Workers, Are they assets or expenses

                            

Workers, Are They Assets or Expenses

Many a times, a reduction in the revenue collection often lead to the restructuring of the operational structures, and one general viewpoint during the restructuring process is that the employees are expenses that need elimination. However, a different school of thought always, views the human resources as assets that need development along with effective management. The two viewpoints are vital not only due to their role of in influencing the decisions of the executives when it come to the downsizing of the company staff but also due to their role in influencing how the human resources view themselves as well as how they carry out their duties. The attitude that arises from such viewpoints influences the productivity of the company. The management of companies has the capability to influence the attitude along with the morale of the employees by subjecting them to the conditions of his choice. Better conditions enhance the productivity of the employees while poor conditions compromise their productivity.

The view of employees as either assets or expenses also depends on the size of the company, and this is because in big companies, the number of employees might outnumber the available roles, and this may lead to under utilization of the available workforce. On the contrary, smaller companies tend to have relatively small number of employees compared to available duties; thus the employees in the later scenario end up being fundamental to the operation of the company, and this makes the management of the company treat them as assets. Due to the approaches by different types of companies on their employees, each company often struggle to bring in an element of balance between the expenditure and the revenue. As a result, the smaller companies struggle to come up with ways that will enable then to get the best from their employees while bigger companies struggle to downsize the workforce so as to remain with just the necessary workforce size.

For the smaller companies to maximize the available labor force, they need to implement effective strategies that will boost the morale of the employees, and one of such initiatives includes the development of the employees. Offering the employees and opportunity to develop their careers, for instance coming up with the fair as well as transparent promotional structures and career development structures make the employees commit to the company and work diligently. Additionally, introducing study opportunities for the outstanding employees encourages the other members of staff to take their roles seriously. Through such initiatives, enables the smaller companies to get the best from their employees.

Additionally, implementation of strategies that enable the employees to feel valued in the workplace also leads to improved productivity. Programs like awards and recognition of the individual employee for their efforts make them feel valued. Besides, involving the members of the staff in major decision making concerning the companies’ progress along with the operations of the company makes the employees to feel very much of the company, and this makes them work hard with the intentions of protecting the values as well as the culture of the company.

The smaller companies can also make the best use of the available workforce by coming up with initiatives that create an interactive working environment. This involves the elimination of numerous hierarchical levels that hinder the flow of information between the employers and the employees. Besides, the elimination of such hierarchical levels reduces the magnitude of control that the managers have over the employees, and this enables all members of the staff to express their ideas along with feeling effectively by using the appropriate channels. The creation of interactive workstations not only increases the bond and teamwork amongst the members of the staff but also minimizes the chances of conflict between the workers. Besides, is also plays down the chances of the employee rebellion and this harmony in the workplace lead a strong, efficient along with reliable workforce, which enables the companies to meet their set objectives.

As opposed to the smaller companies, the bigger companies face the challenge of boosting the morale of their workforce. While downsizing might appear to be the most viable mechanism because of the guaranteed reduction in the expenditure in the form of wages, it comes with numerous drawbacks that may prove to be costly in the long run. One of the shortcomings of downsizing the workforce is the reduction of employee morale. The fear of losing jobs as well as that of work overload after the downsizing occurs may discourage the entire workforce, and this lowers the morale of the entire unit. As a result, the company seems to suffer from low revenue collection due to either a reduction in the quantity of production or due to the production of low-quality products that cannot compete effectively in the marketplace.

Another disadvantage of downsizing is the potential loss of finances. The employees who lose their jobs in the process of downsizing should get the severance pay. Thus, in settling such pays as required by the labor laws, the company suffer immense financial loss. Additionally, downsizing of the workforce leads to a decreased productivity along with creativity, and this is because the remaining employees often opt to reserve their skills along with the creativity in case they too lose their jobs. Besides, the fear arising from the potential job insecurity bars the employees from making bold decisions that are essential in the promotion of the company’s productivity. The decrease in the productivity, as well as the creativity, leads to the drop in production, and this leads to a reduction in the revenue. The bigger companies, however, have the option of retaining their workforce and coming up with mechanisms that can transform their employees from being expenses to being assets.

The bigger companies can come up with innovative ideas of utilizing the bigger workforce such as the creation of other sectors and assigning the employees roles in such sectors. The management of the company can also transfer the employees to other existing but understaffed departments. Through such rearrangements, the company can make the employees occupied, and this improved the productivity of the employees; thus transforming them into assets. Additionally, the bigger companies can launch new products and utilize their bigger workforce in enhancing the production along with the sales of the new products. Worth noting is that the manner in which companies treat influences the mindset along with the productivity of their workforce. Treatment of the labor force as assets leads to better performance and consequent increase in the revenue collection, but trading them as expenses influences their productivity negatively, and this affects the company in the long run. 

