Employee -Employer Relationship and Expectations Essay

Employee -Employer Relationship and Expectations - Essay Example Even in the modern world where technology and machines have made lives easier for many, the need of human capital still persists because the common sense, creativity, problem solving skills and decision making abilities cannot be substituted by the automatic mechanics or computers. Therefore an efficient and effective interaction between the employers and employees leads to the success of the business (Buren & Greenwood, 2008). The smooth operation and organisational consistency greatly relies on setting the standard operating procedures which ensures that the working environment is safe and the work is carried out in the most -efficient manner. The SOP’s can be re-evaluated and re-established with a proper feedback from the employees. If the management has an open door policy, this can be an advantage in the betterment of the business because of the positive input of employees due to the natural free thinking. The feedback is analysed by the employees and is utilised in the b est way possible that helps the business without compromising its quality, consistency and reliability. This also improves on the decision making of the management. But, the employee- employer relationship is very critical. The both of employees and employers are different from each other and if these are not somehow met, it results in a conflict. EMPLOYEE – EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPECTATIONS: The relationship between an employer and its employees is not just based merely on economic terms, but it is much more than that. It is an important relationship that is based on mutual dependency and has a great impact on the working and progress of an overall organisation. A set of values and norms that are applicable on all members of the organisation members persists and must be followed. This makes the culture of an organisation that gives it a uniqueness and identification (Zientara, 2009). The workplace in professional life, is like a second home to an individual, so his job is an extremely valued possession that has an effect on a lot of factors. The relationships that an individual maintains at the workplace are different from those that are his personal, and therefore must be very carefully sustained. The employer-employee relationship is the most complicated one and each has a level of expectations from one another. There always has been and will always be an assured push and pull between the employers and employees that cannot be evaded. But if they work together with a mutual consent, they can come up to each other’s level (Zhang, Tsui, Song, Li, & Jia, 2008). Experts say that this tug of war between employer and employee helps to build the synergy vital for focused approach towards the collective goals of the organisation (Evanschitzky, Groening, Mittal, & Wunderlich, 2011). The organisation is a collection of numerous units working together collectively to achieve one goal; the organisations goal. Along the way, the employee tries to achi eve his/her goals be it experience, thirst for knowledge, or the never ending need to financial security while using the employees goal as a driving force the employers try to align these goals with the strategy of the organisation. Experts also say that this is the best way to make a winning solution, using the zeal and creativity of the employee, help them achieve their goals but align them according to the goals of the organisation. Why is it so necessary to align all the expectations and the goals together? Why does an organisation needs this synergy? The

