Strategic HR Management Unit 3
Question description
Unit 3 assignment
Read the Discussion Case at the end of Chapter 7 regarding County General Hospital and write a 2-3 page APA style paper addressing the questions found in the Rubric below
One of the most difficult obstacles encountered by the hospital is finding and retaining qualified nurses. The annual turnover rate among nurses is nearly 100 percent. A few of the nurses are long-term employees who are either committed to County General or attached to the community. Employment patterns suggest that many of the nurses who are hired stay for only about six months. In fact, County General often appears to be a quick stop between graduation from college and a better job.
Many who leave acknowledge that they were contacted by another hospital that offered them more money. Exit interviews with nurses who are leaving similarly suggest that low pay is a concern. Another concern is the lack of social atmosphere for young nurses. Nurses just finishing college, who are usually not married, complain that the community does not provide them enough oppor- tunity to meet and socialize with others their age.
Hospital administrators are afraid that paying higher wages will cause finan- cial disaster. Big insurance companies and Medicaid make it difficult for them to increase the amount they charge patients. However, the lack of stability in the nursing staff has caused some noticeable problems. Nurses sometimes appear to be ignorant of important hospital procedures. Doctors also com- plain that they spend a great deal of time training nurses to perform proce- dures, only to see those nurses take their new skills someplace else.
Questions:
1. What is the HR strategy pursued by County General (chose one of the four HR strategies outlined in Chapter 2 of your text)? Differentiation or cost reduction? Internal or external labor orientation? Describe the reasons for your selection.
2. Turnover is high at almost every facility where nurses are employed. What programs do you suggest County General implement to decrease turnover? Suggest at least two programs and be specific.
3. What benefits would the various stakeholders (e.g., customers, employees, management, and the community) gain by reducing turnover?