New Staff (new + staff)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The rise of the ,network organisation' and the decline of discretion

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003
Irena Grugulis
This article explores the implications of ,networked' and ,flexible' organisations for the work and skills of professionals/ Drawing on material from four different case studies, it reviews work that is outsourced (involving IT professionals and housing benefit caseworkers), work that is done by teachers contracted to a temporary employment agency and work organised through an inter-firm network (chemical production workers). In each case work that was outsourced was managed very differently to that undertaken in-house, with managerial monitoring replacing and reducing employees' discretion. New staff in these networks had fewer skills when hired and were given access to a narrower range of skills than their predecessors. By contrast, the production staff directly employed on permanent contracts in the inter-firm network were given (and took) significant amounts of responsibility, with positive results for both their skills and the work processed. Yet, despite the negative impact they have on skills, outsourcing and subcontracting are a far more common means of securing flexibility than organisational collaboration. [source]


Implementing a national treatment service for dependant smokers: initial challenges and solutions

ADDICTION, Issue 2005
Tim Coleman
ABSTRACT Background Before 1999, few treatment services for nicotine-addicted smokers existed in England. When national treatment services were introduced, those responsible for setting them up liaised closely with primary care health services. Setting up an entirely new national service, treating a new category of patient (smokers motivated to stop) was an ambitious aim and this paper documents the problems encountered in the early stages of this process. Objectives To describe the principal challenges encountered and solutions employed by those setting up the services during the initial period of smoking cessation service implementation. Methods Qualitative, semistructured interviews with 50 smoking cessation staff in two former English health regions conducted in autumn 2001. Findings Two principal factors which slowed the initial development of smoking cessation services were: (i) the lack of a work-force with experience in smoking cessation methods and (ii) the fact that services were set up outside existing primary and secondary care health services in England. As few training courses in smoking cessation were available, many services provided their own in-house training for staff appointed as smoking cessation advisers. Consequently, senior service staff devoted a lot of effort to training new staff which meant that they had less time to spend on other important tasks which were necessary for service implementation. Smoking cessation services needed to develop relationships with primary care health services in order to generate referrals and find venues for the delivery of smoking cessation interventions. Liaising with primary care physicians was time-consuming, however, and some primary care physicians were opposed to the ideas that service staff had for the interface between primary care and smoking cessation services. As new smoking cessation services were not set up within existing primary or secondary health care services, service staff had to spend large amounts of time on this process of negotiation and overcoming scepticism from some primary health care physicians. Conclusions If smoking cessation services are set up in other countries, rapid implementation would be facilitated by ensuring that adequate numbers of health professionals trained in smoking cessation methods are available to staff services. Additionally, locating new smoking cessation services within existing health providers' services may speed up service implementation, but this option may not suit all health systems. [source]


,They survive despite the organizational culture, not because of it': A longitudinal study of new staff perceptions of what constitutes support during the transition to an acute tertiary facility

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 5 2005
Robyn Fox RN RM AgedCareCert GradCertMgt GradCertHRM DNE BEdStud MNsgLdrship
Increasing difficulties of recruitment and retention of nursing staff strongly indicate that organizations should identify factors that contribute to successful transition of new staff to the workplace. Although many studies have identified problems facing new staff, fewer studies have articulated best practices. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to ascertain what new staff perceived as supportive elements implemented by the organization to assist their integration. Sixteen staff in Phase I and 12 staff in Phase II attended focus groups. The focus groups at 2,3 months provided specific information, with particular emphasis on negative interactions with other staff members and inadequate learning assistance and support. Different themes emerged within the focus groups at 6,9 months. Staff discussed being ,self-reliant' and ,getting to know the system'. Participants indicated that these skills might be beneficial to new staff in the development of organizational ,know how' and resourcefulness, rather than relying on preceptor support that, unfortunately, cannot be always guaranteed. [source]


Solving nursing shortages: a common priority

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 24 2008
James Buchan
Aims and objectives., This paper provides a context for this special edition. It highlights the scale of the challenge of nursing shortages, but also makes the point that there is a policy agenda that provides workable solutions. Results., An overview of nurse:population ratios in different countries and regions of the world, highlighting considerable variations, with Africa and South East Asia having the lowest average ratios. The paper argues that the ,shortage' of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications, it is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the present conditions. The causes of shortages are multi-faceted, and there is no single global measure of their extent and nature, there is growing evidence of the impact of relatively low staffing levels on health care delivery and outcomes. The main causes of nursing shortages are highlighted: inadequate workforce planning and allocation mechanisms, resource constrained undersupply of new staff, poor recruitment, retention and ,return' policies, and ineffective use of available nursing resources through inappropriate skill mix and utilisation, poor incentive structures and inadequate career support. Conclusions., What now faces policy makers in Japan, Europe and other developed countries is a policy agenda with a core of common themes. First, themes related to addressing supply side issues: getting, keeping and keeping in touch with relatively scarce nurses. Second, themes related to dealing with demand side challenges. The paper concludes that the main challenge for policy makers is to develop a co-ordinated package of policies that provide a long term and sustainable solution. Relevance to clinical practice., This paper highlights the impact that nursing shortages has on clinical practice and in health service delivery. It outlines scope for addressing shortage problems and therefore for providing a more positive staffing environment in which clinical practice can be delivered. [source]


The White House As City Hall: A Tough Place to Organize

PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2001
MARTHA JOYNT KUMAR
The White House is unlike any other organization as there are few records left behind by those having the building and none of the core White House staff who remain once a President leaves. At the same time, the new team is responsible from day one for making informed and appropriate decisions. There is little preparation that can provide people with an understanding of what they are to meet once they come into office, but there are ways in which a new staff can take advantage of the knowledge of those who precede them. They can speak with their predecessors, talk with people who work at the Office of Management and Budget, and learn from the executive clerk and others at the White House who provide an institutional memory of their own. [source]


Regional differences among employed nurses: A Queensland study

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009
Tim Henwood
Abstract Objective:,To ascertain differences in the working lives of geographically dispersed nurses. Design:,Cross-sectional. Setting:,Registered, enrolled and assistants-in-nursing members of the Queensland Nurses' Union employed in nursing in Queensland, Australia. Participants:,A total of 3000 members of the Union, equally stratified by sector (public, private, aged care). Among them, 1192 responded and 1039 supplied postcodes matching the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. Main outcome measures:,Statistically significant differences in working lives of nurses employed in different geographical locations. Results:,Nurses in outer regional/remote/very remote localities are more likely to be employed as permanent full-time staff and self-report higher levels of work stress. These levels could be explained by: lack of replacement staff for leave, longer working and on call hours and lack of support for new staff. Distance remains a major barrier to accessing continuing professional education. However, outer regional/remote/very remote nurses were more likely to be provided employer support for professional education. Inner regional nurses were more likely to work part time, would work more hours if offered and were more likely to have taken a break from nursing as a result of family commitments. Conclusion:,The data confirm that current policies are not addressing the differences in the working lives of geographically dispersed nurses. Policies addressing orientation, mentoring and workloads should be implemented to address these issues. [source]