Resource Management (In Public Health)

This article critically analyzes the role of healthcare organizations in addressing social issues, such as affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, workplace diversity, social responsibility, and employee wellbeing in the public health sector. The article emphasizes the need for healthcare organizations to promote workplace inclusivity and diversity to reduce social injustices and disparities in the workforce. The article also highlights the importance of promoting employee wellbeing and social responsibility as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of healthcare organizations.

Running Head: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH)
Resource Management (In Public Health)
Name
Institution

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 2
Resource Management (In Public Health)
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Critical Analysis..............................................................................................................................4
Affirmative Action.......................................................................................................................4
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)...................................................................................6
Workplace Diversity.................................................................................................................7
Social Responsibility................................................................................................................9
Employee Wellbeing..............................................................................................................10
Conclusions....................................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................13

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 3
Topic 1
Introduction
The healthcare organizations have the primary role of addressing social issues in the
society such as affirmative action. Human resource management in the healthcare setting has
grown in the recent decades and many healthcare organizations are expected to ensure that their
practices promote the workplace inclusivity. Even the richest multiethnic societies have in many
instances failed to guarantee a fair distribution of health, as well as healthcare amongst
individuals with diverse racial along with ethnic backgrounds, especially among healthcare
professionals (Cowlishaw, 2004). Increasing the racial, as well as the ethnic diversity of the
current healthcare employees is necessary for the sufficient proviso of culturally competent care
to the Australia’s mushrooming communities. Affirmative action promotes diversity in
healthcare organizations that will assist develop the access to healthcare for the
underrepresented, promote research in deserted fields of societal requirements, plus improve the
pool of healthcare executives along with the policymakers to fulfil the needs of the different
population. The growing disparities in the healthcare organizations have compelled
organizations to reconsider their human resource strategies towards promoting inclusion to
reduce cases of social injustices. The human resource too that has become important in
eliminating these disparities has been through affirmative action. The healthcare professionals
from the minority groups in Australia such as the Aboriginal and the Torres Islander populace
are underrepresented in healthcare organizations. This demands that there is the need to promote
affirmative action in healthcare organizations in Australia to address this growing disparity in the
workforce in Australia. Therefore, addressing disparities in the human resources through

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 4
affirmative action practices will result in appropriately recruiting more healthcare professionals
from disadvantage backgrounds, especially the minorities in Australia (DeCieri & Kramar,
2005).
Therefore, there is the need for the healthcare organizations in Australia to address social
issues, such as affirmative action to promote equity in the workplace. This is will play a primary
role in promoting the diversity and inclusivity in the healthcare organizations that will promote
access to care among diverse groups in Australia. The paper will critically investigate the role of
healthcare organizations in addressing social issues, like affirmative action. This analysis will
examine concepts of equal employment opportunity (EEO), workplace diversity; social
responsibility; and employee wellbeing.
Critical Analysis
Affirmative Action
Australia is a country with rich diversity in terms of ethnicity that means that there exist
huge disparities in the society, especially when it comes to human resources in the healthcare
organizations. For many years, Australia has struggled to bridge the gap in the healthcare sector
through initiatives, such as affirmative action to promote equality in the workplace. Recognizing
the need for diversity in workplace in the healthcare sector becomes the role of healthcare
organizations towards addressing social needs through programs such as affirmative action
(Kalev, Dobbin & Kelly, 2006). Affirmative action is powerful instrument that ensures that there
is equality in the healthcare organizations because it allows the inclusion of the minorities to
become part of the workforce, including women. Thus, it should be the role of the healthcare

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 5
organizations to develop affirmative action programs in the workplace that will ensure that the
excluded population from taking part in the workforce (Sharma, 2016). These organizations
should be guided by the fact that affirmative action is an important tool that will enable them to
generate equality of opportunity in addition to outcome of minorities plus women in Australia
and for the advantage of all people in Australia, to encourage diversity via unbiased
representation of minorities in the workplace in the healthcare sector (French & Strachan, 2004).
Affirmative action has been designed to eliminate discrimination based on ethnicity, race,
religion, age, employment, and gender. Signatories to the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) seek to forbid plus eradicate racial
discrimination in all its forms. As party to ICERD, Australia bans racial discrimination via
Commonwealth, state, as well as territory regulations. This ICERD has been essential in
promoting affirmative action towards promoting employment opportunities for minority groups
and women in Australia (Grobler, Moloi & Ayres, 2017). Therefore, the healthcare organizations
should address social issues through programmes of affirmative action that is attained in practice
through helping individual people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds to become more
“successful”. Thus, it is the role of the healthcare organizations to develop affirmative actions in
their workplace to provide more opportunities for professional development among health
professionals from different ethnic and racial minorities, including women through promotion
(Renu & Crowther, 2007). There is the need to ensure that women and minority groups are given
more career growth opportunities to ensure that they assume management positions like other
health professionals that are majority in Australia. Many Australians from the minorities and
women have the challenge of doubt of their self-worth that makes them to shy away from taking