Strategies to Develop Employee Satisfaction in Healthcare

Strategies to Develop Employee Satisfaction in Healthcare Motivation and Discipline That Brings Employee Satisfaction in Healthcare Crystal Mullen ASSIGNMENT: Read the following scenarios and answer the questions in paragraph format. The answer for each scenario should be 2 pages in length. Your final submission should be 4-5 pages in length. Scenario 1: With the continued focus on managed care, your employees are worried that focusing on cost cutting will reduce the quality of patient care. As a health services administrator, you are worried about the continued dissatisfaction. Develop three strategies that would motivate and increase employee satisfaction. Keeping staff motivated is a very important part of management in any industry. Furthermore, the high stress nature of managed care means implementing policies and procedures regarding work place motivation and support which then generates employee satisfaction are very important to retain qualified healthcare professionals (Cardenas, 2014). Keeping your healthcare staff engaged and motivated can be particularly if the healthcare facility is short-staffed or often includes temporary personnel or floating nurses. However, even in a work place environment that looks for any means to cut costs, there are still ways to motivate staff and can help improve performance and morale (Leviticus, 2014). If I were a health services administrator, one measure any I would implement is to simply take advantage of my staff’s strengths. This would help my staff feel more confident and accomplished, which could then increase my entire team’s efficiency. When team members are assigned to jobs that match their strengths, they are then able to complete their tasks in a shorter period of time. Because they are finishing their required tasks sooner, they will then providing staff with more time to complete additional assignments. For example, if I were to assign a confused or disoriented patients to a health care professional who thrives on these types of patients, I would be able to increase the patient willingness to cooperate with the health care professional and lessen the need for multiple staff members to be involved in inconsequential issues (Leviticus, 2014). Furthermore, if I were a health services administrator looking for ways to motivate my staff, I would make it a point to ask for their feedback about health care issues on a regular basis. I would like to encourage dialog about their daily challenges with things like work schedules, patient care, hospital environment, or any other stressful managed care issues they are facing. I would create a variety of options for them to express their thoughts and ideas in a positive, proactive way, while discouraging unproductive griping, whining and complaining. I would look for their feedback on their most frequent challenges in the manage care facility that they deal with by holding meetings implementing suggestion boxes and even with monthly or quarterly surveys. I would make sure to keep my requests for staff feedback that would generate positive solutions, not just negative feelings, gossip or opinions (Cardenas, 2014). Also, if I were a health services administrator looking for ways to motivate my staff, I would provide them with opportunities to demonstrate as well as experience leadership in their profession on a consistent basis. I would also schedule team members with leadership tendencies for tasks like leading department staff meetings, research information on current medical issues or even mentor someone using their own experiences. Finally, but not exhaustively, I would assign my health care team members to conduct small group sessions for peer-to-peer learning about such issues as nursing procedures, hospital policies, and patient care trends and responsibilities. Therefore, by creating leadership opportunities, my team can then generate their own problem-solving abilities. (Cardenas, 2014). Finally, though certainly not exhaustively, if I were a health services administrator looking for ways to motivate my staff, I would implement policies that would reward my team for the excellence they bring to the managed care facility. I believe rewarding achievements in my staff helps them staff stay motivated and actively involved. I would acknowledge their excellence in our weekly staff meetings, congratulate them via email or post of their achievement via social media. Also, I would recommend my team members for professional or hospital awards or perhaps even offer them a new title upgrade as a way of showing my team that how much I appreciate their hard work. Finally, though certainly not exhaustively I would considered allocating them a prime parking spot for the team member in the managed care facility who exceeds expectations each on a monthly basis or give gift cards when my team exceeds a particular goal(Leviticus, 2014). Therefore, I believe if I were to implement these measure, my team would be encouraged to continue to excel at their post in the managed care facility and be satisfied in their job because they’ll know their work matters and is appreciated. Scenario 2: Pretend that you are a new nurse manager, you have opted to select the positive discipline approach to managing employee behaviors. List the steps in the positive discipline approach and explain how you would apply it to the nurses that you supervise. The positive discipline approach is one that presents the role of a discipline as one that tries to regulate the negative behavior of employees to make them better workers. It is an approach to discipline that uses corrective action in order to generate more productivity, improved performance and a more effective workforce. Although harsh, negative punishment is effective for producing short term results, this approach will prove futile because negative discipline often generates employee frustration, higher absenteeism rates, low workplace productivity and high turnover. Positive discipline however, tries to correct the negative employee behavior by first counseling the employees of what is expected from them, then giving an oral warning, and followed by a written warning. Only after those steps are measures such as termination or discharge considered. Here are the step to positive discipline. Counseling is the first necessary step of the positive discipline process. This step would give me the opportunity to isolate the nurse’s behavior problems so that I can offer him or her possible solutions. When I’m counseling a nurse, my goal is to make employee him or her aware of the facility’s policies, procedures and rules. Often, the nurses want to be a productive member of the facility and simply need a better understand of the rules. Then during the counseling I can have a better understanding of the nurse’s point of view so that we can both agree on the best way to adhere to the facility’s rule. Therefore, I believe the counseling step can easily solve many of the problems that arise in a nurse’s behavior. The second step in positive discipline would be an oral warning. This step can also be given during counseling however, it tends to be a bit more confrontational. This is when I would become even more of a boss than a friend and remind my nurse of the behavior that requires correction. If however the nurse’s behavior has not been improved by counseling or oral warning, I would then implement the third step of positive discipline which is a written warning. This step requires documentation that correction was given but the behavior is unchanged. The written warning is where the nurse and I would write out a plan to correct the problem so that it would not arise going forward. If the nurse fails to receive positive discipline through counseling, oral warning, or written warning, I would then implement the fourth step in the positive discipline approach which is a final warning. When I implement a final warning, I would hold a conference that would emphasizes to the nurse just how important it is that he or she correct his or her inappropriate actions. This is not a step I would wish to implement because I would have to insist that he or she take a non-paid day off. I would suggest to my nurse that he or she use this day to decide if his or her actions are worth correcting in order to remain with the facility. While I would not enjoy implementing this step, I can see how it can be quite effective in demonstrating to my nurse the seriousness of the problem that is created by his or her inappropriate behavior and that it can no longer be tolerating at this facility. Finally, if the nurse will not submit to counseling, respond to an oral warning, or a written warning and seem unchanged by a final warning, then and only then would I implement the fifth and final step in positive discipline and that is to discharge the nurse from his or her duties. As difficult as it may be to discharge an employee it is necessary if I want to maintain the positive nature of the facility as a whole. What I really appreciate about positive discipline is that it promotes problem solving rather punishment. Positive discipline integrates positive confrontation with the nurse with the problem behavior and thus provides him or her with the opportunity to be justified. I would then inform him or her of the company policies and procedures. Therefore, I believe positive discipline provides the most opportunities for long term employee satisfaction because employees will understand the correction process without feeling coerced or belittled (Industrial Relations Naukrihub.com, 2014). References Cardenas, H. (2014). Strategies to Motivate Staff Nurses. Retrieved January 12, 2014, from Chron.com: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategies-motivate-staff-nurses-15427.html Industrial Relations Naukrihub.com. (2014). Positive Discipline Approach. Retrieved January 12, 2014, from Industrial Relations Naukrihub.com: http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/positive-discipline-approach.html Leviticus, J. (2014). Effective Strategies That Bolster Nursing Teams. Retrieved January 12, 2014, from Chron.com: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/tools-techniques-use-team-effective-24079.html

