Literature Review: HRM and Employee Management in Healthcare Sector

This report provides a comprehensive literature review of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within the healthcare sector. The report analyzes four key articles focusing on the evolution of HRM, employee engagement, employee well-being, and e-recruitment strategies. The first article examines the evolution of HRM practices and their impact on employee attitudes and organizational performance. The second article investigates the impact of employee disputes and conflicts, emphasizing the role of employee engagement. The third article explores HRM policies to enhance employee well-being, considering factors affecting well-being in the healthcare context. The final article focuses on e-recruitment and innovative recruitment practices. The report synthesizes the findings, highlighting the importance of aligning HRM practices with employee needs, addressing employee conflicts, promoting employee well-being, and leveraging modern recruitment methods to enhance the effectiveness of healthcare organizations.

Running head: HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Management of Human Resources in the Healthcare Sector
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Article 1
Full Reference
Cogin, J. A., Ng, J. L., & Lee, I. (2016). Controlling healthcare professionals: how human
resource management influences job attitudes and operational efficiency. Human
resources for health, 14(1), 55. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-016-
0149-0
Research Objectives and Research Questions
The primary objective of Cogin, Ng and Lee (2016) is to analyse the manner in which
the process of management of human resources within the healthcare sector have evolved
over the years to support the needs of the employees and also influence their attitudes so as to
enhance organisational performance. More importantly, other important objectives that the
concerned authors have tried to explore in the article are to understand the factors which have
lead to the evolution of the HRM processes or practices which are presently being used
within the framework of the healthcare industry and also the manner in which they can be
improved further. Thus, the research questions that the authors have selected for the article
are-
1. How the HRM practices used in the healthcare sector have evolved over the years to
enhance the performance of the hospital staffs?
2. What are the factors which have contributed towards the evolution of the HRM
practices within the healthcare sector?
3. What are the ways through which the HRM practices used by the healthcare firms can
be further improved to support the needs of the employees?

2HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Research Methodology
Cogin, Ng and Lee (2016) for the completion of this article have taken the help of the
secondary data analysis and qualitative analysis method and thereby used secondary sources
of information from seven different databases and also the reports of different healthcare
firms for the completion of the research work. More importantly, for the analysis of
secondary data that the authors collected the method of thematic analysis was used for their
interpretation. Furthermore, the researchers also interviewed around 34 individuals, namely,
“executive, healthcare managers, and employee” along with “physicians, nurses, and allied
health staff” for the collection of required data.
Summary of the Findings
The findings of the authors reveal the fact that unlike the earlier times the present-day
healthcare firms are increasingly taking the help of different kinds of effective HRM
practices to positively influence the attitude of the healthcare workers towards the work that
they perform and thereby to enhance the effectiveness of the organisations. Cogin, Ng and
Lee (2016) have found that “low levels of investment in people and a concentration on
transactional human resource (HR) activities which led to negative job attitudes such as low
morale and frustration among healthcare professionals” and this as a matter of fact was one of
the primary reasons for the below par performance of the different healthcare professionals.
The authors further found that the healthcare firms can enhance the effectiveness of their
HRM practices by aligning these practices with the needs of the employees and also the goals
outlined by them.
Summary of the Conclusion
The authors conclude the article by stating that the evolution within the cannon of
HRM practices used by the healthcare firms have been brought on by necessity rather than

3HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
choice. However, at the same time they state that this has positively affected the firms and
also the employees by influencing their attitude towards the work that they perform and this
in turn had enabled the firms to improve their organisational efficiency.
Importance of the article for my essay
This article will be an integral source for my essay because of its focus on the manner
in which the HRM practices used by the healthcare firms have evolved over the years. More
importantly, the article is a peer-reviewed one as well as a credible one and was published in
the “Human resources for health”. Furthermore, the article published in the year 2016 is a
fairly recent one and the authors have both objectively and subjectively analysed the research
objectives or questions selected for the article.

4HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Article 2
Full Reference
Shantz, A., Alfes, K., & Arevshatian, L. (2016). HRM in healthcare: the role of work
engagement. Personnel Review, 45(2), 274-295. Retrieved from
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/PR-09-2014-0203
Research Objectives and Research Questions
The major objective of Shantz, Alfes and Arevshatian (2016) in this article is to
understand the manner in which the different employee conflicts or disputes within the
healthcare firms is adversely affecting their performance. Furthermore, the authors have also
tried to evaluate the factors which have contributed to these disputes and also the manner in
which they can be resolved through active intervention on the part of the HR professionals.
The research questions that Shantz, Alfes and Arevshatian (2016) have selected for the article
are listed below-
1. How the different kinds of employee disputes and conflicts which the different
Healthcare firms are facing is adversely affecting their performance?
2. What are the factors which have contributed towards the increasing number of
employee disputes or conflicts that the Healthcare firms are facing?
3. What are the ways through the problem of employee conflicts and disputes faced by
the healthcare firms can be resolved in an effective manner?
Research Methodology
Shantz, Alfes and Arevshatian (2016) for the completion of this article took the help
of the primary data collection method and thereby collected the required data through the
usage of the tool of surveys with 618 different employees related to the healthcare industry.

5HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
More importantly, for the analysis of this data the authors took the help of the quantitative
data analysis method.
Summary of the Findings
Shantz, Alfes and Arevshatian (2016) found that two of the major factors which
contributed towards the different kinds of employee conflicts or disputes within the
healthcare industry are the extreme work-pressure that they need to handle and also the
stringent “quality of care and safety” standards that they are required to follow. The authors,
thus, state that for the reduction of these disputes or conflicts the firms or the HR
professionals need to take the help of the construct of employee engagement so as to reduce
the work-pressure felt by the employees and also to improve their organisational culture as
well.
Summary of the Conclusion
Shantz, Alfes and Arevshatian (2016) have concluded that the inability of the firms to
promote employee engagement in an effective manner is the root cause of the different kinds
of employee conflicts and disputes that the healthcare firms are presently facing. Thus, the
authors state that the HR professionals and also the healthcare firms would be able to gain in
a significant manner if they take the help of the processes of employee engagement and
others.
Importance of the article for my essay
The article published in the reputed journal “Personnel Review” in 2016 is not only a
recent one but also a reliable one. More importantly, it is seen that to render credibility to the
article under discussion here the authors have done extensive research. Furthermore, the
article in a succinct manner highlights the problem of different employee disputes or conflicts
that the majority of the firms related to the healthcare industry are presently facing and also

6HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
the manner in which they can overcome it and thereby offers insightful information regarding
the context in which the present-day HR professionals need to work. It is because of these
aspects of the article that I have selected it as a source for my essay.

7HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Article 3
Full Reference
Guest, D. E. (2017). Human resource management and employee well‐being: Towards a new
analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), 22-38. Retrieved
from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1748-8583.12139
Research Objectives and Research Questions
The major objective of Guest (2017) in this article is to understand the manner in
which the HR professionals related to the healthcare industry can enhance the well-being
level of their employees in the specific context of the stressful job that they perform. Other
important objectives that the authors have selected for the purpose of this are to evaluate the
factors which affect the well-being of the employees in the healthcare sector and the manner
in which the HR professionals can help the workers level of their well-being and also their
performance. The research questions that the authors have selected for the article are listed
below-
1. What the HRM policies of the healthcare firms can enhance the well-being level of
the employees?
2. What are the factors which affect the well-being level of the employees in the
particular context of the healthcare industry?
3. What are the ways through which the HR professionals can enhance the well-being of
the employees and thereby their performance in a positive manner?
Research Methodology
Guest (2017) taking the help of the secondary data collection method interviewed 37
managers from the different healthcare firms of so as to collected the required data for the

8HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
completion of the article. Furthermore, for the effective analysis of this secondary data the
authors took the help of qualitative data analysis method.
Summary of the Findings
Guest (2017) found that the HRM policies followed by the healthcare firms “HRM
should benefit both individuals and organisations”. More importantly, the authors also found
that there are various factors which affect the well-being of the employees like the kind of
work that they perform, organisational culture and others. In addition to these, the authors
also state that the firms can significantly enhance the employee performance through
enhancing the well-being of the workers.
Summary of the Conclusion
Guest (2017) come to the conclusion for the improvement of employee performance
the firms need to focus on the aspect of well-being of the employees. More importantly, the
firms also need to take into account the various factors which affect the well-being of the
employees and thereby formulate effective strategies for the enhancement of the same.
Importance of the article for my essay
The article under discussion here published in the reputed journal “Human Resource
Management Journal” in 2017 is not only a reputable one but also a credible one as well. For
example, it is seen that the authors have taken the help of interviews so as to lend credibility
and authenticity to the concerned work and also to objectively analyse the research questions.
On the score of these aspects and also because of the fact that the article articulates the need
for undertaking adequate skill initiatives on the part of the HR professionals so as to enhance
the well-being level of the employees and also to manage the relation between the firms and
employees in an effective, this will be an important source for my essay.

9HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Article 4
Full Reference
Whitaker, C., Stevelink, S., & Fear, N. (2017). The use of Facebook in recruiting participants
for health research purposes: a systematic review. Journal of medical Internet
research, 19(8), e290. Retrieved from https://www.jmir.org/2017/8/e290/
Research Objectives and Research Questions
The primary objective that Whitaker, Stevelink and Fear (2017) have selected for the
article is to evaluate the factors which motivate the healthcare firms to use the process of e-
recruitment and other similar innovative recruitment practices. Furthermore, the authors have
also tried to analyse the benefits that the usage of these modern forms of recruitment
processes offer to the healthcare firms and also the manner in which they can enhance the
effectiveness of these recruitment processes used by them. The research questions which the
authors Kashi, Zheng and Molineux (2016) selected for the article are listed below-
 What are the factors which motivate the healthcare firms to use the different kinds of
e-recruitment and other similar innovative recruitment measures?
 What are the benefits that the usage of the e-recruitment process offers to the
healthcare firms over the traditional recruitment measures?
 What are the ways through which the healthcare firms can enhance the effectiveness
of the e-recruitment processes used by them?
Research Methodology
Whitaker, Stevelink and Fear (2017) for the collection of the data needed for the
completion of the article had relied on secondary qualitative data collected from 35 different

10HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
healthcare firms. Furthermore, the authors for the analysis of these data have taken the help
of the qualitative data analysis or more appropriately the thematic data analysis method.
Summary of the Findings
Whitaker, Stevelink and Fear (2017) found that cost effective, time effective, lesser
usage of organisational resources and others are the major factors which motivate the firms to
resort to the usage of the e-recruitment processes. More importantly, the authors also found
that these innovative recruitment processes provide various benefits over the traditional
recruitment processes like the firms incur a lesser cost, the time needed is also very less and
the firms are often being able to get the right kind of candidates. Lastly, the authors also state
that in order to enhance the effective e-recruitment measures, the firms need to take the help
of different social media platforms like Facebook and others.
Summary of the Conclusion
Whitaker, Stevelink and Fear (2017) conclude by stating that the usage of the
different kinds of e-recruitment strategies have enabled the firms to overcome the labour
issues faced by them. More importantly, these strategies are not only cost effective but at the
same time save a considerable amount of the time of the firms as well.
Importance of the article for my essay
The article published in 2017 in “Journal of medical Internet research” is a fairly
recent one and also a reliable one. More importantly, to lend credibility to the article the
authors have collected qualitative information from 35 different healthcare firms.
Furthermore, the article in a succinct manner highlights the manner in which the healthcare
firms can address the labour issues that they are facing and also the benefits that the effective
usage of the e-recruitment strategies offers to them. It is in the light of these aspects that I
have selected this article as one of my important sources for the essay.

11HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

12HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Article 5
Full Reference
Donetto, S., Pierri, P., Tsianakas, V., & Robert, G. (2015). Experience-based co-design and
healthcare improvement: realizing participatory design in the public sector. The
Design Journal, 18(2), 227-248. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175630615X14212498964312
Research Objectives and Research Questions
The major objective of Grimmer et al (2017) in this article is to analyse the manner in
which the healthcare firms can enhance the performance of their firms through the creation of
effective job design and also through the usage of strategic human resource management
(SHRM). More importantly, other important objectives taken by the authors are to understand
the factors which motivate the firms to formulate effective jobs and use SHRM and also the
measures that they can use to enhance the effectiveness of the job design and SHRM
practices used by them. The research questions that the authors have selected for the article
are listed below-
1. What are the factors which motivate the healthcare firms to take the help of effective
job design and SHRM?
2. What are the benefits that the healthcare firms through the usage of effective job
design and SHRM?
3. How the HRM planning processes used by the healthcare firms can be improved to
support the performance needs of the firms?

13HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Research Methodology
Donetto, Pierri, Tsianakas and Robert (2015) for the collection of required primary
data which was needed for the effective completion of the article surveyed around 384
employees from the different healthcare firms. Furthermore, for the analysis of the primary
data which were collected, the authors opted for the usage of the quantitative data analysis
method and thereby used the tool of SPSS for the same.
Summary of the Findings
Donetto, Pierri, Tsianakas and Robert (2015) found that the process of effective HR
planning and also adequate utilisation of the same had enabled the healthcare firms “to bring
healthcare staff and patients together to improve the quality of care”. More importantly, the
authors also found that the benefits or rewards offered by the usage of effective resource
utilisation and SHRM were the major factors which propelled the firms to use them.
Furthermore, the authors found that for the improvement of the HR planning process, the HR
professionals not only needed to create effective job designs but also needed to strategically
align the individual goals or the objectives of the workers with that of the firms to get the
desired results.
Summary of the Conclusion
The authors conclude by stating that the process of HR planning is an important one
from the perspective of the healthcare firms and their performance greatly depends on the
ability of the HR professionals to create effective job designs and also use the concept of
SHRM. More importantly, they also articulated the need on the part of the HR professionals
to offer effective training and others to the employees so as to promote the adequate
utilisation of the human resources.

14HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
Importance of the article for my essay
The article published in the reputed journal “The Design Journal” in 2015 is not only
a credible one but at the same time a reliable one as well. More importantly, it is seen that the
authors have undertaken a detailed analysis of the research questions and also taken the help
of primary data to add value to the research. In addition to these, the article also offers insight
information regarding the manner in which the HR professionals and also the healthcare
firms can enhance the employee performance through the adequate human resource
utilisation, SHRM, HR planning and others. It is on the basis of these aspects of the article
that I think this will be an important one for my essay.

15HRM IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
References
Cogin, J. A., Ng, J. L., & Lee, I. (2016). Controlling healthcare professionals: how human
resource management influences job attitudes and operational efficiency. Human
resources for health, 14(1), 55. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-016-
0149-0
Donetto, S., Pierri, P., Tsianakas, V., & Robert, G. (2015). Experience-based co-design and
healthcare improvement: realizing participatory design in the public sector. The
Design Journal, 18(2), 227-248. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175630615X14212498964312
Guest, D. E. (2017). Human resource management and employee well‐being: Towards a new
analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), 22-38. Retrieved
from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1748-8583.12139
Shantz, A., Alfes, K., & Arevshatian, L. (2016). HRM in healthcare: the role of work
engagement. Personnel Review, 45(2), 274-295. Retrieved from
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/PR-09-2014-0203
Whitaker, C., Stevelink, S., & Fear, N. (2017). The use of Facebook in recruiting participants
for health research purposes: a systematic review. Journal of medical Internet
research, 19(8), e290. Retrieved from https://www.jmir.org/2017/8/e290/