Human_Resources

Reflection of Human Resources Human Resources Management Sheree Dove July 25, 2011 Reflection of Human Resources The Human Resource Management (HRM) is a major department at any organization, whether big or small. Without this department, organization’s probably would not survive as long as they could if they with it. “HRM is specifically charged with programs concerned with people-the employees. HRM is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people (employees) to achieve organization and individual goals,” (Ivancevich, 2010, pg 4). To obtain an organization’s goals, HRM must follow six different aspects which include: equal employment opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action, human resources planning, recruitment, and selection, human resources development, compensation and benefits, safety and health, and employee labor relations. I have tried to imagine my organization, Kaiser Permanente, without its HRM department and I can guarantee the organization would not have been able to survive since the 1940s. I am proud to say that my organization is an organization that thrives off of diversity and I truly feel this is why Kaiser has lasted for so long. Equal employment opportunity (EEO) is something that is taken very seriously. We have all types of religions, races, and genders who are employed by Kaiser. “Today, Kaiser Permanente labor force reflects no racial majority, with nearly 60 percent of the staff comprising people of color. Additionally, three-quarters of all employees, nearly half of the executive team, and more than one-third of our physicians are women,” (www.kp.org/jobs). With statistics like this, it is easy to see why so many people want to work for Kaiser and why it is nearly impossible to get a job with them. Kaiser has a high retention rate of employees and it is rare that a new job position gets filled by an outside candidate rather than an internal employee. I feel that working for an organization who takes diversity and feeling comfortable in the workplace so seriously, makes for better patient care. Along with having a diverse group of employees, Kaiser also offers excellent compensation and benefits. These two works together the most to ensure the employee is taken care of. Compensation is the human resource management function that deals with every type of reward individuals receive in exchange for performing organizational tasks (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 294). There are those benefits that are mandated by law, “Programs like unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation benefits are mandated by federal and state governments. An employer has no choice about offering mandated benefits programs and cannot change them in any way without getting involved in the political process to change the existing laws,” (Ivancevich, 2010, pg 360). I work for an organization that provides excellent health, dental, and vision insurance. Our co-payments as employees are only $5. All prescriptions are $5. Things such as x-rays and blood work are all free to us. As benefitted employees we also receive PTO, personal leave days, bereavement, a float holiday, and a birthday holiday. We also have an excellent 401(K) package. What I described above is why many people try to work for Kaiser, excellent benefits programs. I mentioned earlier that Kaiser has a high retention rate for employees and I would say the number one reason for this is because of the excellent benefits an employee can receive if they work at least twenty hours per week. Kaiser’s HRM department is in charge of every single employee from their benefits to their union dues. I have never physically seen the human resources department for Kaiser, but I know it is not located where I work, but across the bay bridge in Oakland, California. The human resources department is responsible for all of Northern California and its employees. Southern California has its own HRM department who takes care of their needs. After taking this course, I can see how underappreciated the human resources department is. I personally did not realize how much their job entailed and I have a newfound respect for all who venture into this type of work. Labor relations are also a big part of any company and the HRM. Labor relations are the continuous relationship between a defined group of employees and management. This includes the negotiation of a written contract concerning pay, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment as well as the interpretation and administration of this contract over its period of coverage (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 473). This is where the Union, if any, is highly involved. At Kaiser, we have no option but to be a part of a union. We pay union dues every month whether we want to or not. The union dues are directly deducted from our paychecks every month and it seems as if the union dues are consistently rising. If an employee does not pay their union dues for three months, the employee will most likely be suspended without pay until the balance for the union dues is paid. I personally am not for or against unions. I really have a neutral opinion towards them. I realize that the union is why we have such excellent benefits and pay, but at the same time, I sometimes feel harassed by union representatives especially during contract negotiations. Our last contract negotiation was in 2010 and there were union representatives coming to my house asking me to vote for their union and not the other union. I felt as though they never answered the questions that I had and consistently down-talked the rival union. Our union also makes it difficult when he comes to hiring an employee for a new position. A candidate does not have to have experience for a certain position, but does have to meet qualifications. I feel that just because an employee qualifies for a position it does not necessarily make them the best candidate for a job. I feel that experience should play a factor, but unfortunately it does not. A new employee has 14 days to transfer back to their old position if they do not like the new position which is frustrating as well. I usually train new technicians who start in the emergency room and I feel it is a waste of time and money to train someone who eventually leaves due to the fact they did not realize how chaotic an emergency room really is. As I mentioned above, new employees come in and out of departments through the HRM department which is why I believe human resource development, planning, recruitment, and selection are the most important of all. All others are great with ensuring the employee is taken care of and their rights are in their best interest, but without development and planning, what is the employee moving toward' Human Resource planning is both a process and