HUMAN RELATIONS IN NURSING MANAGEMENT (N232)

Advantages and Limitations of Human Relations Approach to Management

Basic Principles:
Human beings are not interested only

in financial gains. They also need recognition and appreciation.

 Workers are human beings. So they must

be treated like human beings and not like machines. Managers should try to understand the feelings and emotions of the workers.

 An organization works not only

through formal relations, but also through informal relations. Therefore, managers should encourage informal relations in the organization along with formal relations.

 Workers need a high degree of job

security and job satisfaction. Therefore, management should give job security and job satisfaction to the workers.

 Workers want good communication

from the managers. Therefore, managers should communicate effectively without feelings of ego and superiority complex.

 In any organization, members do not

like conflicts and misunderstandings. Therefore, managers should try to stop conflicts and misunderstandings among the members of the organization.

 Workers want freedom. They do not

want strict supervision. Therefore, managers should avoid strict supervision and control over the workers.

 Employees would like to participate in

decision making, especially, in those matters affecting their interests. Therefore, management must encourage workers' participation in management. This will increase productivity and job satisfaction.

 Advantages:

- developed the concepts of participatory and humanistic management Participative decision making Participative management - collective decision making - looks at the wellbeing of the workforce and their needs.

As a result promoted a great degree of work ethic and productivity improved the self-esteem and selfconfidence of their workforce felt much more motivated and obliged

 Limitations:

- time-consuming and often resulted in unmet organizational goals. - less structured environment

HUMAN RELATIONS IN NURSING MANAGEMENT (N232)

Employee Support Policies

Todays Workforce
Facts: 85% of U.S. wage and salaried workers live with family members and have immediate, day-to-day family responsibilities off the job. 46% of wage and salaried workers are parents that is, they have children under 18 who live with them at least half of the time.

Todays Workforce
Facts: The US Department of Labor estimates that 30% of the work force is currently involved in caring for an aging parent or relative. By 2010, it is expected that this caregiver workforce figure will jump to 54%, when 5 million baby boomers turn 65.

Todays Workforce
Facts: 95% of US workers say they worry that work is taking too much time away from their families, and 87% say increased work demands are keeping them from getting enough sleep.
Source:
John J. Heidrich Center for Workforce Development

and Center for Survey and Analysis

 Rapidly changing and competitive nature of

the business world is altering the scope of organization, managers and employees alike.

 Organizations are experiencing increased

pressure to accomplish more in less time and with fewer people.

 Employees today are feeling more pressure

and stress than ever before. This can be seen in the increasing number of problems such as substance abuse, depression, and family violence.

 If left unaddressed these problems can cost

companies billions medical expenses and lost productivity not to mentions the negative impact on individuals, families, and communities.

 Employee Support Policies is one of the

keys to help addressed employers and employees, to increase productivity and professionalism, to save money, and to save lives.

 Employee assistance programs, are offered

by many companies to help associates with personal problems. This type of assistance provides help with health care issues, substance abuse problems, mental health issues, family care problems and financial and legal concerns.

The Value of Employee Support/Assistance Programs

Return on investment
Reduced absenteeism, tardiness and sick

leave Reduced turnover Lower medical claims Decreased use of mental health benefits

Employee Support Facilities and Programs

Child Care Facilities Services provides assistance to employees to accommodate infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children with services providing an appropriate curriculum and well-maintained and secure facility.

 Elder Care Facilities - "Eldercare is the next big wave washing over the workplace," wrote Jill Mazullo in Minneapolis-St. Paul CityBusiness. - "Many workers are faced with taking on caregiving duties for an aging parent, spouse, or sibling who needs assistance with grocery shopping, medical visits, bathing, and more.

 Flexible New Work Program aims to help you get a job if you are out of

work. It will give you the chance to train, learn and do work experience so that you: - can become more confident - get new skills - can be worth more to people looking for staff - can find and stay in work

 Flextime Program - employees are allowed some flexibility in

their daily work schedules. For example, rather than all employees working 8:00 to 4:30, some might work 7:30 to 4:00, and others 9:00 to 5:30.

Flextime are usually implemented as an employee and manager option (both employees and their managers must agree). They may vary from day-to-day or week-toweek, depending on circumstances. Of course, not all jobs are suitable for alternative schedules.

In one case study, two-thirds of employees surveyed are allowed to have flexible work schedules, yet less than twenty percent of them actually shift their commute times to avoid congestion (Picado, 2000).

