Best Practices in HR Management – Policies for Ethical, Legal, and Effective Operations

Best Practices in HR Management – Policies for Ethical, Legal, and Effective Operations

Human resource (HR) management remains central to the success of any organization, starting right from employment, during working periods, and even to dismissal and succession. These measures are important for developing effective policies whose violation would otherwise lead to unethical or unlawful business practices, inequality and inefficiency. When two hospitals integrate their HR departments, ensuring the harmonization of practices across the various departments is crucial. To mitigate this, consecutive brown bag sessions are anticipated to be held, with record keeping, ethics and law, and succession planning topics. These sessions cover various topics relevant to the human resources department and help the department managers realize how things should be properly run within the newly merged HR teams.

Session 1: Maintaining Accurate Employee Records

Maintaining accurate employee records is crucial to complying with legal requirements. Employment laws require keeping records for some particular period, such as a record relating to pay and grade, a record submitted to the Internal Revenue Service, and a record about the employment contract. Effective record-keeping helps the organization produce the required documents during audits or investigations, preventing fines and legal cases if the organizational processes are inefficient (Touray, 1). It also goes along with social accountability, showing the company’s adherence to legal requirements necessary for endorsement and business credibility. Specifically, by consistently following the guidelines established under these pieces of legislation, the organization may reduce the likelihood of getting entangled in key aspects of labour laws and regulations. It not only helps to maintain valid records of the supply chain and its communication data and information for legal requirements, but it also helps to maintain adequate records and enables the organization to support its key decision-making data and information to present an efficient and increased effectiveness in managing its human assets.

Another reason proper records must be kept is to make the workplace fair. When it comes to promotions, salary increases, demotions, and other disciplinary actions, past performances are used with rigidity. This reduces any prejudices associated with the employees and guarantees that all are treated fairly, thus promoting organizational trust and openness. Accurate records also aid in resolving disputes or grievances, as they offer an impartial reference point that can clarify misunderstandings. Equal treatment of employees improves overall mood and leads to fewer turnovers, resulting in a better organizational climate. With regard to records, it is reasonable and justifiable to be as open about records as possible, even when updating records. Thus, it also plays an important role in fostering a favourable employer-employee relationship to foster commitment between the organization and all the employees.

Maintaining thorough employee records is a significant benefit of protecting the company from potential liabilities. More extensive records can serve as evidence when an employer participated in unfair dismissal, for instance, a termination letter with no supporting information or a discrimination lawsuit. Likewise, keeping clear records of employment history, performance reviews, and penalties is beneficial because relying on this documentation will strengthen the company’s case and demonstrate that it complied with its established policies. This preventative measure keeps one from experiencing unfavourable incidences that lead to costly litigations and tarnished professional reputation. Thus, the company is well prepared for all its activities and decisions because it is always well-documented and organized to ensure that in case of any occasion that may necessitate a paradigm of their business practices and decisions, the company will be in a vantage position.

Improving efficiency within HR operations is another compelling reason to keep accurate employee records. Payroll and benefits records make it easier to manage multiple activities in various administrative niches, including preparing payroll, benefits, and performance reviews. This efficiency helps minimize mistakes and prevents utilizing time for routine tasks that could be better spent on higher-level HR-related efforts that contribute toward the achievement of organizational objectives. Records also serve useful purposes of helping the management plan and control the workforce well because they supply facts to work on. Thus, effective record management ultimately helps to improve the organizational and administrative efficiency of the HR department and, therefore, strengthens its position as a strategic player within the identified organization. In addition, through various technologies or even software in human resources, record-keeping processes could also be streamlined, thus adding to its efficiency and accuracy and cutting down on traditional paperwork. This modern approach to record-keeping also affords convenient extension of data and hence allows the HR personnel to give appropriate responses to queries and demands of the employees.