a set of plans. It is how organizations assess the future supply of and demand for human resources. HR planning determines the numbers and types of employees to be recruited into the organization or phased out of it. The HR planning process often requires periodic readjustments as labor market conditions change (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 125). “Recruitment refers to organizational activities that influence the number and types of applicants who apply for a job and whether the applicants accept jobs that are offered. Recruitment is directly related to both planning and selection,” (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 184). “Selection is the process by which an organization chooses from a list of applicants the person or persons who best meet the selection criteria for the position available, considering current environmental conditions. Decisions about who to hire must also be made efficiently and within the boundaries set forth in equal employment opportunity legislation,” (Ivancevich, 2010, pg. 213). Lastly, training and development are the processes that are involved with providing employees with information, skills, and an understanding of what an organization expects from its employees, (pg 391). I had mentioned earlier in the paper about how most positions at Kaiser get filled by current employees who transfer from one department to another. Kaiser does have a recruitment service team and are used to provide information to colleges mainly. A recruiter was how I got my on-call position at Kaiser in 2005. I had taken a medical assisting course and I gave my résumé to the recruiter at the end of the course and was called two weeks later and was offered a position. I am forever grateful to my recruiter, because without her I do not know if I would have ever been able to work for Kaiser. The selection process at my organization is one that boggles my mind to this day due to the fact that the selection process is based upon seniority and qualifications not experience. This is only helpful when I am the employee applying for a position, not when a new employee enters my department. I feel that training and development are the most important aspects by far. I strongly believe that for someone to work in an emergency room you need to understand why things are more important than others. Having basic knowledge of things like electrocardiograms and learning how to read heart sinus rhythms can directly impact a patient’s care and often, their life. Kaiser has done a great job with providing employees who are directly involved in patient care, the proper training and education to take care of patients properly. The amounts of education I have been given will dramatically affect nursing school for me. I have an upper hand for my current job, as well as for nursing school which will only make me a better nurse in the future. This is due to Kaiser taking training and education so seriously. After completing this course, I have a newfound respect for the human resources department at any organization whether it is a hospital or McDonalds. Human resource departments make an organization whole and complete. Before taking this course I thought the only role of the human resources department was to hire new employees. I had no idea they were also responsible for benefits, training, education, etc. Taking this Human Resource Management class has opened my eyes and ears to advancement in my career. I know exactly what to look for and what to ask about. Although I am currently taking courses at Ashford for my bachelor’s degree in health administration, this course should be required at all colleges. The information given in a course like this can help so many people learn what is expected of them as employees, but also what is to be expected for current and future employers. This course can definitely help give someone the knowledge to advance in their career, because it makes an employee aware of what they need to do to thrive in an organization. Each organization has specific goals they want to meet. If a person wants to get hired at an organization, knowing an organization’s goals makes them look more qualified for a position than someone else. This course teaches prospective employees how to survive in an organization with the help of the human resources department. I currently have no desire to ever leave Kaiser Permanente. They are an excellent organization to work for, and being that everything is based off of seniority here, it would not be in my best interest to leave. A major goal I have set for myself is to complete nursing school and become a nurse. I wished I could fast forward my life by a couple of years so this goal would be completed. I knew this would not be possible, so I enrolled at Ashford to pass the time. The degree I will obtain will give me the opportunity to be more than a floor nurse, but be an administrator at an organization I truly care about. By taking classes like this one, it has given me a more realistic expectation of what being an administrator entails more than any other course. I have learned that to be a successful administrator I will need to first pay more attention to the goals of my organization. Second, I will have to learn all of the rules and regulations that will keep my employees happy and working in a safe environment. I need to somehow be aware how to enforce these rules by leading by example. Knowing the ins and outs of an organization will make me a more reliable source for my employees. Being educated on how things work will definitely earn the respect of employees. The human resources department is definitely one of the most important departments of an organization. Thanks to EEO and the staff of the HR department, an organization should be filled with a diverse group of individuals, and in a hospital setting this is vital seeing how there is always going to be a diverse group of people being cared for. Providing proper training and skills to this group of individuals will allow an organization to thrive. Keeping employees, and administrators, up to date or specific goals of an organization will help remind them both of what is expected of them at the workplace. In a hospital setting providing excellent patient care is the number one priority. Everything is based off of this. This needs to be done in a safe, respectful manner that is also done by the human resources department. The HRM department is a well-oiled machine that keeps an organization running smoothly. The staff may not get the respect they deserve, but after this course, they will definitely gain the respect of me. I now know that without them, the organization I love to work for would not be around. References Ivancevich, J. (2010). Human resource management (11th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. www.kp.org/jobs