HR POLICY PROJECT 2
Abstract
Businesses compete everyday over hiring the right employee. With that, comes a culture
that businesses must maintain. Due to this competitive nature and the market for good
employees, there are certain demands that a business must enforce, for example, a healthy
benefit package, and they must depend on the business to keep them safe. This entails having a
safe and healthy environment. Businesses must lay down a foundation for their culture, their
standards, and their guidelines within their employee handbook. The policies that a business
develops should pertain to the industry in which it is involved. For example, I am in the
healthcare industry, which is why the following four policies will be discussed: With the use of
the computers and technology in the workplace, dress code, how an employee’s performance is
measured and the PTO policy.
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Four Handbook Policies
Use of Business Technology
The use of technology in a business is either for personal use, or work-related use. With
the growth of businesses, they are updating software devices, machines, and multiple networks.
Businesses are always finding new ways to advance their systems and keep them more secure.
This has become a challenge for managers to enforce within their units or teams, which is why it
is important to enforce it through the policies in the employee policy handbook. Human
Resource management may decide to group performance standards with the use of personal or
work devices that are essential to their job; or there may be more streamlined and strict standards
on how the employee is to use the personal or business devices, such as a smartphone.
Something that businesses and managers have realized is the higher use and dependency of
smartphones with their employees. Smartphone dependency has been defined as the relationship
in which individuals achieve their goals by relying on the mobile activities via smartphones (Li
& Lin, 2016). If this is true, then Human Resource manager will want to draft regulations and
policies on personal technology use in their business employee handbooks.
Positive Use of Technology. Being able to manage the use of work-related and personal
technology use is more manageable for a twenty-five-employee business. Larger businesses
would benefit more from the use of mobile technology by using the cloud and dashboards, but
the smaller businesses still have access to mobile phone apps that are in use by medical
professionals. For example, if there is a unit of the hospital or healthcare facility with twenty-
five employees, the health care professionals would have access to a wide number of smartphone
applications that help with health record maintenance, consulting, communication, patient
management and monitoring, and medical education and training (Enwere, Keating & Weber,
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2017). Additionally, technology has made it easier to monitor environmental conditions and
employees (Noe, et al., 2021). A small hospital unit or team that allows its employees the benefit
of smartphone use may give their staff access to real-time medication inventories or supply
levels.
Negative Use of Technology. According to Farber, one in five employers think that
employees are productive fewer than five hours per day (Farber, 2017). When managers are
asked where the blame should be placed for the lack of productivity, fifty-five percent of
employers say that their subordinates constant cell phone and smartphone usage is the main
culprit of distraction (Farber, 2017). When these policies are not communicated properly or
enforced, many employers face negative consequences. I believe we have all been there and in
the situation where we are distracted by our smartphones at work. Employees have families and
other entities that may call or text throughout the day regarding personal business, which may
lead to a decline in productivity, the distraction may lead to errors in their work and force others
to pick up their slack.
Policy Manual Recommendation for Technology. Where the larger businesses may
need to develop a complex plan for mobile technology regulation, a smaller business will want to
have a flexible but clear-stated policy on the use of personal devices in their employee
handbooks. For a small hospital unit or team, the manager needs to communicate expectations
that are reasonable, align with the current needs and expectations of the employee and the
industry. Since the benefits outweigh the risk in the healthcare industry, the manager may want
to put into place a smartphone policy that allows his or her employees to help patients connect to
healthcare providers, and drug purchasing channels (Oscar, 2016). One of the legal issues
employers will need to be concerned with regarding personal technology use is whether the
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business supplies the devices or if the devices are employee owned. If the hospital or healthcare
facility decides to issue mobile devices to its employees, the hospital or facility would own the
phone-number, could regulate business-only usage policies, and maintain data ownership
(Shinder, 2019). If the hospital or facility allows its staff to use their own mobile devices for
work, then businesses may become restricted on data rights or information ownership. Upon
research of Intermex Wire Transfer, they were sued by one of its former employees in 2015 when
they were using an employee-mandated smartphone app to track their employees’ non-work hour
movements through GPS (Gardella, 2017).
Dress Code
All businesses should be careful on how they implement dress codes for their employees.