Session 2: Ethical and Legal Termination

When considering the termination of an employee as part of a cost-saving initiative, it is crucial to understand and comply with relevant employment laws to avoid legal pitfalls. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disability from discrimination. This means that dismissal of an employee due to their disability is unlawful unless and only if the employer can demonstrably prove that termination of this particular employee was warranted from a business perspective and had absolutely nothing to do with the worker’s disability. Like the ADA, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) applies to employees who are forty years old and above. It seeks to protect employees from age discrimination. Hence, if an employer dismisses an employee because they are 60, they will incur legal consequences under the ADEA. The FMLA is federal legislation that protects the rights of employees in the workplace who require time off for medical or family reasons. Firing an employee who must be off work due to FMLA may be considered retaliation and is not permitted (Myles, 2). Also, when one employee earns more than others, giving them a much higher pay might attract complaints of discrimination in termination or other matters, mainly if the explanation of the decision is not well explained and equal.

Ethical considerations in termination decisions require a fair and transparent process that respects the dignity and rights of all employees. Using a practical ethical approach of acting in a way that offers the best for the most people, the decision should be made to cause the least harm to any stakeholders while simultaneously satisfying the organizational financial needs. This entails weighing the feasibility of the termination of employees, including those to be dismissed and other employees within the same company, as well as overall organizational implications. For example, firing an employee with a disability or threatening to fire the person when they seek family leave may create much personal suffering for the employee and erode other workers’ morale, given that they consider the firing decision unfair. Thus, according to the deontological theory, it is important to make decisions fairly and appropriately without prejudicial treatment of anyone based on the merit or demerit of their personal life.

Moreover, considering the principles of justice and fairness, ensuring that the termination process is equitable and based on objective criteria is important. According to the theory of justice by John Rawls, anyone who suffers from inequity has always to gain, and in the extreme, the least well-off should be made better off. Applying this principle, the termination decision should not cut off people who are already struggling to survive, especially employees with disabilities or those who are within the company’s retirement age. Instead, the organization should ensure that when it comes to cost-saving measures and as much as possible, the negative effects should be equally spread across the employees without discriminating against any group of employees, probably by offering other flexible working options that can help the organization avoid reaching a terminations decision such as voluntary severance pay or working fewer hours.

In sum, it is necessary first to set strict legal and ethical standards for the termination of employees, followed by implementing proper procedures. Through such laws of ADA, ADEA, and FMLA, or by applying the moral theories of utilitarianism or deontology when it comes to termination procedures, the HR professional of any organization should be able to balance such matters in a fair and dignified way without violating the rights and the dignity of the employees. This would eliminate legally risky situations, protect the organization’s ethics, and deliver a positive attitude and support to the workforce.

Session 3: Succession Planning

Succession planning is an organizational management process focused on identifying high potentials and preparing internal candidates for critical roles, thus guaranteeing organizational efficiency. In this case, an effective plan and procedure must be set out to ensure that a candidate from within the same organization who may seek to aspire to the highest position within the firm, such as the CEO, COO, or even the CFO post, can be easily identified and trained appropriately.

First, the process starts with job analysis and identifying potential candidates in the organization. This includes employee evaluation in terms of productivity, promotion abilities, and organizational commitment, which defines the degree to which the employee shares organizational values and is in tandem with the organization’s vision and objectives. Performance appraisals, 360-degree feedback, and talent reviews are among the tools that can be used to obtain more extensive information regarding the candidacy of a specific person. It is strategic to ensure key competencies for such positions are clearly outlined in areas such as strategic thinking, balance sheet nets, leadership and motivation of subordinates. By establishing a clear profile of the ideal candidate, the organization can more effectively identify those with the necessary qualities and potential for growth.

Once potential candidates are identified, the next step is to create personalized development plans for each individual. These plans should also include skill and experience development training that can help to fill the existing gaps. Demands like leadership development, mentorship with the current senior leadership, and cross-assignments in other company functional areas can be very useful in building experience and visibility in the organization. However, other components that may need support would help the candidates develop a broad and deeper understanding of the professional field. Thus, participating in professional conferences and acquiring an advanced degree program is important.

