- Is recruiting nurses from abroad a good idea for U.S hospitals facing worker shortages?
While recruiting from other nations might help fulfil the dearth of nurses faced by U.S hospitals currently, such recruitment can have unintended effects of local unemployment in the country itself unless they are matched by funding and training of domestic nurses to match requirements in the future. This increases domestic discontent, fall in the image of the organisation and have effects on visa regulation as has been seen after 9/11.
However till domestic workforce can meet the demand, the U.S hospitals will have to be vigil about the qualifications and capabilities of those international recruits, and invest heavily in training them to equip them with the right knowledge and technical know-how.
- Can you think of cultural problems U.S hospitals might encounter as a result?
With employing increasing number of nurses from abroad, cultural issues will be the biggest challenge to be tackled by the hospital HR management. Different cultures have their endemic values and thus, have differing perspectives of each other. Thus, to work as an effective organisation, while taking care of both domestic and foreign workers, the managers have to especially aware about the alien conception of management –employee relations and work life. The cultural dimension related workplace factors like power distance and uncertainty avoidance differ greatly between U.S and countries like Mexico, India. This highlights the need for cultural awareness and sensitivity in the workplace, especially where increasing number of immigrants work.
- What long-term recruitment measures should U.S hospitals strive for?
Among long term measures to be taken up the U.S hospitals must strive to create a flexible and tolerant work environment, which can keep up with the needs of globalization and its increasingly international workforce. It should also assure that there is no discrimination between employees of domestic or foreign origin and thereof. In addition to making its work culture more amenable to a diverse workforce, the hospitals should also strive to fill the domestic workers gap by funding and training U.S nurses adequately.
- What role if any should Mary’s past work record play in this case? Explain your answer.
Chronic absenteeism is a serious disciplinary problem in the workplace and need to be tackled fast, effectively and accordingly. A long-term, experience and well performing employee if becomes a chronic absentee will have to be dealt with in a much favourable manner than a short-term, ill-performing absentee. Similarly those with legitimate health concerns and disabilities will require sensitive treatment. Thus, Mary, who had once been a stellar performer, and had legitimate reasons for her absenteeism should have been treated differently, she should have been given proper and timely warnings before her dismissal. Her sudden dismissal reflects poorly on the management’s view of its workers.
- Does management have a right to know why employees refuse to work overtime? Why or why not?
If the overtime work arrangement is a compulsory one, i.e. it has been arrived at after consensus from the work force and also has been made explicitly clear in the company rules and policies, and then the management will have the right to enquire into an employee’s refusal to do such overtime, and probably even take disciplinary actions against regular truants. Nonetheless, the management should not outright demand knowledge of such reasons, rather it will have to discuss and attempt to work it out with the employee for the benefit of the company as a whole. However, where the overtime is only voluntary a worker cannot be coerced into doing it nor is the employee obligated to give a reason for refusing it. Yet, here too the management can ask and try to work out the problems with the employee, sometimes with help of the union or other employees when needed. This will ensure an open communication and healthy work environment.
- Evaluate the arguments of Mary Schwartz and the management in this case.
Mary Schwartz though didn’t dispute her dismissal, was right in her filing a grievance report against the management for not complying with its policies before terminating her services. The management’s argument that even timely warnings would have made no difference as she had legitimate health problems and her refusal to do overtime proved her lack of concern with the job, seem a bit flimsy as they assumed her course of action rather than giving her a fair chance. This becomes all the more glaring because initially Mary was a good performer and consistent at her job- considered as a model employee, further she was with company for 9 long years, thus, her case should have been handled all the more sensitively by the management. The management should have attempted discussing her problems, trying out alternate work arrangement to reduce her absenteeism and increasing her productivity, given her fair warnings if conditions still didn’t improve and finally terminate her services.
- If you were a member of the company’s peer-review complaint committee how would you have vote in this case? What facts would cause you to vote this way?
Being a member of the peer-review committee I would have voted against the management’s decision as dismissal, no matter for what reason should always be conducted with consideration of the employee affected. Coupled with that fact that Mary was a long term employee, who had been a model employee in the past and had legitimate health complexities inconveniencing her work, I would have wanted the management to handle the case with all the more sensitivity and leniency, which it did not. This shows a lack of concern about the employees on the part of the management, and further as Mary had not been given adequate warnings her grievance is just.
References
- Geert-hofstede.com. (n.d.). Mexico in comparison with US. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from http://geert-hofstede.com/: http://geert-hofstede.com/mexico.html
- MacLean, P. J., & Redman, D. G. (2006). Employment Standards. In P. J. MacLean, & D. G. Redman, From Hiring to Firing : a No-nonsense Guide to Managing Employee Performance. Canada: Silver Creek Pres.
- Mercer, A. (1999). Basic Supervisory Management and Labour Relations. Canada: CCH Canadian Limited.
- Snell, S., & Bohlander, G. (2012). Expanding Human Resources Management Horizons. In S. Snell, & G. Bohlander, Managing Human Resources. OH: Cengage Learning.
- Snell, S., & Bohlander, G. (2012). Human Resources Management in Perspective. In S. Snell, & G. Bohlander, Managing Human Resources (pp. 22-23). OH: Cengage Learning.
