Jones had the right to place a grievance for being placed under unpaid suspension and still having to work six hours into his suspension. The fact that the hospital management let him continue working in spite of the discovery of his expired certification shows that Jones was still qualified from an evidence management point of view. The hospital's decision to allow Jones to continue to work, so as to not leave the critical unit without professional attention, was thoughtful. The human relations management theories consider an organization as a social entity in which decisions can be made considering the wellbeing of the parties involved. Jones most likely understands that operating with expired certification is unethical. Nonetheless, from the human relations point of view, it was necessary for him to continue with his duties until the hospital found someone to take over. Jones's grievance must have been about the unpaid suspension despite the confidence the hospital had on him. The labor relation concept here, therefore, is a trade dispute between paramedic Jones and the hospital. Federal Law states that employees should not be subjected to an unpaid suspension if it is less than a week (Bartiromo, 2017). In addition, Jones's code violation was of no direct harm to the patients, from an evidence-based point of view, and therefore cannot be considered as serious workplace misconduct.
Dawson's termination was the right decision for the former management since recertification is necessary for ensuring the wellbeing of patients. Human healthcare is a highly sensitive professional, especially the cardiology profession, which was Dawson's specialization. In this respect, minor mistakes in such a field can cost a patient's life. Recertification is, therefore, necessary to ensure that the paramedics' are equipped with the necessary skills to save lives. Dunham's suspension without pay was also the right decision since its period was not defined. The paramedic was suspended until he could receive proper certification. EMT Smith's suspension was supposed to be paid as it was for less than a week after which he should have acquired his recertification; otherwise, he would be terminated. Each case needed to be handled differently since they involved different situations. Human relations theory points out that humans are not machines and, therefore, cannot be ruled by similar commands (Yulk, 1989). The hospital management was right to assess and handle the situations differently, even when the violations in the different cases seemed similar.
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Besides adequate skills, employees' morale is vital for a successful work environment. Studies have revealed that low morale among employees can gradually destroy their commitment leading to poor productivity (Neely, 1999). Morale is the intangible concept of how committed one feels towards their work. Leadership is one of the major factors determining the level of morale among employees. The ability of leaders to solve problems, manage people, deal with change, and communicate effectively is key to improving employee morale. Leaders who keep two-way communication are more likely to raise the morale levels of employees more than those who do not listen and consider the opinions of their subordinates (Neely, 1999). In addition, leaders who are people-oriented are likely to win the commitment of the employees more than the profit-oriented ones. A people-oriented leader will care about the employees' wellbeing, their emotions, development as well as their job security (Neely, 1999). Hospital management should be concerned about both the wellbeing of patients and the healthcare staff as well. During decision-making, the wellbeing of the people should be prioritized. For example, one cannot indefinitely suspend a well-performing surgeon while the paramedic has an emergency medical procedure to undertake and there is no one else who can do it. Similarly, a paramedic with an exemplary performance from evidence gathered over years of practice cannot be fired for delaying to update his certification.
As a new leader of the cardiology department, I would review Jones's suspension since I consider it unfair. Jones definitely deserved a suspension to push him to acquire recertification. His less than a week suspension should, however, have been paid. In addition, Jones ran his unit alone six hours into his suspension. Such action proved his competence as well as his commitment to his work. He, therefore, deserved his reward for the job well done. Suspending Jones, in this case, is not necessarily meant to punish him but instead, it is the lawful action to take since he should not be operating with expired certification. In this regard, it is crucial for the management to make him understand this important aspect. In essence, the doctor will not feel frustrated by the management’s action but will be motivated by the friendliness of the management to acquire the recertification as required by the law and come back to work with even more energy than before.
Leadership is a vital factor in the achievement of organizational goals. Effective leaders enable an organization to not only acquire but also maintain highly talented and committed employees. Unlike in the past, whereby profit-oriented leaders were considered the best, people-oriented leaders are the most popular in the modern world. A people-oriented leader embraces a flexible management strategy that handles matters as per the situation at hand, and not by fixed rules. Such a considerable management approach creates a friendly working environment, whereby people feel free to innovate and give the best results possible. The traditional methods of leadership, on the other hand, lead to scared employees who will most likely dislike their work and hence be less committed to it. Overall, effective leadership leads to satisfied employees and therefore high productivity.
References
Bartiromo, M. (2017). Unpaid Disciplinary Suspensions Require a Careful Reading of Federal and State Law. Retrieved from http://workingtogether.pullcomblog.com/archives/unpaid-disciplinary-suspensions-require-a-careful-reading-of-federal-and-state-law/
Neely G (1999). The relationship between employee morale and employee productivity. National Fire Academy as Part of the Executive Fire Officer Program. Tulsa. Oklahoma.
Yukl, G. (1989). Managerial leadership: A review of theory and research. Journal of Management 15 (2), 251-289