Mentorship and coaching are critical components of grooming candidates for senior leadership roles. It is worth matching potential leaders with experienced coaches within the organization as they can give valuable tips and advice, inspire confidence, and help them navigate leadership challenges. Mentors can assist the candidates in tackling several issues, adjusting their leadership behaviours, and grasping some of the complexities related to the health sector (Vaezi et al., 3). Furthermore, it also provides an opportunity for better individual guidance on self-improvement and ways to improve leadership assessments. Mentoring and coaching sessions imply that the candidates must often schedule time with their mentors and coaches to ensure that things are on track and that they have sufficient advice on how they may progress in their candidacy.

Finally, candidates are allowed to express themselves, assume leadership roles, and make contributions where necessary. Contests for high-impact projects, interim leader posts or committee chairs should be encouraged to provide realistic exposure to the essential skills of a candidate (Gisondi et al., 4). These also give the senior leadership a chance to compare the well-equipped capabilities of the candidate in regard to performance proficiency and decisiveness. To ensure that candidates are developed for senior leadership positions and have high confidence levels in their abilities and readiness, the organizations should provide the candidates with continually progressive and additional responsibilities. Whenever this happens, ongoing evaluation and monitoring complete this process and identify the effectiveness and efficiency of the candidate and training progress for immediate remedy.

Therefore, the four key best practices in succession management in developing effective strategies and leadership for a healthcare organization include the identification of potential talent, building development plans for those potentials, providing the necessary mentorship and coaching, and providing practical and real leadership positions. Thus, by fostering its human resources, the organization assures succession that results in continuity and organizational stability as far as the enactment of the organization’s mission and strategy is concerned. This proactive approach not only helps in establishing a strong leadership pipeline but is also instrumental in the achievement of organizational growth development and cultural factors.

Sources

Touray, Ramatoulie. “A Review of Records Management in Organisations.” OALib, vol. 08, no. 12, 2021, pp. 1–23, www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=113666.

Myles, Kaitlyn. “Managers Are People, Too! The Eleventh Circuit’s Rejection of the ‘Manager Exception’ Allows Human Resource and Managerial Employees to Bring Title VII Retaliation Claims.” Mercer Law Review, vol. 74, no. 5, June 2023, digitalcommons.law.mercer.edu/jour_mlr/vol74/iss5/7/. Accessed 28 May 2024.

Atefeh Vaezi, et al. “A Qualitative Report on Experiences of Participants in the Young Innovative Leadership Program.” BMC Medical Education, vol. 24, no. 1, BioMed Central, Jan. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05033-w.

Gisondi, Michael A., et al. “Practical Tips for Navigating a Program Director Transition.” MedEdPublish, vol. 13, Jan. 2023, p. 3, https://doi.org/10.12688/mep.19492.1. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.

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Overview
One of the major responsibilities of HR is to, of course, manage human capital. This continues after employee hiring and continues through termination and succession. Having effective policies in place that define these, and other functions in between is critical to an organization’s commitment to ethical, legal, fair, and efficient operating practices. In this assignment, you are asked to share best practices or policies on these topics during a series of brown bag sessions (these are informal lunchtime presentations).

Best Practices in HR Management – Policies for Ethical, Legal, and Effective Operations

Scenario
Imagine that HR leadership is busy integrating the HR teams from both hospitals and they want to make sure department members are operating in concert with one another on a range of topics. Over the next several weeks, leadership plans to have you conduct three brown bag sessions (informal lunch-time presentations) that examine the topics of record keeping, ethics and law, and succession planning. They have asked you to write an executive summary of the content planned for each session in advance.

Session Descriptions:
*Session 1: Maintaining Accurate Employee Records—In this session, you identify, and elaborate upon, four reasons for maintaining accurate and objective employee records.
*Session 2: Ethical and Legal Termination—In this session, you examine the legal and ethical aspects of selecting and terminating an employee out of a group of people with similar performance, behaviours, and jobs as a part of a broad-ranging cost-saving initiative. Employee differences:
-One has a disability.
-One is paid significantly more than the others.
-One is 60 years of age and older than the others.
-One is planning on soon taking an extended family leave
*Session 3: Succession Planning—In this session, you recommend a process to identify and groom an internal candidate to move into a senior-level leadership position in a healthcare organization such as CEO, COO, or CFO.