- NURS 6053 Module 4 Assignment Workplace Environment Assessment
Student Name
Walden University
NURS-6053
Professor Name
Submission Date
Workplace Environment Assessment
Conditions in the workplace in a health care facility influence both patient care and employee satisfaction and performance. This environment’s dynamics must be assessed and understood to discover opportunities for development and successful techniques that promote a healthy and civil workplace. This assignment will involve me learning some shocking findings and confirmations made by a healthcare Work Environment Assessment, and connecting them to relevant theoretical frameworks. To enhance the health of organizations and the performance of work teams, recommendations will be proposed to address the weaknesses identified and enable positive practices.
Part 1
Work Environment Assessment Results
My workplace has scored 89 on the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory Work Environment Assessment. This score denotes a rather healthy work environment with both strengths and weaknesses. The assessment indicated that there was a lot of respect in our work environment and a number of professional development opportunities. We work in an organization with a supportive and developmental culture.
Workload management and conflict resolution were the other significant weaknesses in the assessment. Although a healthy work environment is based on the above factors, these findings indicate that some critical aspects need to be addressed in order to enhance health and civility at the workplace.
Surprising Aspects
I was surprised at the results of the assessment in two aspects. To begin with, the score of high respect towards colleagues surprised me. Irrespective of day-to-day pressures and challenges, we appear to maintain respect and professional etiquette towards each other. Respect is necessary in positive work environments that support the employees and make them feel important (Rasool et al., 2021). Secondly, I was surprised at the excellent professional growth score. This demonstrates that our company invests in the development of staff and provides them with tools and opportunities to improve their careers, increasing their level of employee happiness and retention.
Confirmed Idea
One of the concepts that I assumed prior to the assessment and was supported by the results is the concept of workload management. I have been in this situation, and I know that work can overwhelm most of the colleagues, including me. The low score of this area affirmed my conclusion that work overload is a key issue. This proves the need to enhance workload management strategies with the aim of reducing burnout and enhancing staff productivity.
Health and Civility of the Workplace
In order to increase its health and civility, my workplace has to improve its somewhat healthy environment, according to the assessment. A respectful workplace is evidenced by polite colleagues and career development. Such qualities are required to make the workplace pleasant and inspiring. The ratings of low workload management and conflict resolution imply that there are some problems that can negatively affect this positive environment. Time and workload management, as well as the ability to deal with conflicts, decrease stress and burnout (Jing et al., 2020). Workplace civility needs to be considered, yet these issues have to be resolved to build a healthy environment at the company.
Part 2
Theory in the Selected Article
In the article I have chosen, the theory of Human Caring by Jean Watson is discussed. (King et al., 2021). This theory supports healing and a healthy workplace via loving relationships. Healthcare providers require empathy, compassion, and real professional bonds, according to Watson’s theory. According to this theory, caring involves more than just tasks and is a crucial component of nursing practice.
Holistic patient care addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Watson’s theory also emphasizes the necessity of building a caring and supportive work environment where healthcare workers may develop meaningful relationships with their colleagues, leading to greater patient experiences and job satisfaction scores.
Theory and Results of Work Environment Assessment
The Theory of Human Caring by Jean Watson resonated with me as I was developing my results of the Work Environment Assessment. The high level of colleague regard and career progression supports the theory by Watson that professional growth and mutual respect within an environment of love and support can foster professional growth. Watson’s empathy and compassion complement colleagues’ esteem, demonstrating that caring relationships are vital to our workplace culture (King et al., 2021). Watson’s theory can enhance well-being in the workplace, with the workload management and conflict resolution being lowest. These problems can be addressed by making the workplace considerate and supportive, and can enhance civility in the workplace (Clark, 2019).
Theory Application to Improve Organizational Health and/or Stronger Work Teams
Enhanced Support Systems
Two of the systematic support structures that may help to share the workload and provide emotional support include peer mentorship and check-ins (Turpin et al., 2020). To take an example, it could be beneficial to assign novice nurses to more experienced mentors to get over the difficulties and advance their careers. Burnout can also be prevented by supervisor check-ins that identify workload discrepancies and rectify them with regular check-ins.
