Scenario Analysis

Running Head: SCENARIO ANALYSIS
Scenario Analysis
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SCENARIO ANALYSIS
Scenario Analysis
Introduction
Employee workload is one of the major causes of stress in the workforce. Employee
workload is a major problem that requires proper management since it has severe effects on
employees as shared by (Seidel, 2019). Heavy workload causes stress among the employees
since they find it difficult to balance their work and personal life. Additionally, it causes lack
of motivation, employee conflicts, fatigue and difficulty in completing tasks (Seidel, 2019).
As such, organizations need to have proper workload management strategies in place.
According to (Fojut, 2018), workload can be managed by having a list of the tasks to be
completed and by focusing on productivity. This paper, therefore, seeks to provide an
analysis of a workload case scenario in a tertiary care facility and the steps needed in
resolving the issue.
Critical Analysis of the Scenario
In the case scenario provided, the management of a large tertiary care facility
employed a nursing unit manager. The manager was tasked with the day-to-day operation of
a thirty-two bed pediatric care unit. In addition to that, the new manager was expected to
carry out staff performance evaluation, ensure high quality patient care and staffing.
However, during the first day as a manager in the unit, the new manager discovered the
existence of employee workload issue since the manager overheard a licensed practical nurse
(LPN) complaining to a registered nurse (RN) regarding being overloaded in the workplace.
In addition to that, the manager noticed that the facility experienced lack of productivity,
lateness and frequent sick calls. As such, workload issues arose as a result of frequent sick
calls. Frequent sick calls have both direct and indirect effects in any organization as shared by
(Caine, 2015). The effects include low productivity as a result of fewer workers, poor

SCENARIO ANALYSIS
services to customers, reduced motivation among the staff, staff being overloaded with extra
work and organizations being obligated to pay salaries for the absent employees.
Consequently, in the scenario provided, frequent sick calls meant more work for the
employees present at the health care facility since the tasks in the facility had to be carried
out despite the absence of other employees. Additionally, the sick-offs contributed to low
productivity because the few staff were overloaded thus could not maintain the same level of
productivity because there is a likelihood that they had limited time in accomplishing the
tasks assigned to them. Low productivity may also occur as a result of other factors as
highlighted by (Chaffold, 2017). Some of those factors include poor supervision, inadequate
communication, lack of delegation, absence of acknowledgment, inconsistencies and
inappropriate behavior. Low productivity could arise due to poor supervision in the sense that
supervisors provide limited time for staff to complete the tasks. Additionally, poor
supervision could involve supervisors favoring other employees. In the scenario at hand, an
employee was complaining about being overworked whenever she was in a given team unlike
when she was in a different team. This contributes to low productivity because when
employees are not satisfied with the treatment accorded to them by their supervisors, they
will not attend to the tasks assigned to them with the seriousness and dedication that it
deserves. Inadequate communication plays a major role in the organization’s productivity. In
cases of inadequate communication, organizations experience low productivity. This is
because it affects job performance. In relation to the case scenario provided, the health care
facility experienced low productivity probably due to inadequate communication regarding
issues such as employee sick-offs. When employees are not informed in good time about
absenteeism of their co-workers, it becomes difficult for them to perform excellently.
Furthermore, cases of inconsistencies affect the performance of employees because they will
be distracted in getting work done more so in the event that there is excess workload. Cases