Having a dress code or a standard of dress can add uniformity, and a professional image; but on
the other hand, businesses could also be walking a fine line that may lead to discrimination and
various lawsuits. If a business elects to have a dress code, they should implement one that
identifies themselves to customers, patients, and visitors. For example, in a lot of hospital
settings, the RN’s may wear navy, LPN’s may wear royal, medical assistants may wear gray.
This allows others to quickly identify their role. Employees should also wear name tags as well
as a particular uniform so that the practice has a certain look and feel that correlates with the
industry (Stevens, 2018).
Healthcare Professionals and White Coats. Those employees and healthcare
professionals that work in the healthcare industry, especially in the US, can more often be seen
wearing white coats, or matching color scrubs. Surgeons, dating back into the nineteenth century,
were the first to don them as an aseptic method, with pharmacists and other specialized medical
professionals adopting the uniform later in the 1950s (Wang, 2018). For a small community
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hospital, there may be less formality in having employees don white coats, or certain color
scrubs, but there should be consideration by the unit manager. If there is a small unit, say less
than 25 employees, managers could consider the use of white uniforms for his or her staff based
on the look of cleanliness alone. Advocates of the white coat policy have long claimed that it
makes it easier for patients to identify healthcare professionals; and in addition, the white coats
lend an air of authority to medical workers that might not exists otherwise (Wang, 2018). The
coats may add elements of approachability, trustworthiness, the perception of cleanliness, and
professional appearance. Many businesses and firms see a link between workplace attire and
workplace outcomes such as profitability. In addition, studies have supplied evidence suggesting
that workplace attire can affect employee self-perceptions of friendliness, creativity, authority,
competence, and customer perception of quality (Karl, et al., 2020).
Religious Violations and Title VII. Religious beliefs in the workplace are not a new
concept. This is because businesses are required to develop dress policies, as well as appearance
policies that align with employer culture and goals while protecting employees’ rights and the
company from discrimination claims (SHRM, 2016). For example, there are religions that
require women to wear dresses, not pants. In the healthcare setting, they make scrub dresses for
those who prefer such. This also pertains to men that do not shave. Some may claim that it is
their religious belief not to shave. However, a business or manager may require them to at least
portray a professional appearance with it, as to represent the professional standard of the
business or facility. When developing a dress code policy, it should be written in a clear, concise,
and specific manner while making sure that there are no discriminatory connotations against
disabilities, gender disparities, race, or religious expression. Employers, especially within an
industry such as healthcare, are allowed to mandate that their employees wear uniforms such as
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white coats or scrubs. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from
discriminating against any individual with respect to terms, conditions, compensation, or
privileges of employment based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin (Noe, et al., 2021,
p.106). There is the protection of the Title VII and EEOC when it comes to restricting
individuals with certain religions with face coverings, certain jewelry, and, as stated before,
facial or the length of hair. There is a Supreme Court case that ruled on this very topic in 2015.
A woman of Muslim descent sued a potential employer when they denied her employment for
wearing a head scarf. The potential employer claimed that the woman’s head scarf clashed with
their “classic East Coast collegiate style” (Liptak, 2017).
Paid Time Off
Paid Time Off (PTO) policies are put into place to allow employees the personal time
they have earned and deserve in order to take care of personal business that may arise or take that
much needed vacation with their family. According to WorldatWork, up to eighty-eight percent
of companies believe it to be necessary to offer some type of PTO benefit, as potential hires
weigh that as part of their decision to accept an offer. Most businesses offer, on average, 7-11
sick days and 10-22 days of vacation annually (WorldatWork, 2016). Offering a PTO benefit to
employees has proven to be synonymous with higher employee productivity, higher retention
rates, and new hire attraction (Sammer, 2017).
PTO Bank Policies. Companies that adopt a PTO bank policy awards their employees a
cumulative amount of leave each year, offering time off in the form of monthly installments,
yearly installments, or hourly increments.
Unlimited PTO Policies. There are still a few businesses and facilities that offer a liberal
policy that allows their employees an unlimited number of days off with pay. This policy was
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meant to allow employees the decision on how they spend their time balancing personal and
work-related commitments (Sammer, 2017).
