Dr. Rashida Jones, Regional Office Director, Great Plains Medical Supply and Service Company
Dr. Rashida Jones, Regional Office Director, Great Plains Medical Supply and Service Company
Dr. Rashida Jones is the new director of the regional office of the Great Plains Medical Supply
and Service Company. Her Customer Care Delivery Team (CCDT) employees are responsible for
responding to online orders from their health system clients and ensuring deliveries are
completed within 24 hours. To accomplish this, the CCDT employees drive company vehicles
and, on occasion, assist with direct purchase transactions. Safety and reliability are key
characteristics of the CCDT employees.
As a new director, Rashida is taking the time to review the new hires and terminations for her
department over the past year. She also wants to ensure that there are no pending concerns
with violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Rashida knows that if an employee
is terminated, compliance with ADA is an important consideration. As she makes her way
through the hiring and termination files from the previous year, she notes that the following
four terminations have recently occurred in her regional office:
1. Charlie was terminated after the company discovered he was an alcoholic.
2. Jennifer was terminated after the company discovered she had a history of cancer.
3. Jose was terminated after he was diagnosed with epilepsy.
4. Conner was terminated after he was seen on the news at a Gay Pride March.
5. Bruce was terminated after the company discovered he had a compulsive gambling
problem.
Employee termination decisions can be difficult for any manager. If you were Rashida, which of
these terminations would you think violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if any?
Explain your answer. How would you recommend Rashida address these termination issues and
possible violations of ADA? Support your Discussion with evidence from this week’s Learning
Resources and any additional research you have done.
Mr. Thomas Cantu, Human Resource Manager, Kind Hearts Assisted Living Center
Mr. Thomas Cantu is the Human Resource Manager at Kind Hearts Assisted Living Center. The
assisted living facility is seeking to ensure that unintended instances of unlawful discrimination
do not occur during either recruitment or promotion processes within the organization. Explain
at least one method you would recommend that would be most effective in preventing
unintended instances of unlawful discrimination during recruitment and one method you would
recommend that would be most effective in preventing unintended instances during
promotion. Support your Discussion with evidence from this week’s Learning Resources and
any additional research you have done.
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Ms. Camille Cooper, Director of Nursing, River Basin Healthcare System
Four Rivers Regional Healthcare System and Rural Middle America Healthcare, with facilities
across three states, recently merged and became River Basin Healthcare System. There is
concern that both health systems have potential instances of discrimination in their past and
that there is potential for these discriminatory practices to continue to be used for promotions
within the newly formed River Basin Healthcare System. The merger presents new
opportunities for advancement within the nursing department.
How would you suggest that Ms. Cooper, Director of Nursing, address the potential for
discrimination? Specifically, Ms. Cooper has been told that promotions often happened by
“word of mouth” recommendations. What are the advantages and disadvantages of “word of
mouth” recommendations? What do you recommend Ms. Cooper do to address the concerns?
Support your Discussion with evidence from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional
research you have done.
Chester Cruise, Human Resources Manager, Springfield Clinical Healthcare Associates
Chester Cruise is the Human Resources Manager for Springfield Clinical Healthcare Associates.
Chester recently investigated a complaint from an Asian American nurse who quit his job in the
outpatient center because he noticed that Asian American nurses were being passed over for
promotions in favor of Caucasian nurses. Chester decided to review the promotion reports from
the past two years to see if the reports substantiated or refuted the claim. Chester summarized
the data contained in the reports in the following table.
Health System Nursing Personnel Promotion Rates
Units Year Caucasian Rate Asian American Rate
Ambulatory Care
Facilities 2017 12.48% 8.35%
Ambulatory Care
Facilities 2016 7.50% 9.76%
Medical Surgical
Units 2017 10.85% 7.57%
Medical Surgical
Units 2016 9.64% 8.97%
Quality Assurance
Division 2017 11.48% 7.66%
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Based on the data contained in this table, explain whether there is evidence to support the
claim that Springfield Clinical Healthcare Associates passes over Asian American nurses in favor
of promoting Caucasian nurses. How might this positively or negatively impact Springfield
Clinical Healthcare Associates? How do you recommend that Chester address the situation?