A Critical Review of Putwain, D. W. (2011) Essay -- Education

Putwain (2011) conducted a study that focused on the examination stress experienced by secondary students preparing for their General Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations. This research aimed at understanding the subjectivity of examination stress in students preparing for their GCSE examination and was specifically interested in four key factors identified by Denscombe (2000) and Putwain (2009), namely: aspirations, importance of GCSEs, self-worth and pressures from others. In addition, it also explored the gendered nature of examination stress mentioned by Jackson (2006). The study reveals that consideration of examination as stressful was idiosyncratic among the students. Eight distinct elements of examination stress were identified: the anticipation of failure, valuing academic achievement, poor competence beliefs, a personal predisposition to view events as threatening, workload or the lack of control over it, unfavoured assessment formats, thorough effort and prepara tion for forthcoming examinations, and whether ability was viewed as fixed or incremental. Gendered aspects of examination stress were also highlighted in how examinations were talked about and in subject specific competency beliefs. To the extent that this study is exploratory, findings of this research provide insights into the importance of understanding the subjective nature of examination stress experienced by GCSE candidates. However, several limitations must be considered in interpreting the study findings. The article makes a case for studying this phenomena drawing from a number of convincing sources that include journal articles as well as academic books. But only two of these [Denscombe (2000) and Putwain (2009)] are highlighted as direc... ...son between one male and one female student. These two were interviewed approximately two months apart (female student: beginning of spring term, male student: mid point of autumn term). The time gap might pose an issue with the reliability of such inference as well (Denzin and Lincoln, as in Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2007, p. 148) In summary, it has to be admitted that the current research is far from being conclusive. Future studies should be undertaken utilizing better measures and a well explained sampling procedure to improve our understanding about the examination stress faced by the GCSE student. Despite some deficiencies in the methodology, to the extent this article is exploratory, i.e. trying to investigate an emerging issue, the study has provided some insights to account for the examination stress experienced by students preparing for their GCSEs.

