Workplace Environment Assessment

Workplace Environment Assessment

Part 1: Work Environment Assessment

The overall score in the Clark Healthy Workplace assessment was 58. The score indicates that the work environment is barely healthy. The results suggested that the workplace is characterized by a lack of trust between and among formal leadership and other staff, lack of transparency in communication, lack of employee appreciation, unreasonable and unfair distribution of workload, and inability to attract and retain the brightest and best employees. One of the things that surprised me about the results was the low score on employee appreciation in the workplace. The score surprised me because I expected the organization to have put measures to show employees that their input is appreciated, given that employees play a vital role in the organization’s success. For instance, in the medical field, staff contribute to the reputation of the health facility, influencing the number of patients seeking medical care. Therefore, healthcare facilities need to prioritize staff motivation to improve the quality of care.

The second thing that surprised me was the organization’s ability to ensure that members live by a shared vision and mission based on respect, trust, and collegiality, yet there is little effort in actively engaging members of the organization in joint decision-making, shared governance, and policy review, development, and revision. My idea before conducting the assessment was that the organization would create more emphasis on profitability. This idea was confirmed because the assessment results showed that the organization only invests in employee development without creating a conducive working environment. This is evident in the emphasis on employee self-care and the unfair and unreasonable work distribution. The results suggest that the workplace is unhealthy and has low levels of workplace civility because the workplace prioritizes organizational success and profitability over employee welfare.

Part 2: Reviewing the Literature

Broome & Marshall (2020) present the concept that the organizational environment contributes to practice excellence. The organizational environment includes a set of forces around the organization that may facilitate or hinder the organization’s access to resources. A conducive work environment encourages commitment and motivates employees to give their best performance, thus improving their practice. Practice excellence includes completing assigned tasks efficiently and meeting performance expectations. For instance, a nurse committed to offering patients the best care may consult other nurses to determine the best care, thus acquiring new knowledge and skills. The concept may be linked to the relational theory of working. According to Metz (2021), the theory offers a framework for understanding how working is connected to internal and external relational situations. For instance, there is a relationship between the work environment and practice excellence. In our case, an organizational environment encouraging professional growth and development can improve nursing practice hence improving the overall quality of care offered in the healthcare facility.

The concept relates to the results of the Work Environment Assessment because various practices contribute to improved practice excellence. The practices include promoting collaboration and teamwork and creating sufficient opportunities for career development and promotion. Our organization could apply the relational theory by creating a work environment that contributes to the desired performance. For instance, it may distribute work fairly and reasonably to keep employees motivated and committed, which will, in turn, improve the overall organizational performance. The organization could also engage employees in decision-making to create a sense of belonging, increasing commitment. The organization may also create a communication plan that guarantees transparent communication to build trust among employees and between employees and management. Transparent communication also promotes employee productivity because employees feel appreciated and acknowledged as part of the organization.

Part 3: Evidence-Based Strategies to Create High-Performance Interprofessional Teams

The main shortcomings revealed in the Work Environment Assessment are the unfair and unreasonable distribution of work and the lack of transparency in communication. The main strategy that can be used to prevent the unfair and unreasonable distribution of work is following various steps that create an overview of the workload in the organization. One of the steps is assessing the organization’s current workload by considering what every employee is doing and not doing. This step also includes determining whether employee performance is affected by personal issues and whether the employees understand the organization’s expectations.

The second step is reviewing the organization’s priorities and goals. This step includes ensuring that every employee has work aligned with the main business goals and prioritizing employees’ needs. The third step is considering every employee’s skill set when dividing work. According to Georgiades (2015), focusing on employees’ skills when distributing work ensures that work is completed faster because employees with the skills required to complete a specific task complete it within the shortest time possible. The fourth step is checking every employee’s availability. Some of the factors that could affect availability include paid leave and sickness. The organization may predict unavailability resulting from paid, maternity, and paternity leave. The fifth step is ensuring that employees understand their roles and responsibilities to self-assign various tasks.