Support your Discussion with evidence from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional
research you have done.
Dr. Barbara Bennett, Medical Director, Greybull Medical Center
Workplace violence is a growing concern within the healthcare employment sector. Dr. Barbara
Bennett is the medical director for Greybull Medical Center, a rural hospital in Greybull,
Wyoming. Over the past year, there has been an increase in workplace violence reports coming
from the operating room facilities. This trend is deeply concerning to her, as well as the fact
that several of the reports have included incidents with some of her physicians. One nurse has
indicated that she is planning to press criminal charges including battery. To counter workplace
violence at her facility, what do you recommend that Dr. Bennett do, in partnership with the
Human Resources team to address the issue? Along with your recommendation, outline the
steps you would have Dr. Bennett follow. Support your Discussion with evidence from this
week’s Learning Resources and any additional research you have done.
Mrs. Carmen Silva, Medical Technologist, Rocky Mountain Medical Systems
Mrs. Carmen Silva is a medical technologist with Rocky Mountain Medical Systems and a native
Brazilian. She had applied to become the supervisor of the clinical lab department and was
shocked when she found out that she did not receive a promotion. Carmen believed that she
was fully qualified for the specified responsibilities of the supervisor position, so she filed a
lawsuit alleging national origin discrimination. Identify at least two specific points from Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that the courts will need to apply to decide her case. Explain your
answer. Support your Discussion with evidence from this week’s Learning Resources and any
additional research you have done.
Mr. Mark Winters, Project Manager, Goodcare Medical Center
Mark Winters is a project manager in the human resource department at Goodcare Medical
Center. He is currently working with the food service employees to better understand their
needs. He is also working with Viola Jensen, the Food Service Director, to design training
programs to enhance job satisfaction. Identify at least two specific and fundamental goals of
human resource management that Mark will be addressing as he works on this project. Explain
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how partnering with Viola will help achieve these goals. Support your Discussion with evidence
from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional research you have done.
Ms. Josie Davis, Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator, and Mrs. Patsy Buckinghorn, Senior
Clinical Research Coordinator, Garrison-Craig Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Josie Davis is 26 years old. She recently graduated from college and was just hired on as the
Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator at Garrison-Craig Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She is young and
energetic and excited to be working on the clinical research team.
Patsy Buckinghorn is 59 years old. She has worked for Garrison-Craig Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
since she was 21. She began as an Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator and was eventually
promoted to Associate Clinical Research Coordinator and then Senior Clinical Research
Coordinator. She is good at her job and she is confident in her skills.
Generational differences can impact an individual’s approach to work. These differences can be
observable in the workplace. Explain how employers may tend to view older workers like Patsy
as compared to younger workers like Josie. Consider characteristics like productivity,
attractiveness, and expense to the organization in your explanation. Support your Discussion
with evidence from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional research you have done.
Mr. Dennis Bennett, Human Resources Specialist, North American Managed Care Health
Insurance Company
Dennis Bennett is a Human Resources Specialist for North American Managed Care Health
Insurance Company. He specializes in investigating discrimination and sexual harassment cases,
as well as creating and delivering corporate training on these topics. Over the last few months,
Dennis has been working on investigating the following cases that were reported to the Office
of Human Resources.
1. Ms. Carl contacted the HR office to report that Mr. Ange, a coworker, invited her
out to a bar and that Mr. Ange encouraged her to wear something sexy and
fun…the more revealing the better.
2. A colleague of the health plan’s medical director, Dr. Choi, contacted HR to
report that Dr. Choi told him that Ms. Blackstone did not get a raise because she
refused to engage in the sexual activities that he had asked for.
3. It has come to the Office of Human Resources attention that Mr. Kelly and Ms.
Tisdall have been dating and have willingly agreed to have intercourse.
4. Ms. Connor, a utilization review nurse in the Medicaid managed care office, has
reported that Dr. Kensic refuses to give her a favorable performance evaluation
unless she agrees to go out on a date with him
This document analyzes various case studies related to human resource management, focusing on issues of discrimination and promotion of fairness. Each case will be addressed individually, providing recommendations and justifications based on relevant learning resources and research.
