Human resource (HR) teams play important roles in the success of healthcare organizations. HR enhances the delivery of excellent patient care through the management of an organization’s most valuable resource – its employees.
Staffing
Healthcare HR professionals understand the importance of having both clinical and non-clinical teams sufficiently staffed with individuals who will provide the best possible care. This involves :
- Workforce planning to keep staff levels aligned with needs
- Recruiting qualified candidates
- Conducting interviews
- Providing guidance on hiring decisions
- Onboarding new hires
- Retaining talented employees to reduce turnover
Compensation and Benefits
This function includes creating and administering compensation and benefit programs and ensuring enrollment processes and other important information are understood by employees. Offering plans that are competitive and legally compliant help healthcare organizations attract and retain the best talent.
Performance and Development
Patients are likely to receive quality care when teams are properly educated and performing at their best. Providing employees with opportunities to learn and grow is another important role of HR. They help facilitate communication between managers and staff to understand performance expectations and provide ongoing education, tools, and resources that help employees excel in current or future positions.
Labor and Employee Relations
Whether handling disputes and resolving conflicts between employees or investigating complaints, HR helps improve employer-employee relations by ensuring increased job satisfaction and employee engagement. Also, many medical professionals are represented by unions that require the skills of HR professionals to maintain good relationships and follow union contracts.
Workplace Safety
Providing a safe work environment for employees is crucial for healthcare organizations to provide quality care and is related to patient safety. HR ensures proper safety education like infection control or ergonomics is provided to keep both staff and their patients safe. Handling processes for employee injuries and maintaining federally mandated logs is also an important responsibility in this area.
Compliance
Ensuring a company remains compliant with all local, state, and federal employment laws is a critical role in HR as the healthcare industry is complex and highly regulated. The HR team must keep the organization current on its legal obligations and help avoid potential legal liability or employee disputes.
The American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration designated the week of March 11-17, 2018 as Healthcare HR Week. This week is an opportunity to recognize the vital part HR professionals play in the success of healthcare organizations.
Article:
Mayhew, R. Six Main Functions of a Human Resource Department. Smallbusinesss.chron