Moreover, transparency in communication can be enhanced by eliminating a chain of command in the communication process. Currently, the organization is experiencing communication issues because information is passed from top management to subordinates. Therefore, top management has the power to determine the information withheld from employees, thus limiting transparency. Employees are also hindered from giving feedback to top management, thus preventing a flow of information between top management and employees. Therefore, the organization needs to eliminate the chain of command so that employees can be free to respond to information shared by top management and express any concerns they may have regarding the clarity of the information shared. The organization should also consider holding regular meetings where employees can get clarification on anything communicated by top management. The meetings may also be used to exchange ideas on improving the workplace and organizational performance. Including employees in the decision-making process increases trust among them, facilitating the exchange of ideas. Trust also builds a foundation for transparent communication because top management and employees will feel obligated to share all necessary information needed to improve organizational performance.

The main successful practices revealed in the Work Environment Assessment are collaboration among employees and employee professional growth and development promotion. The main strategy that can be used to support collaboration among employees is using collaboration tools. According to Kok (2016), collaboration tools promote effective teamwork by allowing team members to communicate faster and organize tasks. Collaboration tools are categorized into document synchronization, calendar sharing, instant messaging, cloud storage, file sharing, and video conferencing tools. One of the collaboration tools that the organization may use is WebEx. This tool offers personalized video meetings where users can join and host meetings. This tool can be used to hold regular meetings where employees can exchange ideas and assess their progress towards meeting the organization’s goals. The second tool is Slack. This tool offers instant messaging and the transfer of files. Employees can use this tool to exchange information when completing tasks and share ideas on how to complete a task successfully within the specified timeline. Another tool is GoToMeeting which is an online video conferencing software allowing users to schedule meetings. Employees can use this software to share screens to see what each of them is doing, thus promoting teamwork.

The organization can improve employees’ professional growth and development through training. The training should focus on equipping the employees with new knowledge and capabilities. Therefore the organization should conduct a thorough needs assessment reviewing employees’ existing knowledge and skills. The need assessment can then guide the training and development team on what to include in the training program and the most reasonable timeline for the program. Training and development should also be aligned with the organization’s long-term and short-term goals. For instance, if the organization intends to use the latest technology to enhance efficiency, training should focus on equipping employees with knowledge on how to use the technology. The organization should also test employees after the training program to ensure they have acquired the required knowledge and skills. Employees may also be assigned challenging tasks requiring the application of the newly acquired knowledge and skills, thus promoting professional growth. The training programs should be reviewed regularly to align them with the changes in the business environment. For instance, new concepts may be introduced to equip employees with relevant knowledge and skills, and outdated ideas may be removed based on their relevance to the business environment.

References

Broome, M. E., & Marshall, E. S. (2020). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. Springer Publishing Company.

Georgiades, S. (2015). Employee engagement implementation leads towards employee creativity. Employee Engagement in Media Management, 83-100. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16217-1_5

Kok, A. (2016). The use of online collaboration tools for employee volunteering. River Publishers.

Metz, T. (2021). A relational moral theory. A Relational Moral Theory, 105-144. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198748960.003.0007

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Select and review one or more of the following articles found in the Resources:
Clark, Olender, Cardoni, and Kenski (2011)
Clark (2018)
Clark (2015)
Griffin and Clark (2014)

Part 1: Work Environment Assessment (1-2 pages)

Workplace Environment Assessment

Review the Work Environment Assessment Template you completed for this Module’s Discussion.
Describe the results of the Work Environment Assessment you completed on your workplace.
Identify two things that surprised you about the results and one idea you believed prior to conducting the Assessment that was confirmed.
Explain what the results of the Assessment suggest about the health and civility of your workplace.
Part 2: Reviewing the Literature (1-2 pages)

Briefly describe the theory or concept presented in the article(s) you selected.
Explain how the theory or concept presented in the article(s) relates to the results of your Work Environment Assessment.
Explain how your organization could apply the theory highlighted in your selected article(s) to improve organizational health and/or create stronger work teams. Be specific and provide examples.
Part 3: Evidence-Based Strategies to Create High-Performance Interprofessional Teams (1–2 pages)

Recommend at least two strategies, supported in the literature, that can be implemented to address any shortcomings revealed in your Work Environment Assessment.
Recommend at least two strategies that can be implemented to bolster successful practices revealed in your Work Environment Assessment.