Prejudice and Discrimination Essay

Traveling had always been something I looked forward to. Seeing other parts of the world, visiting other countries; just the idea of it brought more joy then most things would. Sadly though, that is not the experience that I encountered while travelling to South Africa. Even though it was their native land, the locals in South Africa faced an overwhelming amount of discrimination; it was completely heart breaking to witness. Taking into the history of South Africa, with the concept that â€Å"blacks [are] inferior to whites†, (MALEMA, 2010, para. or in other words; the apartheid, where black people were simply less than white, and that was the acceptable way of life, it is not terribly hard to imagine that some discrimination still lives in South Africa today. With the apartheid not officially in existence at this current time, most people would, and do assume that the discrimination had come to an end and all people of every race and ethnicity live in peace with each other in South Africa, but as it is; old habits are hard to break. White people are still treating black people as though they were not really people and black people are subjected to the upper hand that the white members of society have had for years upon years without having much, if any power to change it. The apartheid does have a National party, people still do believe in it who live in South Africa, and while those who stand up for the truth of the matter protest and stand in opposition to it, the apartheid and the people that support it end up on top; for now. With South Africa going officially and publically to a democratic system and abandoning the incorrect and discriminatory ways of the apartheid, hope reenters the scene for Black Americans. During the time of the apartheid, â€Å"the ruling National Party’s goal was to secure White control and promote racial separation by classifying all South Africans into White, Black, Colored (i. e. , those of mixed race), or Asian ethnic categories† (Kon ZR, 1998, para. ). Within South Africa, while under the apartheid the only race that existed was White Africans. All other Africans, whether Black or Asian, was looked upon as not being a race, they were less than human, there only to serve White Africans. While the ethnicities of at least the locals in South Africa are the same, the race does differ from town to town. The natives born in South Africa all share the same background giving them the same culture in a sense, yet under the apartheid the difference in race between White and everyone else made all of the difference in the world. The new turn to the democratic system is anything but segregation of the races. Much like in my own homeland of North America, more specifically, The United States of America, where democracy is an everyday occurrence, South Africa’s goal of democracy will involve a turning point to some sort of equality between white Americans and all other races in South Africa besides the white community. However, much like in America, South Africa will tumble and stumble for years with this turning point. It already has been years since the South Africa Country has turned democratic, and still today, there lies in the towns much racism and discrimination. To spare the cruelty of how extreme the discrimination in South Africa got, a much calmer example is when I went to the local store that was owned by White Africans who still lived by the ruling of the apartheid. I saw a Black couple walk into the store, shop around, and when it was time to leave, the owner refused to talk to them or serve them. The all the couple needed was milk and diapers for their newborn, but the cashier, who was White, looked right through them. A white woman pushed her way past the Black couple and was waited on promptly by the cashier, and as the Black couple got the hint, they placed the items back, and walked away. The saddest part though, is after they left, I saw the cashier grab some gloves, go over to the items that the couple had touched and discarded them in the trash. Discrimination is a crime, and it sadly still exists in society today; most likely because some White people still believe that all other races were created inferior to them and are solely there to serve as salves, but obviously, that is not the truth, and though South Africa made the correct change to democracy to amend that false assumption, that preconceived notion still lives on today. Sadly, it is found true, not in the papers, studies, statistics, or facts; that the law, no matter how much it might point toward and push to equality falls oh so short so often. The truth of this falling is found on the streets, in the towns, in schools, and between neighbors. It is seen in the grocery store, on the sidewalks, and through the windows. Regardless of the National party South Africa, the local parties South Africa (the locals) do not always agree with the change in place, and still treat everyone that is ot white as though they were not even human. A law does not change a person’s heart. The law may change the actions of a person, for fear of the consequence to the actual law, but the hardness that lives in the hearts of the white communities in South Africa have had years and years to build up and linger. Changing the political system is a start, and indeed, is a help; but it is not the answer. What is the answer? I have some ideas, but surely, there is no cove r all answer that will magically fix discrimination. The first eye glance that I saw while I was in South Africa made me realize that one of the best things to do for them in order to climb the ladder to equality is to point out to them that the hardness in their hearts are still there; that while they might have changed what is written on paper, the things that are engraved on their hearts are still there, and firmer than ever. The second thing that I know all Americans, not just this one person, can do is to be an example. In North America, we have faced racism, discrimination, inequality of men and women; in short, we have faced and overcome the things that South Africa faces today. And while I recognize them as an independent country, as North America is one of the largest and strongest countries, we should also be the best. We, as a country should stand up and stop the discrimination that happens on our streets, in our schools, and at work. We have no right to scold South Africa of their discrimination until or unless we have settled our own issues of discrimination. And even then, a scolding is not what is necessary. What is needed is an understanding, and assistance; we need to set an example. I know that I am just one reporter writing one article, and I am sure readers are wondering why I am speaking so passionately about this subject, or what I expect out of the readers in all honesty. I know that this is not a regular article that the newspaper readers are used to, but I also know that this is a great way to speak, not only of the negativity of discrimination and how bad it is or how bad it is getting. This chance is also a chance to show that some people care more about how to change it from getting bad to getting better. That though one person cannot change the world, one small deed can do great things, and the more people that take that initiative, the more great things will happen. I would sincerely encourage anyone that could, to visit South Africa. Brace yourselves if you do, the discrimination really is horrible, people that are not white still, have little chances of making much of themselves, and the AIDS that are in the country is as common as the America cold, but the truth is within the people. Black Americans in South Africa have the hope, they just need the help. If you cannot make it to visit, send a letter, make a wish, sit back, if only for a moment, and give them a second of your time to think about them; where they are, where they have been, and where they could go. Discrimination not only affects those who are being discriminated against, but also those who miss out on the opportunity to know, work with, and live around all the other races. They all miss out on the unifying truth that everyone is a person; their own individual humanistic self that has so much more to offer than the color of their skin.

