© 2010 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC

Umiker's Management Skills for the New Health

Care Supervisor, Fifth Edition

Charles McConnell

© 2010 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC

Chapter 7

 

Policy Making and Policy Making and

ImplementationImplementation

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Policies

Guidelines established for pursuing

goals and shaping behavior,

reflecting the mission and values of

organizations and made more

specific by procedures, rules, and

regulations

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Without Policies --

the “normal” mode of

operation is management

by crisis

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Policies must be regularly updated, especially those addressing:

Salary and benefits programs

Alternative staffing and scheduling

practices

Smoking and drugs

Exposure to hazardous agents;

“Right to Know” laws

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Policies to be regularly updated (more):

Precautions regarding AIDS Sexual harassment. Cultural diversity Discrimination because of age or

disability Employment of persons with

disabilities. Requirements of accreditation and

regulatory agencies.

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And important to address today:

Policies concerning employee use of:

e-mail

and

Internet

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Uses of Policies

promote understanding, clarity,

and consistency of behavior

eliminate repetitive decision

making

help in orienting of new

employees

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To Be Effective --

-- policies must be explicit,

publicized as well as published,

and enforced without

favoritism.

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It’s Up to the Supervisor

The first-line supervisor is the

chief activator or enforcer of

policies.

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A New Policy May Be Needed When:

a new service is introduced there are frequent violations of

procedures or rules there are Problems of productivity,

quality, schedules, or time there are frequent complaints from

customers or employees

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A New Policy May Be Needed When: (more)

legal, ethical, or moral problems

arise

behavioral inconsistencies surface

repetitive questions are asked

about particular procedures or rules

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Enforcement

Enforce policies fairly, firmly,

uniformly, and consistently. Policies

that are not enforced become

meaningless, and policies that are

enforced just off and on create

problems.

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“Unwritten” Policies

Avoid so-called unwritten

policies; by their very nature

these are problematic because

they are almost always applied

inconsistently.

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Special Case: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

It is necessary to have policies that

address the complex federal

regulations regarding hiring, assigning,

promoting, and accommodating people

who have physical or mental

disabilities, as specified by the ADA.

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Reasonable Accommodations

It is essential to have a written

policy spelling out “reasonable

accommodations” under the

Americans with Disabilities Act.