 Compressed work week

It gives you the benefit of an extra day off by allowing you to work your usual number of hours in fewer days per pay period. Work four 10-hour days each week and then enjoy a three day weekend, or an employee might want to work 80 hours over a two-week period in nine days (five 9-hour days for one week and four 8.75-hour days for the next, with an extra day off every other week).

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation and partners, compressed work weeks generally lead to: Increased employee satisfaction Increased employee retention Decreased tardiness and absenteeism Extended hours of service Increased productivity and efficiency Based on findings in The Managers Guide to Compressed Workweeks and Flextime, published in 1998 by Washington State University Cooperative Extension Energy Program in collaboration with Commuter Challenge.

 Job sharing

divides the responsibilities of a full-time position between two part-time people. For this arrangement to work, the two employees must have close communication and share a spirit of cooperation. Each job sharer often works a three-day week, spending a day together during midweek to catch up and make the transition seamless.

 Job sharing gives managers an opportunity to

keep people who would otherwise not be able to work. Having "two for the price of one" can mean more productivity and better coverage, as job sharers can often cover for each other during vacations or personal emergencies. The arrangement can also help the company recruit and retain skilled workers.

 Voluntary Reduced Work Time (V Time)

Type of alternative work arrangement which allows employees to work fewer hours according to a prearranged schedule, with a corresponding reduction in salary and benefits. After a specified time limit, the employees may return to their full time status.

 V time allows employees to cut back both workload and hours either temporarily or regularly. This option allows new mothers to return to work gradually and retirees to phase out gradually. It can enable employees to complete their education or handle temporary

emergencies. Having the V-time option is proven to attract and retain talented employees who want to work a reduced schedule, and it widens the pool of potential employees. At least one study has shown part-time workers to be nearly as productive as their full-time colleagues.

 Telecommuting

allows eligible employees to perform some of their work at home or at an alternative work location. Telecommuting may be done part-time or full-time, but it is usually done part-time.

 Telecommuting enables a company to hire

those with disabilities who otherwise could not work, widens the geographic pool of workers, and allows employees to better handle their personal commitments. It often reduces occupancy and real estate expenses, and it nearly always improves productivity as a result of fewer distractions. Grateful employees are generally more committed that is, more likely to go the extra mile.

 Telecommuters reported that the ultimate benefit of working from home was freedom,

with survey respondents saying they'd swear off their favorite food (40 percent) and forgo an extra hour of sleep (54 percent) rather than go back to an office. A US study published last year also suggests that telecommuting can not only increase efficiency of workers but boost their job satisfaction. While personal interaction with coworkers is a social benefit, the researchers noted that office politics can stress workers and reduce their performance.

 Stress Leave
a form of Leave of Absence used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee which is often granted due to stress related issues.

 Worker's Compensation Eligibility

If a physician places an employee on stress leave, the employee has the right to take a leave from work. Under some states' worker's compensation laws, an employee is eligible for medical benefits and wage-loss compensation for the time off. This law pertains only to an employee whose stress condition was caused by work issues.

 When an employee takes time off from work

because of stress, the employer cannot terminate, the employee once they returns to work. This is considered discrimination and is illegal for the employer to do. An employee does not have to be paid when taking a stress leave of absence. In some, however, an employee has the right to take any accrued sick leave time and use it for the time off on stress leave.

REFERENCES:
Johnson, Mona. Employee Rights to Stress Leave. eHow Money.

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Picado, R. (2000), A Question of Timing, Access 17, Fall 2000,

pp. 9-13.
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http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/outlook-help/understand-flexiblework-arrangements-HA001207406.aspx. Date Retrieved: Aug 9, 2011 at 13:43 hours.

Business Dictionary. Voluntary reduce worktime. Found on:

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/voluntary-reducedworktime-V-Time.html. Date Retrieved: Aug. 10, 2011 at 10:32am.

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 TDM Encyclopedia. (26 Jan 2010). Alternative Work Schedules:

Flextime, Compressed Work Week, Staggered Shifts. Found on: http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm15.htm. Date retrieved: July 9, 2011 at 6:52am.
Yahoo News Philippines. Telecommuters say they are happier,

healthier. Found on: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/telecommutershappier-healthier-161602286.html. Date Retrieved: Aug.10, 2011 at 11:02am.

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