Negotiation Situation Essay

In the negotiation of a mortgage refinance, you can run into many different types of situations that you have to be prepared for. How we interact during a negotiation can make or break an agreement. Successful use of communication tools and preparing yourself to handle personalities will contribute to the outcome. Analyzing the Roles of Communication In this situation the initial state of the negotiation was not moving forward in a positive direction. The bank was dealing with many customers with mortgages that were months behind due to the economic crash at the time. We were one of those affected; the construction boom took a turn for the worse and work slowed down. Although we kept in contact with our bank regarding our situation, they were not willing to negotiate new terms to our agreement. As a home owner you never want to get behind on your payments, so we continued to make partial payments. The bank continued to accept the partial payments, yet didn’t want to work with us to reassess our situation. â€Å"Discussion does not mean fighting and shouting, instead it is simply the exchange of one’s ideas, thoughts and opinions with each other. One needs to have excellent communication skills for a healthy and an effective discussion. (Role of Communication in Negotiation, 2012)† The bank acted with diplomac y and tactfulness. After speaking with realtors and obtaining consultations from acquaintances, we realized for the bank to take action, we had no choice but to stop paying the mortgage. We knew at that moment that it became a game of the bank vs. the homeowners. The way you communicate varies according the formality of the situation. (Key Aspects of Communication in Negotiation) By making partial payments, the bank was content with us. We were getting further behind, and incurring penalties towards our mortgage. Taking action did get the attention of the other party. The impact of the communication, made the bank realize they needed to have more meaningful conversations with us. We finally were able to alter their perceptions and expectations concerning the situation, relationship and outcome. Through many discussions with the bank, we came to an agreement to attempt to sell the house this way to avoid foreclosure and or a short-sale. The mortgage payments were frozen during this period. We knew we were treading water, since the housing market was at a virtual standstill. After exhausting conversations with the bank, we were at the point where we were going to have to walk away from the house. Our emotions at this point, were wearing thin. This process was taking months, and also taking its toll on our patience with the bank. We wanted to be responsible for our decisions, but we were being forced to make a decision that would hurt our credibility for the future. Our sincerity was our most important personality traits exhibited in this negotiation. We had to show our sincerity for an effective negotiation. We never took the situation casually. In the eleventh hour of negotiations, the bank was willing to refinance with a co-signer. Luckily, our relatives were willing to assist, and were kind enough to co-sign. The bank was very cooperative and we were moving forward in a positive way. Analyzing Personality Failures and distortions in perception, cognition, and communication are the paramount contributors to breakdowns and failures in negotiation (Lewicki−Saunders−Barry, 2005). Negotiators use information to challenge the other party’s position or desired outcomes or to undermine the effectiveness of the other’s negotiating arguments. Even in the simplest negotiation, the parties take a position and then present arguments and facts to support that position. As the homeowners, we argued to gain terms that were within our reach to be able to afford the home and avoid a foreclosure. The bank had a different set of terms, that would stretch our ability to make ends meet, and we had to stand firm with our decision to adhere to our end goal. For us, our personality in this situation varied. At times we were very cooperative, as was the bank. But at times, the bank exhibited an aggressive behavior, and made us think we only had one option to explore. The bank exhibited a power position, to intimidate and instill fear. As homeowners, we were emotionally attached to the home. We knew that we had to remove our emotions, and treat this as a business deal. That was difficult. We were able to neutralize our emotions, and handle the situation in the most professional way. Personalities in such a high-stake situation can get intense. We viewed the bank as goliath and us as David. The bank was responsive, but we found when we got upset and put them under pressure, the bank became uncomfortable and worried about damaging the relationship with us as the customer. Contributions of those Roles to the Outcome Our ability to stand our ground and be vigilant with our information upfront, aided our ability to work with the bank to come to an agreement. To reach this agreement a third party did have to enter the discussions. This third party assisted both sides in reaching a final agreement. The process was a roller coaster; it was also a learning experience for both sides. In the end, we were happy with the final terms. The bank did make some small mistakes throughout the whole process, and due to their mistakes being presenting in writing, had to honor those terms in the paperwork. We were able to avoid a 5-year ARM agreement, and were able to secure a 30 year fixed mortgage at a very low rate, due to their mismanagement of information. The point is to never quit with a bank. As long as they keep coming back with counter offers, you do the same. At some point, you’ll make a deal, and it might be better than you ever expected. Looking back, it is very important to remove your personal emotions from the negotiations. Emotions need to be under control on both sides to achieve a successful end. If you have ever felt like you were stuck in a burning high rise with only one way out at times, we know that if you work with the right people, your chances of success increase with every option you have. Bibliography Key Aspects of Communication in Negotiation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/comm440-540/commfactors.htm (2005). How to Improve Communication in Negotiation. In Lewicki−Saunders−Barry, Negotiation, Fifth Edition (p. 175). The McGraw−Hill. Role of Communication in Negotiation. (2012). Retrieved January 19, 2013, from Management Study Guide: Pave your way to Success: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/role-of-communication-in-negotiation.htm