this paper, terms and conditions of employment which basically includes basic salaries, benefits and grading etc should be taken to consideration based only on the qualification of a persons and not on their gender, race and physical fitness. It is important to also keep on reviewing these to enable workers to cope with the ever rising inflation of the world’s economy. This will be possible if there will be a monitoring and review systems in place which will help accurately judge the performance of a staff. From the monitoring system, it will be possible to see where additional benefits are deserved and this should be rendered without delay or favouritism.
It is important to note here that despite there being rules and regulations, there must be cases of offenders and these should not be taken lightly. All staff should be aware that any form of discrimination, abuse, victimization will be dealt with according to Trust’s Disciplinary and harassment policy without favouritism. Managers should ensure that every employee is aware of the principal terms and consequences of failing to adhere to them in order to ensure that there are no excuses on the breach of the same. In recognition to the fact that discrimination may not be easily eliminated, affirmative action may be required to protect victims. (Lewis and Giullari, 2005)
Despite there being many loopholes in many policies that have been put in place there are hospitals that have however gone the step ahead in ensuring that discrimination is minimal. One such hospital is Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS which is committed to equal opportunities for all. The hospital has recognized inequalities that people may endure and takes action to reduce them. The hospital is committed to ensure that it looks into the provision of each member of staff according to their own specific needs thereby promoting equality in the work place. (Kay, 2005)
Every one can work in Queen Elizabeth hospital provide they have the minimum qualification since interviews are conducted in a manner that gives the interviewee a chance to present themselves the best way possible without fear of any discrimination. In Queen Elizabeth hospital anybody can apply for a job despite their sexual orientation, religion, race, cultural background, marital status, responsibility for dependants, national origin, age, political and trade union affiliations etc.
In addition to the above, the hospital are committed to career develop people with disabilities in fact they have been awarded Two Ticks disability symbol by he Employment Service as appreciation for their consideration to the disabled. Some of the benefits that people with disability get from Queen Elizabeth hospital are adapted keyboard for written tests, a facilitator during the interview, wheelchair access, and special car parking places, sign language interpreter and accessible toilet facilities.
Recommendations for Best Practices in Recruitment and Selection
Wrong recruiting of people can be a very expensive affair for both the employer and employee. The employer has to consider employing people who are going to be beneficial to the company both for turnover and for the common good of everyone. This is an important consideration because there are employees who are qualified but are not in relationships and this can cause adverse effects on the other workers. Since this employee’s efforts can be sufficient for the company, the company will thus have lost as opposed to gaining. Again, the employer might need to consider his employee’s needs since lack of such might cost the employer a lot of worthy employees. For example an employer might choose to consider employees’ needs for instance career development, and family needs in order to accommodate otherwise helpful employees.
Employers need to have flexible requirements and be ready to adjust their requirements especially in a job market that is experiencing a shortage of skilled persons. (Pyett, 2002)
An employer is expected to forecast future demands in order to accommodate the ever increasing span of labourers. Depending on the kind of employee’s availability and demand, the employer should consider accommodating people who are likely to be discriminated against for his gain. For example in our situation where there is a shortage of nurses, an employer might choose to adjust working hours, accommodate more disabled people, favour a certain gender according to their availability, offer part time facility etc. such measures might help an employer to win favour from employees who would not have considered him a potential employer. (Alcock, 2003)
Again it is advisable to consider the kind of community an organization seeking employees is. If for example a company is in a region where family values are highly valued, an employer might need to consider more family favourable related work policy whereby he will accommodate especially mothers who have to stay home with their children. The employer should consider offering jobs that can be done at home e.g. home/teleworking.
Another example would be if the company is situated near a university, the employer would consider offering training programs that are necessary for his kind of work and also adjust work timings so that his potential employees who are likely to be university students be attracted by his invitation since they are assured of time for their course work. For nursing students an employer might consider that offering attachment to the students. That way the company will attract more skills for the company and secure job applicants in the future who by the way the same company will have trained. (Armstrong and Carlopio, 2005)
An organization can also make use of old workers by recalling them back to work. these workers can either be retrained but since that would not be worthwhile for a long time, they could be used to substitute the others i.e. work according to their abilities while at the same time training the younger ones from the source of their past expertise and experience. Again age limit can be reconsidered in order to lengthen the working period of the old workers NHS would consider this as an option to cover for the shortage of nursing in Britain. However to avoid this kind of scenario, continuous investment on nursing and really any kind of training should not be ignored. Instead there should encouragement for students to study the especially not very popular science subjects. This could be done by subsidizing fees for such courses further so that a great number parents and guardians can be encouraged to pay for their children. (Alcock, 2003)
Conclusion
Labour market is increasingly changing and there needs to be serious consideration when formulating working policies. Issues of ethics during recruitment of staff should be highly considered. There also should be fair foreign policy so as to ensure that first in case particular country needs manpower from another country both countries will benefit. Issues of discrimination and victimization should be taken into serious consideration. The colour of anybody’s skin, sex, national origin, religion, cultural background, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation which includes lesbians and gay, etc should not be used against any employee.