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 6
up opportunities that will promote their professional growth (Marsden & Moriconi, 2009). The
healthcare organizations should ensure that they eliminate this doubt of self-worth by ensuring
that these healthcare workers are only places in positions in the workplace plus provided training
of learning prospects where they have the necessary dedication, knowledge, capabilities, as well
as qualifications (Brown, 2008).
In addition, the healthcare organizations should develop affirmative action policies that
will enable the disadvantaged members of the society in the healthcare sector to benefit from the
programs of the affirmative action. The affirmative action policies should be designed in a
manner that will perceive the disadvantage individuals with multiple along with professional
identities rather single entity. This implies the policies designed to address the social issues faced
in the healthcare sector should see the minorities and women in terms of personal and
professional identities. These policies should believe in and respect these health workers as
people that have their own goals, principles, shortcomings, as well as foibles. Therefore, the
affirmative action promoted by the healthcare organizations should endeavour to help the
individuals to become more victorious, at growing variety, or at helping recipients who would
put in to the objectives of the affirmative action (AA) themselves (Bairoh, 2007).
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
The EEO is an important concept for employers, especially in the healthcare sector in
Australia towards creating policies that prohibit discrimination in workplace. EEO makes sure
that everybody has equivalent access to accessible employment by making sure that places of
work are open from harassment, as well as discrimination. This comprises making sure rules;
policies, practices, as well as behaviours are just and do not unswervingly or indirectly

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 7
discriminate illegally. The significance of recruiting along with retaining the most excellent
talent or human resources with specific skills is the primary motivator of EEO policies
(Crompton & Lyonette, 2011). The healthcare organizations have the role of promoting EEO
policies by ensuring that the recruiting and retaining good staff and lowering staff turnover is at
it bests. The healthcare organizations ensure that the recruited human resources are retained
through different policies within the organizations to reduce staff turnover. The health
organizations should ensure that all recruitment, selection, placement, as well as training
decisions made by the management will be made on a non-discriminatory platform and will be
founded only on individual’s job-related qualifications along with capabilities with respect to
pertinent functions of the job (French & Strachan, 2004).
In addition, the healthcare organizations through the EEO ensures that the eliminate and
guarantee the deficiency of discrimination in employment process in all grounds listed under the
Equal Opportunity Act 1984 that include marital status, age, sex, pregnancy, family
responsibility, gender, race, sexual orientation, religious or political conviction, disability among
others. This means that the healthcare organizations should give all people equal opportunities in
employed and not discriminate based on the above grounds. The healthcare organizations
founded on the EEO policies must eliminate, as well as ensure that there is no sexual and racial
harassment in employment whereby they should ensure that the EEO policies are functioning
and that any form of harassment in employment should be reported to the necessary authorities
for action (Gough, 2006).
Workplace Diversity

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 8
The primary role of the healthcare organizations through affirmative action is through
promoting workplace diversity. These organizations should ensure that the employees
understand the factors, which are pushing healthcare facilities and care systems to become
culturally competent. There is the need for health care organizations train the workforce to
embrace cultural competence that is key towards developing a diverse workplace where the
underrepresented individuals will be accommodated (Coombs & King, 2005). This will ensure
that the trained staff in competence will accommodate all races in the workplace rather than
discriminating them. These organizations should endeavour to encourage workplace multiplicity
by undertaking action to eradicate and prohibit unfounded discrimination, direct or indirect, as
well as harassment in the place of work. They should offer prospects to employees from all
contexts to supply their ideas into programs, policies, along with services through team meetings
on monthly basis. In addition, the staff should be provided with training in addition to education
in line with diversity, harassment, as well as discrimination to boost diversity awareness and
make sure that conformity with anti-discrimination along with industrial regulations (Storseth,
2006).
The recruitment and selection processes should be tailored to attract candidates from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The recruitment and selection process should
be designed to attract a huge pool of candidates from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, the health
care organizations have the role of ensuring that the recruitment and selection process attracts a
large pool of applicants that will ensure that the hiring process includes all the racial groups in
Australia. This will ensure that the hired workers are from diverse groups and not from the
majority groups (Bairoh, 2007). The process of recruitment should take into consideration the

