Running head: DB7 1
Discussion Board Forum 7
Jessica Fisher
Liberty University BUSI 646
August 8, 2022
Professor Dr. Colleen McLaughlin
DB7 2
Promoting Welfare in Healthcare
U.S. Department of Labor
“The Department of Labor is a U.S. cabinet-level agency responsible for enforcing
federal labor standards and promoting workers’ wellbeing” (Kenton, 2017, para. 1). In simpler
words, the Department of Labor (DOL) was put in place in order to improve environments and
working conditions for employees in a company, ensuring their overall health. In addition to the
safety and wellbeing of employees, the DOL controls wages, hour standards, unemployment
benefits, and racial diversity in the working environment.
Labor-Management Regulations
Healthcare organizations can be both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as
local, state, and federal government funded establishments. With the exclusion of nonprofits, the
National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was formed to permit employees to organize and join
unions for collective bargaining purposes (Kaufman, 2014, p. 424).
One of the largest contributions to labor costs in a hospital is the nursing staff. In order to
keep a hospital running, CEOs and board members must ensure there is enough money in the
budget to hire and keep the staff they currently have so that patient care is primary, but also that
nursing staff is being properly accommodated with benefits and appropriate salaries. However,
there are many instances where nurses have felt they are not receiving the pay or benefits they
deserve for their hard work and the many hours put into their work, and this is where nursing
unions are formed. “Being represented by a labor union is also associated with decreased job
satisfaction” (Seago, Spetz, Ash, Herrera, & Keane, 2011, p. 109). Throughout history, there
have been a multitude of cases where nurses have become so irritated and felt disrespected and
have gone on strike. When this happen, who takes care of the patients? Who stands by
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physicians and makes sure patients are going to the proper locations for proper care? These are
just a couple of questions that could be presented and complicated when nurses go on strike from
their jobs and duties in the hospital. However, there are many ways to increase satisfaction in
nurses and decrease the amount of strikes against jobs all over the world.
Reducing Probability of Union Formation
One of the first steps in increasing satisfaction among nursing staff in a hospital is for the
human resources (HR) department to review the compensation and benefits of each nurse that is
currently employed, as well as each of the job openings that have any kind of application out to
the public. Can they afford each of these nurses at this current time? If the answer is no, HR
would need to consult with the board members to figure out a way to cut other costs so that
nurses are properly compensated for their time, work, and dedication to their patients. Another
step in this process is to review each of the complaints that have been recorded by nurses over
the last twelve to eighteen months, then see if these have all been resolved. If some are
impossible to resolve, the HR could find other solutions to the problem that the nurses will
accept without grievance. Contrary to popular belief, nursing strikes are not always about the
money, but can also be about the diminished number of nurses working at one time. “Hutt
Hospital registered nurse (RN) Rogan Withers said it wasn’t about the money. Nelson emergency
department (ED) nurse Sam Billings hoped the strike would results in more nurses on wards and
units” (Longmore, 2018, p. 10). It is no secret that nurses have been overworked and underpaid
for many years. Baby boomers are reaching age of retirement, nursing schools have seen a
shortage in enrollment, and colleges are accepting less and less students each year by making the
requirements more difficult. Because of these reasons, nurses can be hard to come by in some
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geographical areas of the world, making it more difficult to treat patients (Haryanto, 2019. p. 2).
Biblical Integration
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall,
one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to life
him up. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And
though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord
is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, ESV). God wishes for us to work together, not
separate. When working together, more can get done and more creative ideas will flow. It is
easier, sometimes, to accomplish goals when we have others by our side helping us work to
them.
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References
Haryanto, M. (2019). Nursing shortage: Myth or fact? Orthopaedic Nursing, 38(1), 1-2.
Doi:10.1097/NOR.00000000000000535
Kaufman, B. (2014). Divergent fates: Company unions and employee involvement committees
under the railway labor and national labor relations act. Labor History, 56(4), 423-458.
Doi:10.1080/0023656X.2016.1086547
Kenton, W. (2017). Department of labor (DOL). Retrieved August 8, 2019, from
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dol.asp
Longmore, M. (2018). Nurses strike! Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 24(7), 10-12.
Seago, J. A., Spetz, J., Ash, M., Herrera, C. N., & Keane, D. (2011). Hospital RN job satisfaction
and nurse unions. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(3), 109-114.
Doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31820c726f
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