Every employee has right to political thought, freedom of speech and religion, freedom from discrimination and harassment, right to full participation despite age, colour and gender, right to equal social amenities whether normal person or disabled, right of choice of residence, whether white or black, right to political choice either democracy or republican despite him being either a foreigner or a local. It is important to remember that sometimes, human beings are like computer garbage in garbage out so in order to get anything good from employees, and they also must be treated fairly from early stage of recruitment, all through the whole process of working and eventually retirement.
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One of the burdens of the nursing profession is the need to work long hours, some of which sometimes take up half of the entire day. Long working hours create a heavy workload for nurses, and this is a professional challenge that many cannot overcome and leave the medical field. My method of retaining them that I would apply is obvious, logical, and simple; it is a reduction of their working hours. Sociological connoisseurs and experts say that “working fewer hours leads to happier, healthier, more engaged workforces” (Lufkin & Mudditt, 2021, para. 12). In addition, they also claim that “working fewer weekly hours … makes people better workers” (Lufkin & Mudditt, 2021, para. 5). As one can see, this managerial tactic provides more than simple retention of nursing professionals declining nationally.
Recruiting Approach of Workweek Reduction
In developing a practitioner recruitment approach, I would follow the same tactics as those for nurses’ leaving prevention described above. I would offer potential applicants and prospective candidates a workweek one day less than the one they worked in their previous work setting. According to Fox (2022), this method of managing employees’ work schedules multiplies the number of job applications many times. It also has a drawback in the form of a more difficult team-building process for the manager.
Nursing Craft in 50 Years
The current times are perhaps the last decade of the old ways of nursing in America and the world. One of the sure things is the increased demand from the health care industry for new nursing staff as the older generations of these health services providers leave the field permanently (The future of nursing, 2020). It means that average and median salaries in the industry will increase along with employers’ professional standards for nursing newcomers. Geriatric care will become a focus area for the American health system (The future of nursing, 2020). The further digitalization of many nursing services and functions is another thing one should look forward to in the next 50 years.
Canada is expected to face a projected shortage of nurses in the upcoming years due to an aging workforce and a limited supply of new nursing graduates. In order to reduce the shortage of nurses in Canada, internationally educated nurses (IENs) are recruited by the Canadian government. The recruitment of IENs offers a suitable and long-lasting solution to the nursing requirements in Canada and relevantly meets the healthcare delivery goals of the country. The Canadian healthcare system benefits from the IENs but also faces various problems, such as language barriers and fewer jobs for nurses in Canada. Recruitment of IENs also results in ethical issues such as discrimination and client preference.
One of the advantages of IENs is that they help to reduce the workload impact on the Canadian healthcare system. Due to the increase in the aging workforce, Canadian nurses near their retirement age and exit their workplaces leading to a shortage in nurses in certain departments such as the intensive care unit, emergency unit, acute, and sub-acute (Pressley et al., 2022). Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and stroke require more attention and care, thus increasing the amount of work assigned to a nurse. An increase in tasks causes poor work-life balance, high-stress levels, and poor employee performance. IENs are equipped with knowledge and skills that help them to ensure good quality patient care. In addition to reducing the workload, IENs also help to solve an impending healthcare crisis. With an increased population, Canada stands on the verge of an impending healthcare crisis due to the shortage of nurses. For this reason, the need to enable internationally recruited nurses in Canada has become very important.
One of the disadvantages of recruiting IENs is the language barrier. International nurses are only able to communicate with patients who share the same language as them. For example, a nurse who is only fluent in Spanish will not be able to serve a patient who speaks French and English, the official languages of Canada. The lack of good communication skills negatively impacts the quality and safety of care offered to a patient. The lack of fluency in English and French can limit the ability of IENs to communicate, perform nursing skills, and provide safe care (De Moissac & Bowen, 2019). Inability to perform can lead to feelings of incompetency, stress, and frustration. Another disadvantage of recruiting IENs is fewer jobs for Canadian nurses. Although IENs reduce the shortage of nurses in the health care system in Canada, they also increase the lack of job opportunities for Canadian nurses. Recruitment of IENs can also prevent improved working conditions for existing nurses. Employing IENs will only further reduce incentives for existing nurses.
Recruitment of international nurses results in various ethical issues such as discrimination, racism, and customer choice (Walton, 2022). The impact of anti-Black racism affects various sectors in Canada, such as education, healthcare, and nursing. International nurses also suffer discrimination due to unequal opportunities and salaries thus violating their rights (Ricciardelli et al., 2022). Client choice is when a patient can choose a nurse they want to provide them with healthcare, and the money to pay for the service should follow their choice. A patient may refuse to receive treatment from an international nurse due to cultural beliefs, skin color, and language barriers.
In conclusion, recruiting IENs helps to meet the nursing shortages in Canada and enhance the healthcare system. International nurses can also lift the workload on existing nurses, thus improving overall performance. Although the IENs benefit the Canadian health care system, they also impact the healthcare system negatively. The impact occurs when the Canadian government does not acknowledge the working conditions of existing nurses and the reduced job opportunities. Language barrier is also another negative impact of recruiting IENs. International nurses also experience ethical issues such as discrimination and client choice.