“Didn’t Cut It? Hire Another”
The process of recruiting a new employee is smoothest when there is collaboration between the managers and human resources personnel associated with filling the open position. The relationships between managers and HR personnel must be balanced for the recruiting process to be successful. If a clear focus and sense of cooperation are lacking, the process can be slow, arduous, and often ineffective. Furthermore, financial, legal, and ethical concerns may be ignored if managers and HR personnel are clashing instead of collaborating.
In this Discussion, you will explore the implications of managerial relationships in the recruiting process. You will also weigh the costs and benefits of internal versus external recruiting by considering financial implications and organizational values.
To prepare for this Discussion:
• Read the article, “Nurse Staffing: Finding the Right Number and Mix.” Consider how financial matters and other challenges affect the recruiting process in health care organizations. Also, consider how these challenges relate to whether an organization hires internally or externally.
• Review the case study “Didn’t Cut It? Hire Another” Consider the benefits and shortcomings of the collaboration between Kathy Gray and Sam Weston.
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• Think about the many considerations and pressures the HR department balances in the recruiting process. How does the HR department’s adherence to these considerations and pressures affect the success of an organization?
Post a summary of at least two issues or problems that occurred throughout the case study and why those issues are significant. Then, discuss how the existence of a human resources department in the nursing home would have prevented or mitigated those issues. Describe what additional issues could arise if either HR or management did not participate appropriately in the recruitment and hiring process. Finally, analyze the pros and cons of hiring from within versus hiring from outside an organization. Consider the costs and benefits of giving existing employees promotions and the costs and benefits of providing opportunities for outside candidates to obtain positions.
Case Study: “Didn’t Cut It? Hire Another”
Kathy Gray was hired by Meadows Nursing Home for the position of business manager. Hers would be a small department: two employees other than herself plus one open clerical position. Although she had considerable experience with business office operations, this was Kathy’s first supervisory position.
One of the first tasks facing Kathy was hiring someone to fill the open clerical position. She asked the individual who handled HR matters for help in finding some candidates for her to interview. There was no HR department as such, just one person who also coordinated purchasing for the home. Kathy’s manager, nursing home administrator Sam Weston, chose to sit in on the interviews, citing Kathy’s newness to supervision as his reason. Because Kathy had never interviewed or hired before, Weston reasoned that he should assist her in the process.
Kathy and her boss jointly interviewed four candidates. Of these, two appeared to be reasonably qualified for the job. One of these was a young woman named Louise Bennett who worked in the home’s food service department. The other was a young woman named Emily Smith whose total work experience consisted of working in a convenience store for a few months.
Following the interviews, Kathy expressed her desire to hire Louise Bennett from food service because she seemed to have the ability and exhibited a strong desire to better herself. She reasoned that selecting Ms. Bennett would show a commitment by the home to develop employees from within the organization. Weston disagreed, telling Kathy that she could do the hiring “the next time a job opened.” Weston himself made the decision to hire the other candidate and personally communicated the offer to Emily Smith.
As the 30-day probationary period progressed, it became increasingly evident to Kathy that Emily was not shaping up in a satisfactory manner. Even after providing Ms. Smith a good orientation, providing her with reasonable guidance, and extending her every benefit of the doubt because she had been “the boss’s choice,” Kathy still had to conclude that the nursing home would be making a mistake by keeping Emily.
On the 28th day of Emily Smith’s employment, Kathy Gray went to see Sam Weston. She had kept Weston informed, so it was no surprise to him when Kathy said they should let Smith go and start over.
“Okay,” Weston replied. “She didn’t cut it? Let her go and hire another person.”
Kathy hesitated, then finally said, “I don’t believe I should be the one to let her go. I’m not the one who hired her.”
“She’s your employee,” Weston said, “so you get rid of her.”
What management errors were committed? Remembering that Emily Smith reported to Kathy even though Weston had hired her, do you believe that Weston dodged his responsibility by ordering Kathy to get rid of Emily? How might this whole situation have been handled in a more professional manner? What effect might the Smith incident have on the future relationship between Kathy Gray and Sam Weston?
(Jr. 204-205)
Jr., L. Fleming F., Charles McConnell. Human Resource Management in Health Care, 2nd Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 08/2013. VitalBook file.
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