The concept of Human Resource Management has been termed by scholars as a form of management whose paradigms are in perpetual transition. The environment under which Human Resources Management (HRM) operates is faced by new challenges as the world adopts new ways of doing business. Globalization has initiated novel procedures such outsourcing and mixed demography in the workforce . Economic and technological changes have significantly altered the employment patterns and practice around the globe today. Technology has since replaced the practices in Human Resource management from transactional to strategic management. Hence, adapting to this new environment is vital and necessary for the survival and the continued profitability of a company. These challenges also affect the health care industry. Each nation imposes strict rules and restrictions in the health care industry in order to ensure public safety. This paper analyzes the challenges that the field of human resource management face with particular emphasis in the health care industry. The paper will delve into matters such as globalization, changing HR management practices due to a shrinking global village and competitiveness brought about by technology. The paper will also analyze the problems associated with staffing and impacts of restructuring on the employees.
Factor affecting recruitment of new staff
The medical field is an economic model and just like any other market as it relies on the forces of demand and supply. This has an impact on hiring new employees. However, while some experts can argue that the demand for medical services lies in the perfect competition model, some argue that assumptions used in perfect competitions may not apply in the health care system . Still the demand and supply of health care services has a strong bearing on the nature of health service offered in the medical fraternity. Thus with the perceived shortage in supply of health care workers vis-à-vis an increase in the demand makes hiring a difficult process.
During hiring other factors have a significant influence on getting the right qualified personnel for the job. For instance, the image or the goodwill of the employer has significant impact on the kind of talent that the organization can attract. Potential employees consider the image of the employing firm and decide whether they are comfortable working for that firm. In the health industry, the good will of the organization plays a key role in getting the right employees. There are several methods in which a company can restructure itself in light new challenges. One of the most commonly used methods is merger or acquisition. A merger kind of restructuring in which two or more enterprises agree to transfer assets and create one corporation bigger and stronger than individual corporations.
Restructuring
A common kind of restructuring occurs where there is merger of two or more firms In this kind of restructuring, management should find a compromise that provides employees of each firm with room in the new corporation. Additionally, a stronger and bigger corporation should mean better working terms for the employees. The management should also consider expanding departments and hiring more personnel to meet requirements of the new bigger company. This kind of restructuring benefits the employees.
A second kind of restructuring associated with most companies is relocation. Today, China and most of Asia present formidable business competition due to the cheap labor and energy cost in production. In light of this new threat, several firms have relocated their manufacturing centers to this region. This will improve the competitive state of the enterprise.
The impact of this move on the employees is quite an adverse one. As most companies shifted production centers to China and other Asian nations, unemployment in the United States has soared over the past decade. This exodus of companies to Asia is not translating to better working conditions for employees from these Asian countries. Chinese workers suffer terrible working conditions and poor pay .
A separate kind of restructuring is internal restructuring. In this kind of business restructuring a company would consider job-cutting plans to reduce company expenses and improve on efficiency. While some employees would lose jobs, the remaining personnel would have stronger working relationship and more efficient output. However, reducing the number of employees does not always imply that the organization saves money. Reducing the number of employees may imply that the remaining employees work extra time. This may lead to mistakes due to fatigue. This may lead to huge losses for the organization.
Conclusion
In a recruitment process, there are several factors that affect the availability and the qualities of the apprentice. In any field, the competition in the workforce will rely on the presence of qualified personnel. In the health care system, the supply of physicians will depend on two main aspects. First, for anyone to be a qualified health care provider, such a person must have made a deliberate career choice. Secondly, public policy has a huge bearing on the training methods and opportunities that will allow students to pursue medical related training. However, training for any medical related qualification is said to have hurdles both financially and physically. Lengthy training sessions done over several years make medical training process. Thus, there has been a consistent perception that there is shortage qualified personnel in the health care industry.
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