Health care organizations recognize how the economy is unsteady and organizations struggle to stay competitive. Some organizations like Exempla health care systems and Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth health care systems (SCLHS) see this need and have decided to merge the two health care systems together to stay strong. The current economic downfall and financial inquiries brings the role of HR management to the forefront when health care organizations decide to merge (Pomeranz, 2009). Human Resources (HR) planning is usually seen as an important part of the strategic plan when health care facilities make the move to merge or restructure. The functions of the HR management team a ...view middle of the document...
Exempla and SCLHS's HR departments are calming employee worries with continual communication of what changes are happening. These two HR departments have unique situations, as both health care systems are run by not for profit organizations, with two differing core values and mission statements. HR's role is to merge the two employment benefits packages, employee transfer, tuition reimbursement, years of service status, and paid time off statue into a fair and whole package that will ensure employment retention of both systems. Recruitment also plays a role in the strategic management of the organizations transformation. HR is an asset for this step-by-step process before the merger begins. With the merger coming to the final stages HR must start with the decision of recruiting new employees or retaining the current staff. With hiring freezes happening throughout all health care systems; HR management for SCLHS needs to be very careful not to over hire or short staff departments while the merger is taking place. Christy Pfost also stated, "The merging health care organizations will have to work together to develop job descriptions for all employees and assess benefits already available and similar to the organization," (personal communication).Training Employees from the MergerWith the impending merger, SCLHS HR managers understand the importance of training the Exempla employees. SCLHS HR strategic managers will pay close attention to which of Exempla's training systems work well with SCLHS' core values and mission statements and which of those training systems will be integrated. SCLHS HR managers will need to have a clear vision and goal for policies and practices, which is important when integrating two core values and missions with a new integrated training process. HR management needs to look at the achievability of the goals and discard any unrealistic expectations. Developing a common education and communication strategy will help in the success of the merger (Kemper, Brannon, Barry, Stott, & Heier, 2008). SCLHS HR knows that training is a key point and should be encourage among the employees involved in the merger of both Exempla and SCLHS, because it has a desirable effect on productivity and improves a competitive environment. Christy Pfost stated that "SCLHS hopes to instill employee empowerment, which is such an integral part of the SCLHS culture and values."Employee PerformanceChristy Pfost stated that employee motivation during the merger process is vital to the future stability of both organizations. SCLHS believes that employees who are empowered by sharing responsibilities develop the skills to grow. HR views controlling employees stifling creativity and will discourage employees to grow in their job task development (McConnell, 2007). SCLHS will monitor employee performances before, during and after the merger of Exempla and SCLHS has taken place. SCLHS HR mana...