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 9
interests of the minority groups including women, where the recruitment criteria should include
them to ensure that there is a diverse workplace in the healthcare organizations. In addition, the
recruitment and selection process should be transparent, equitable, as well as procedurally fair
(Sinclair, 2006).
The healthcare organizations have the role of promoting diversity in the workplace
through developing supportive environment that meets the diverse needs of the workforce. The
organizations should constantly consult with the workforce to enhance people management
practices. They should also circulate flexible working arrangements policy on a yearly basis to
make sure that workforce, both males and females are aware of, and have access to, flexible
working conditions. The healthcare organizations should create a diverse workplace through
offering in-house professional development sessions to share knowledge that will significantly
boost diversity in the workplace (Letvak, 2005).
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is a novel standard in healthcare governance that promotes the role
of human resources in the workplace. It is the newest of the three aspects of the corporate social
responsibility (CSR). Several organizations are becoming more and more active in addressing
social issues that affects people directly or indirectly. Healthcare organizations have the role of
ensuring that CSR is promoted by ensuring that the needs of the workforce are met. The
management should development programs that are designed to promote the welfare of the
employees as part of their social responsibility (Renouard, 2011). The healthcare organizations
have the role of developing the broader expectations that its employees have for their superiority
of their working life. This means that the organizations should treat all human resources

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 10
uniformly and offer equal prospects for all the workers despite age, gender, race or religion. This
will be essential because the employees will become satisfied since they are treated fairly by the
organization. Thereof, the healthcare organizations have a role of ensuring that the employees
are motivated at all time to boost their efficiency towards providing safe and high-quality care to
the clients. The staff should be treated with the utmost respect and ensuring that they are
provided with fair working conditions. In addition, the hiring practices must be fair and
promoting the staff with non-discriminatory practice in the workplace. The healthcare
organizations should develop social programs that should will ensure that the welfare of the staff
are taken care to boost their morale within the organization. For instance, the organizations can
offer different benefits and incentives that will further motivate the employees as part of its
social responsibility (Nunes, Rego & Brandão, 2010).
Employee Wellbeing
According to Jarman et al (2016), enhancing the health of workers is valuable, since
healthy plus proficient employees is a benefit for the agency. The last decades has seen an
increased attention in the health along with the health of the personnel. This has been partly
propelled by the growing healthcare costs; however, is also because of the consciousness that the
economy in developed world such as Australia has changed considerable. More so, the
healthcare sector has seen the tremendous changes in the manner workforce’s needs should be
me to boost their productivity. The healthy, safety, as well as welfare of the workforce is a vital
element in HRM and in the relationships amid organizations and the staff. Employees are the
greatest assets of the organization and the human resource managers have the role of ensuring
that their wellbeing is taken care at all times (Jarman et al., 2016). Healthy employees are critical

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 11
players towards their productivity that translates to that of the organization. Healthcare
organizations have a role of creating favourable and safe working conditions that promote the
health of the employees. Employees work best in workplaces that are safe and are free health
hazards.
The healthcare organizations have the role of supporting employees through health
promotion programs that is geared to promote their health towards promoting their productivity.
The organizations should provide health strategies that will provide education to the employees
of lifestyles that will promote their health and those that affect negatively their health. The
education programs should include informing the employees regarding dangers of smoking plus
assisting quitting, encouraging physical activity through providing sports infrastructure or
course, as well as encouraging workers to exercise plus informing regarding a vigorous diet plus
making it probable for health workers to have lunch at workplace (Miller, 2016). In addition, the
health organizations should provide flexible working hours for the employees and remote work,
including workforce in enhancing the working atmosphere plus permitting contribution in
organizing the work. The program should be designed that it promotes mental health through
offering stress management courses, as well as psychologist consultation (Gough, 2006).
Conclusions
The changing trends in the workplace have demanded the change in the strategies that
will effective handle social issues, especially those concerning human resources. The growing
social issues in the healthcare organizations demand the need to address them through
approaches that are focused on human resources. Human resources play a leading role in the

