Supervision Concepts and Practices of Management Critical Incident 1-2 Stop the

Question

Supervision Concepts and Practices of Management

Critical Incident 1-2

Stop the Union!

Marilyn Becker, the second-shift cardiac care unit nursing supervisor at Pine Village Community Medical Center (CMC), overheard several disgruntled nurses talking about forming a union. Specifically, Becker heard one long-service nurse, Lisa Maggart, say, “The hospital isn’t a fun place to work anymore. We’re expected to do more with less. I’m so frustrated! We constantly have to meet higher productivity and quality standards. Those people in administration don’t care about the patients-just their wallets. We haven’t had a merit raise in three years. There is safety in numbers, and the Professional Nurses Association would give us clout in dealing with the administration.”

          Shortly thereafter, Becker reported what she had heard to Denise Capp, director of nursing services. Always one to “fire from the hip,” Capp sent a memo to all shifts and department supervisors: “Our agenda right now must be to stop this union organizing effort, and I expect you to help me.” She continued, “Watch everybody. Find out who the disgruntled workers are and who the union sympathizers are, and report them to me. I’ll handle it from there”

a. List the factors that typically encourage professional employees, such as nurses, to seek representation by a labor union.

b. Denise Capp, director of nursing services, exhibits a “Fire-Aim-Ready” style of dealing with the situation. What mistakes did she make in this situation?

c. If you were Marilyn Becker, what actions would you take? Why?

d. If your first plan of action is not successful, what will you do then?

Explanation / Answer

Answer: (a) The major factors which encourage the professional employees to seek the representation by the labour union are exploitative practises by the employers, lack of good pay and incentives, no voice in negotiation processes related with terms and conditions of the job, poor working conditions and so on. The unions offer a better option for negotiations on these conditions through collective bargaining.

(b) Capp in this situation has taken a direct action without verifying the information. She needs to first talk with the nursing staff and understand the reasons for this resentment instead of the “Fire-aim-ready” strategy. Such situations needs to be handled with tact as pressures and actions may even force the staff members to leave the organization.

(c) If I was Marilyn, I would have first talked to the nurses I have heard talking. I would have advised them to discuss the matter with the management instead of forming a union. I would have explained them that instead of taking a direct action like forming a union they should first talk to the management. I feel that this course of action can avoid a direct conflict between workers and management and save the organization from the ill effects of disputes.

(d) If the first plan for action is not successful then I would have done what Marilyn did and inform Capp about this matter.

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