The Work Environment Assessment

1 The Work Environment Assessment Summary &

The term workplace environment describes the surrounding conditions and other physical

Clark Healthy

aspects of the place where employees operate. This environment constitutes issues such as the

Workplace

workplace's physical conditions and the procedures followed to accomplish certain tasks. These

Inventory

components include furniture, computer, other employees, organizational workflow, temperature, and sound, among many others. In healthcare, the workplace environment refers not only to the physical infrastructure but also to the procedures and interactions between care professionals and patients.

Other aspects of the workplace environment in healthcare settings are the providers' attitude towards patient care and the interaction between physical infrastructure and patient care. The workplace environment is described as positive if all these factors contribute to better outcomes of patient care.

The establishment of a positive workplace environment involves all stakeholders including healthcare leaders, nurse leaders, nurses, patients and other staff.

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The health workplace inventory is a questionnaire developed by Clark (2015) for assessing the appropriateness of the workplace. This inventory was intended to highlight the benefits of effective stress management among healthcare professionals. Clark (2015) argued that healthcare professionals have an individual responsibility to ensure that communication with tier colleagues is effective and respectful. Respectful communication is crucial to the delivery of safe care to patients.

The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory score for the hospital was 64. This score indicates that the workplace environment is barely healthy. Even though this score is not completely surprising, it is clear that the organization has not committed sufficient resources to establish an environment in

2 which the staff and patients are protected from unexpected eventualities. The score further indicates that the hospital has not put in place a culture of excellence. By working in a barely healthy environment, professionals are not able to deliver per their maximum potential. A poor workplace environment diminishes workers' morale (Hassmiller, 2020). Unfortunately, the organization uses outdated communication platforms. These platforms cannot support effective communication between stakeholders. The lack of an effective communication mechanism has detrimental consequences for the staff (Grossman & Valiga, 2020). For instance, the staff are not granted an opportunity to express their feelings towards critical issues in the organization fully.

Two surprising

It is surprising that rather than supporting the nurses’ role in organizational development, the

things

organization does not support the free expression of opposing ideas and opinions by the staff. The

concerning the

opportunities to express one's feelings, opinions and views are limited. Consequently, staff members

organization

shy away from pointing out problems that may affect healthcare delivery processes. This recoil is largely contributed by the feeling that the issues raised might not be addressed appropriately.

Another huge problem in this organization is that the staffs are not given competitive salaries. This indicates that individuals are not acknowledged and appreciated appropriately for their contribution towards organizational growth and development as well as patient care. Further, no measures have been instituted to ensure the staff are granted equal promotion and professional development opportunities. This implies that the organization has not set up plans to attract and retain experienced staff.

Even before the evaluation, it was clear that these issues contributed to low levels of satisfaction among members of staff. The results of the evaluation confirmed this allegation through revelation that the staff members were being treated unfairly.

The civility of

The workplace inventory assessment score revealed the presence of an uncivil environment in the

workplace

workplace. In this type of environment, procedures are not followed when solving issues and members

3 are not granted an opportunity to participate in problem-solving (Buckley, 2019). Healthcare organizations should implement supportive measures to ensure that nurses and other professionals are actively involved in decision-making processes. Clark (2015) noted that in a civil environment, nurses can raise issues that threaten their welfare and the safety of patients.

Clark (2015) identified a range of standards critical to the establishment of a healthy workplace. These standards include effective communication and decision making, adequate staffing, authentic leadership, proper recognition and appreciation. Other factors include true collaboration and inclusivity (Potter, Perry, Stockert & Hall, 2020). Since the organization has not implemented most of these standards, it does not satisfy expected standards of civility. Nurse staffing, for instance, is a serious problem. The number of nurses working at the hospital is far too low for the high number of patients who stream in daily.

Theory

Several theoretical frameworks have been presented in the selected article. One of these theories is collaborative decision making. The integral perspective of this theory is that the involvement of individual employees in decision making is vital for effective policy development. Organizational growth and development are based on shared governance, effective leadership, inclusivity, and policy development (Alvinius, 2017). This theory acknowledges the role played by team members in building a healthy culture. Further, the theory underscores the importance of demonstrating respect to employees and other parties at the workplace. Duties must be distributed equally to facilitate collaboration (Rubino, Esparza & Chassiakos, 2018). Effective communication must also be supported at all points of contact for enhanced inclusivity in decision making.

Application of

Theoretical frameworks are usually applied to practice to improve organizational health and the

the theory

creation of stronger work teams. Therefore, the theory of collaborative decision-making can be integrated into healthcare processes to achieve these objectives (Grossman & Valiga, 2020). Nurse leaders can employ this theoretical framework to promote the implementation of efficient

4 communication mechanisms in the workplace (Hassmiller, 2020).. Effective communication is essential for decision making and sharing of ideas among staff members. The theory of collaboration is also applicable to dispute resolution processes. This theory enables parties to engage with the leaders in a way that exemplifies respect and dignity. The relationship between nurses, the management and the patient can be enhanced using the collaborative theory (Rubino, Esparza & Chassiakos, 2018). This theory enables team members to view each other as equal partners in every task thus reducing potential conflicts. This theory expedites the implementation of an environment where nurses can raise and oppose issues without fear of discrimination.

Evidence-Based

The creation of clear organizational goals and establishment of effective communication mechanisms

Strategies to

are evidence–based tactics that can be applied to improve team performance. The clarity of goals

Create High-

helps to attract the attention and focus of all team members (Vestergaard & Nørgaard, 2018). When

Performance

the goals are clear, distractions are minimal since members work towards the achievement of specific

Interprofessional outcomes. On the other hand, effective communication enhances team performance by ensuring Teams

members understand their role and contributions in organizational activities (Vestergaard & Nørgaard, 2018).

Comments

A healthy workplace refers to an environment in which employees interact positively with colleagues, clients, and physical infrastructure at the workplace. The health of the workplace can be assessed using the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory. The inventory helps in determining the civility of the workplace. Nurse leaders can apply theoretical frameworks such as the collaborative theory of nursing practice to enhance the establishment of a healthy workplace culture.

References Alvinius A., (2017). Contemporary Leadership Challenges. BoD – Books on Demand.

5 Buckley, (2019).Equal Employment Opportunity 2020 Compliance Guide. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, Clark, C., (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace: Let’s end the silence that surrounds incivility. American Nursing Today. 10(11), 18-22. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302941121 Giorgi, G., Mucci, N., Di Fabio, A., & Ariza-Montes, A. (2019). New professionalism and the future of work: Interdisciplinary perspectives on transformations in business-health relationships. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2193. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02193 Grossman, S. C., & Valiga, T. M. (2020). The new leadership challenge: Creating the future of nursing. FA Davis.

Hassmiller, S. B. (2020). Advanced Practice Nursing Leadership: A Global Perspective.

J. Pulcini (Ed.). Springer International Publishing.

Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P., & Hall, A. (2020). Fundamentals of Nursing - EBook. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Rubino, L. G., Esparza, S. J., & Chassiakos, Y. (2018). New leadership for today's health care professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Vestergaard, E., & Nørgaard, B. (2018). Interprofessional collaboration: An exploration of possible prerequisites for successful implementation. Journal of interprofessional care, 32(2), 185-195. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2017.1363725