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 12
healthcare organizations where strategies should be tailored to promote their welfare. Diversity
in the workplace has been found be crucial in the modern workplace, especially in the healthcare
sector where there are dynamic changes occurring. The affirmative action should be promoted in
the workplace where anti-discrimination practices should be promoted to guarantee a favourable
working atmosphere for the workforce. Therefore, the recruitment and selection process should
ensure that the right people are selected to work which is the primary role of healthcare
organizations. Motivation is an important competent in the workplace among the employees
through social responsibility and employee wellbeing. Motivated employees are motivated and
work to attain the goals of the organization. It is clear that healthcare organizations have a crucial
role in developing strategies that will address social issues through programs such as affirmative
action and diversity.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 13
References
Bairoh, S. (2007). Current Debates on Classifying Diversity Management: Review and a
Proposal. SHS Intressebyra IB (oy Casa Security Ab), Swedish School of Economics and
Business Administration, Helsinki.
Brown, S. L., (2008) Diversity in the Workplace: A Study of Gender, Race, Age, and Salary
Level. UMI Number: 3297416 by Pro Quest Information and Learning Company.
Coombs, A. & King, R. (2005). Workplace discrimination: experiences of practicing physicians.
Journal of the National Medical Association. 97(3); 467–477.
Cowlishaw, G. (2004). Racial positioning, privilege and public debate. In: Moreton-Robinson A,
editor. Whitening race: essays in social and cultural criticism. Canberra: Aboriginal
Studies Press, 59-74.
DeCieri, H. & Kramar, R. (2005). Human resource management in Australia: Strategy, people,
performance, (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill, Macquarie Park, NSW.
French, E., & Strachan, G. (2004). Equal opportunity outcomes for women in the finance
industry in Australia: evaluating the merit of EEO plans. Asia Pacific Journal of Human
Resources. 45 (3); 314-32.
Gough, R. (2006). Employee relations, the labour market and work organisation. In Teicher, J.,
Holland P., and Gough R., (eds), Employee Relations Management: Australia in
a Global Context. Pearson Education Australia: Sydney.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 14
Grobler, K. C., Moloi, J & Ayres, L. (2017). Investigating the Management of Diversity in
Former Model C Schools in Gauteng. Journal of Social Sciences, 53(1); 45-56.
Jarman, L., Martin, A., Venn, A., Otahal, P., Blizzard, L., Teale, B., & Sanderson, K. (2016).
Workplace Health Promotion and Mental Health: Three-Year Findings from Partnering
Healthy@Work. PloS one, 11(8), e0156791.
Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy
of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies. American Sociological Review,
71(5), 589–617.
Letvak, S. (2005). Health and safety of older nurses. Nursing Outlook. 53(2); 66–72.
Marsden, D. & Moriconi, S. (2009). The Value of Rude Health: Employees’ Wellbeing,
Absence and Workplace Performance. CEP Discussion Paper 919. LSE: London, UK.
Miller, J. (2016). The well-being and productivity link: a significant opportunity for research-
into-practice. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance. 3(3);
289 – 311.
Nunes, R., Rego, G. & Brandão, C. (2010). The rise of independent regulation in health care.
Health Care Analysis. 15(3):169–177.
Renouard, C. (2011). Corporate social responsibility, utilitarianism, and the capabilities
approach. Journal of Business Ethics.;98(6):85–97.
Renu, J. & Crowther, D. (2007). Corporate Social Responsibility and the Empowerment of
Women: An Indian Perspective. Social Responsibility Journal, 3(4); 40 – 48.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IN PUBLIC HEALTH) 15
Sharma, A. (2016). Managing diversity and equality in the workplace. Sharma, Cogent Business
& Management. 3(1): 1212682.
Sinclair, A. (2006). Critical Diversity Management Practice in Australia: Romanced or Co-
Opted?”in Alison M. Konrad, Pushkala Prasad and Judith K. Pringle (eds), Handbook of
Workplace Diversity, Sage, London, 511-530.
Storseth, F. (2006). Changes at work and employee reactions: Organisational elements, job
insecurity and short term stress as predictors for employee health and safety.
Scandanavian Journal of Psychology. 47(6), 541–550.