Performance Management
“Companies must be able to measure their employees’ output in some form because those
which seek competitive advantage through employees must be able to manage the results and
behavior of all employees” (Noe, et al., 2021, p. 320) When companies include the process of
performance management in monitoring their employee’s activities, they seek to maximize return
on their labor cost. It isn’t as simple as setting basic standards either, but businesses should seek
to develop performance management plans that are strategically congruent. The standards and
measures to which employees are held should carry balanced amounts of validity, reliability,
acceptability, and specificity. In addition, employees should be treated fairly across any
implemented system and should be given feedback for there to be a successful performance
management system in place. Enforcing those standards which lead to performance management
should be clearly job-related, achievable, and clearly referenced within an employee handbook.
Evaluating Workers in the Healthcare Industry. Healthcare workers, both in hospitals
and those which are privately run, receive their overall ratings from healthcare providers and
healthcare insurers. A hospitals financial success can be tied directly to the five-star rating
system that has been implemented by Medicare and widely used by other insurers (Teeter, et al.,
2016). For hospital and unit managers who realize the reality of this rating system, performance,
initiatives, and quality of care can become measurable factors that help reach higher ratings and
competitive advantages.
Policy Manual Recommendation for Performance Evaluation. For the community
hospital, it is recommended that the manager utilize the Balanced Scorecard for service and
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performance management. The Balanced Scorecard, when implemented effectively, allows
employees to understand how their roles affect financial outcomes, customer service-based
results, operations, and education. Balanced Scorecards are typically used in the healthcare
industry so that providers can list the results of the actual delivery of the healthcare services as a
continuous quality improvement approach (Enwere, Keating & Weber, 2017). The goal for the
unit manager of the hospital is to ensure that performance management leads to higher levels of
patient care, safety measures, have a highly trained and educated staff, control drug costs and
profit, and maintain high levels of patient satisfaction.
Biblical Insight
Christian managers can really reach those types of people through a different light. In
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in Ephesians 6:9, he exhorts masters to treat their bondservants
with dignity, respect, and fairness. He reminds these earthly masters that “since you know that he
who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him” (King
James Bible, 2017). This concept can directly translate to the small business owners, the
managers, or the Human Resource Executives of today’s business culture as well. Employee
handbooks should be assembled in a way where benefits, rules, and standards reflect the face of
God in generosity and impartiality. A small business owner may not be able to offer the amount
or quality of benefits that a large business can, but he can enrich his employee’s work experience
in a way that is God honoring and shows fairness.
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References
Enwere, E., Keating, E., & Weber, R. (2017). Balanced Scorecards as a Tool for Developing
Patient-Centered Hospital Services. Hospital Ratings, 49(6), 579–584
Farber, M. (2017). Smartphones Are Making You Slack Off at Work. Retrieved from Fortune:
http://fortune.com/2017/06/09/smartphones-making-you-slack-at-work-survey/
Gardella, A. (2017). Employer Sued For GPS-Tracking Salesperson 24/7. Retrieved from
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianagardella/2017/06/05/employer-sued-for
gpstracking-salesperson-247/#5685d32823e3
Karl, K., Hall, L., & Peluchette, J. (2020). City Employee Perceptions of the Impact of Dress and
Appearance: You Are What You Wear. Public Personnel Management, 42(3), 452- 470
Keefer, A. (2017). The Difference Between PTO Banked & PTO Accrued. Retrieved from
Houston Chronicle. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-pto-banked-pto
accrued42300.html
King James Bible (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
Li, L., & Lin, T. (2016). Exploring Work-Related Smartphone Dependency Among Young
Working Adults in China: A Qualitative Approach. International Journal of
Communication, 10, 2915-2933
Liptak, A. (2017). Muslim Woman Denied Job Over Head Scarf Wins in Supreme Court.
Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/us/supreme
courtrules-in-samantha-elauf-abercrombie-fitch-case.html
Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. (2021). Human Resource Management:
Gaining a Competitive Advantage. (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education
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Oscar, R. (2016). Smart Choices: Using Mobile Technology to Improve Hospital Utilization.
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Sammer, J. (2017). Employers Are Banking on Paid Time Off. Retrieved from Society for
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benefits/pages/banking-on-paid-time-off.aspx
Shinder, D. (2019). Legal considerations regarding smartphone use for business. Retrieved from
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