Case 1: Rashida Jones and the Great Plains Medical Supply and Service Company
Rashida's review of terminations reveals four potentially problematic cases:
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Charlie: Termination based on alcoholism raises concerns regarding discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The ADA protects individuals with alcoholism who are qualified for their jobs, requiring reasonable accommodations. Rashida should investigate whether Charlie was offered support or accommodations before termination.
-
Jennifer: Termination due to past cancer diagnosis potentially violates the ADA if the cancer is not currently impacting her ability to perform the job. Rashida needs to assess whether Jennifer disclosed her condition and if there was any evidence of job performance issues.
-
Jose: Termination after epilepsy diagnosis requires careful evaluation. Epilepsy is a disability covered by the ADA. Rashida should examine whether Jose's epilepsy affected his work performance and if reasonable accommodations were considered.
-
Conner: Termination due to participation in a Gay Pride March likely violates federal and state anti-discrimination laws protecting sexual orientation. Rashida should investigate the rationale behind Conner's termination and ensure it was not motivated by his participation in the march.
Recommendations:
- Rashida should conduct thorough investigations into each case with the assistance of legal counsel and HR professionals.
- She should review company policies and ensure they comply with anti-discrimination laws and ADA regulations.
- Rashida should implement diversity and inclusion training for managers and employees to raise awareness and prevent future occurrences.
- She should ensure transparent communication and due process in all termination decisions.
Case 2: Thomas Cantu and Kind Hearts Assisted Living Center
To prevent unintended discrimination in recruitment and promotion:
Recruitment:
- Implement standardized application processes with blind reviews of resumes to minimize bias.
- Utilize diverse recruitment sources and advertising channels to reach a wider pool of qualified candidates.
- Conduct structured interviews with standardized questions focused on job qualifications and experience.
Promotion:
- Establish clear and objective criteria for promotions based on performance, skills, and experience.
- Utilize diverse selection committees to evaluate candidates and provide multiple perspectives.
- Implement transparent communication to ensure employees understand promotion processes and expectations.
Case 3: Ms. Camille Cooper and River Basin Healthcare System
Addressing potential discrimination in promotions:
- Investigate the data and analyze trends in promotion rates across different demographics.
- Conduct focus groups and surveys to gather employee feedback regarding promotion practices.
- Implement blind reviews of promotion applications and standardized evaluation criteria.
- Discourage "word-of-mouth" recommendations and encourage open applications for all positions.
- Provide training for managers on unconscious bias and inclusive leadership practices.
Advantages and disadvantages of "word-of-mouth" recommendations:
Advantages:
- Can identify qualified candidates who may not actively be seeking new opportunities.
- Can leverage existing employee networks and tap into hidden talent.
Disadvantages:
- Can perpetuate existing biases and lead to a lack of diversity in promotions.
- Can create a closed system where opportunities are not accessible to all qualified candidates.
Recommendations for Ms. Cooper:
- Phase out reliance on "word-of-mouth" recommendations and implement a more transparent and objective promotion process.
- Utilize a diverse selection committee for promotion decisions to mitigate unconscious bias.
- Foster open communication and encourage employees to apply for all positions they qualify for.
Case 4: Chester Cruise and Springfield Clinical Healthcare Associates
Analysis of promotion data:
- The data suggests a potential disparity in promotion rates between Caucasian and Asian American nurses, with Caucasian nurses consistently receiving higher promotion rates.
- This disparity could be due to various factors, including unconscious bias, lack of access to training and development opportunities, or cultural differences in communication styles.
Positive and negative impacts of discrimination:
Positive:
- None, as discrimination is always harmful and unjust.
Negative:
- Reduces employee morale and engagement.
- Increases employee turnover and recruitment costs.
- Leads to litigation and damage to the company's reputation.
Recommendations for Chester:
- Conduct a formal investigation into the potential for discrimination.
- Implement corrective actions such as diversity and inclusion training and mentoring programs.
- Review and revise promotion criteria and processes to ensure fairness and transparency.
- Monitor progress and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented interventions.
Case 5: Dr. Barbara Bennett and Greybull Medical Center
Addressing workplace violence in the operating room:
- Conduct a comprehensive investigation into the reported incidents.
- Implement a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence and communicate it clearly to all employees.
- Develop and implement training pr