 

Reduction of fall in Orthopedic Units

Reduction of fall in Orthopedic Units

The incidences of orthopedic falls are one of the most common unsympathetic events in most healthcare facilities, and they often lead to mortality and fear for falling along with the increased incidences of morbidity. Thus, the need to bring to an end the chances of patient falls along with their impacts on the health conditions prompted a team of researchers to engage in a study. This is essential for enhancing the understanding of the challenges along with the outcomes of putting into play the hourly rounds in the reduction of the falling incidences among the patients in the Orthopedic Units. The findings of this study shed light on the manifold challenges in the transnational research. Based on the study results, the structured nursing rounds interventions (SNRIs) have the potential to reduce the incidences of patient falls in the initial stages. However, the fidelity of the implementation of SNRI along with its documentation was variable but the gains in fall reduction appeared lost a year later. Based on the study, it is evident that the Nurses along with the medical practitioners appreciate the importance of bringing balance to the intervention along with the individualization of the patient intervention.

To understand the efficiency of the hour rounds, the study aimed to carry out the evaluation along with the feasibility of the adaptation as well as the translation of SNRI to the reduction of the risk along with the incidences of falls amongst the orthopedic patients in two inpatient units. The researchers hypothesized that the implementation of the structured nursing rounds interventions would be essential in the reduction of the fall rates among the orthopedic patients by up to one-year post-intervention. Besides, the conjecture predicted that the patient risk factors along with the acknowledged SNRI activities would depict the falls.

To determine the effectiveness along with the relevance of the hourly rounds in the reduction of falling incidences among patients in the orthopedic units, the researchers adopted a descriptive along with a repeated measures design. The study involved the selection of two inpatient orthopedic units, which had the capacity of the twenty-nine beds in one of the largest academic medical centers in the Midwest regions of the United States of America. Besides, the researchers also engaged in the determination of the association that existed the risk scores of patient falls along with the probably of fall incidences during the hospitalization stages.

Additionally, the study involved the interviewing of nurses along with other members of the medical service provisioning team on the barriers as well as the facilitating factors that influence the implementation along with the effectiveness of the SNRI. The findings of the study enabled the researchers to make a few recommendations such as the provisioning of the bathroom assistance, placement of the patients' items at locations where they can easily access them on an hourly basis along with the addressing of the patient comfort. The selection of two different units enabled the research team to engage an approximately fifty-eight patients in the study. This number was effective in the study because it did not only provide a good representation of the patient population, but it also enabled the research team to achieve data saturation.

To enhance the reliability of the study results, the researchers collected data over different time periods within a span of three months, particularly before the implementation of the SNRI activities, during the implementation of the SNRI as well as after a period of one year after the implementation of the SNRI. The monitoring along with the evaluation of the research study was a mandate of nursing staff that underwent basic training in the background along with the purpose of the study, data collection procedures as well as the expectation of the staff members along with the patients during the study period. Throughout the study period, the nursing staff involved in the data collection used video recorder as well cameras along with questionnaires to gather data on the progress of various patients while subjecting them to the standard care. After which, the audio forms of data gathered during the process undergoes transcription into the text format for easy analysis.

Despite achieving the intended results, the study on the importance of hourly rounds on the orthopedic patient falls, there are a few drawbacks that compromise the reliability along with the viability of the study. One of such drawbacks is the statistically borderline nature of the research data. This makes the acceptance of the data difficult thus promoting the use of assumptions in conducting of the research analysis along with the conclusion. Besides, the presence of inconsistencies regarding the acquisition of positive data makes it intricate to trust the recommendations of the study. Another drawback of the study is the failure of the collected data to conform to the hypothesized outcome. In the opinion of the authors, there was to be a great risk of falling amongst the patients who were determined to have the greatest risk of falling. However, the results of the study directly opposed the author’s hypothesis in that majority of the patients who fell was those who were either confused or deemed as at risk of falling. Besides, a vast majority of the falls never resulted in any significant injury.

Considering that most of the procedures followed by the researchers while carrying out the study were in line with the standard research methodologies, there is a need for improved accuracy in the data capturing stages along with the analysis of the collected. This ensures that the analysis along with conclusions made by basing on the collected data is not misleading. While the implementation of the SNRI may be valuable in the determination of the influences of hourly rounds on the falling amongst the orthopedic patients, time constraints placed on unit nurses along with the burden of frequent documentation can be barriers to effective implementation, and this may compromise the quality of data. Thus, there is a need to establish structures that promote the implementation of the SNRI procedures based on the patient needs, and this calls for proper judgment by the nurses.

Worth noting is that while this study highlights the importance of improving patient outcomes regarding falls risk, it also reveals areas of needed research. Besides, no single intervention will prevent patient falls. Therefore, the research needs to be continuous to determine the best approaches for decreasing patient falls in addition to the most effective implementation of the necessary systems. However, one factor that needs to remain constant is the diligence of the nurses to the assessment of patients for risks of falls. Additionally, the nurses need to be readily available to their patients and utilize evidence-based practice in their work to protect their clients from picking injuries.