Conflict Resolution Training
Staff can learn conflict resolution (Broome & Elaine Sorensen Marshall, 2020) and resolve conflicts. This training ought to be based on Watson’s empathic communication and understanding concepts. As an illustration, active listening and empathy workshops can assist the staff in resolving conflicts and maintaining relationships with co-workers.
Promoting Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance and workloads can be enhanced with flexible scheduling and appropriate personnel. The organization can make a more nurturing and enabling environment by knowing and meeting holistic employee needs. Considering the example, the flexible work hours or telecommuting may assist employees in balancing both work and life, reducing stress and improving job satisfaction.
Creating a Caring Culture
Health in the workplace is enhanced by an organization-wide caring culture. This might be accomplished through regular team building, recognition, and open communication. As an illustration, regular team-building activities can enhance relationships between co-workers and the community. Employee rewarding encourages employees to work more, and it stresses caring and supportive relationships.
Part 3
Strategies to Address Shortcomings in Work Environment Assessment
My strategies will cover Work Environment Assessment, workload management, and conflict resolution matters. It is a good idea to create workload management systems that would help to evenly distribute the workloads amongst the staff members. This can be done through regular workload appraisal and modification that is based on requirements. Task management software may assist managers in delegating tasks and reducing overwork. Recruiting additional staff or hiring temporary staff during peak seasons can be useful in order to cope with workloads and burnout.
The other measure is to ensure that conflict resolution is enhanced through intensive training and outlines. Active listening, empathy, and effective communication should be considered as the major aims of this training (Klimecki, 2019). To illustrate, seminars on conflict resolution can be periodically organized to enable personnel to solve conflicts amicably. Team turmoil can also be prevented by having clear protocols for reporting and resolving conflicts.
Strategies to Bolster Successful Practices Revealed in Work Environment Assessment
Regarding the Work Environment Assessment, I will recommend two methods of improvement of effective practices of the organisation in relation to respect between people and career opportunities. To tackle these aspects, one strategy could be to strengthen the commitment of the organization’s professional development activities. Some of them include increased investments in training and certification initiatives, effective online platforms of delivery, and sponsorship of conferences and workshops.
An example is an organized professional development program that could help the workers have career development goals and objectives. The professional nature of the employees could also be nurtured by additional funding for their studies, in the form of scholarships for any of the additional studies that the employees may wish to pursue.
Moreover, the other potential strategy is to facilitate recognition and appreciation at work. Rewards systems at the organizational level might involve frequent employee rewards. As an example, a monthly employee award like the Employee of the Month award can inspire the employees and praise them for excellent performance. A healthy and conducive workplace culture could also be encouraged by encouraging peer appreciation by providing venues in which the employees can show their appreciation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Work Environment Assessment focused on health and civility as well as the strengths and weaknesses within workplaces. It can assist in improving the environment of a healthcare company by addressing issues like workload management and conflict management. As a result, there may be a positive impact on organisational health from these theoretical frameworks, such as Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, which emphasizes empathy and caring interpersonal relations.
An improved work environment will improve and solve the problems with fewer problems and improved processes that will be worthwhile to the employees and patients. These activities lead to healthier working environments, stress reduction, enhanced productivity, efficient treatment of patients, and the well-being of healthcare practitioners.
References
Broome, M. E., & Elaine Sorensen Marshall. (2020). Building cohesive and effective teams. Springer EBooks. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826135056.0007
Clark, C. M. (2019). Fostering a culture of civility and respect in nursing. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 10(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(19)30082-1
King, C., Rossetti, J., Smith, T. J., & Smyth, S. (2021). Workplace incivility and nursing staff: an analysis through the lens of Jean Watson’s theory of human caring. International Journal of Care and Caring, 25(4), 283–291. ResearchGate. http://dx.doi.org/10.20467/HumanCaring-D-20-00050
Klimecki, O. M. (2019). The role of empathy and compassion in conflict resolution. Emotion Review, 11(4), 310–325. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073919838609
Turpin, A., Shier, M. L., Nicholas, D., & Graham, J. R. (2020). Workload and workplace safety in social service organizations. Journal of Social Work, 21(3), 575–594. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320913541