Abubakar, Achumbre, Cosep, Juntilla, Sindatoc

CHAPTER 09
TIME MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION
Another part of the planning process is short-term planning. This operational planning
focuses on achieving specific task. It involves a period of 1 hour to 3 years and are
usually less complex than strategic or long-range plans. It may be done annually,
quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly.
Time is an equally important resource. Indeed, the Latin for “I waste my time” is
“tempus tero”, which literally means the rubbing away or gradual unrecognized loss of
valuable commodity.
Time Management can be defined as making optimal use of available time. Optimizing
Time management must include priority setting, managing and controlling crises and
balancing work and personal time.
A. THREE BASIC STEP TO TIME MANAGEMENT
i. Requires that time be set aside for planning and establishing priorities.
ii. Entails completing the highest priority task whenever possible and finishing one
task before beginning another.
iii. The person must reprioritize

LEADERSHIP ROLES AND MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS IN TIME

MANAGEMENT
Leadership Roles
1. Is self-aware regarding personal blocks and barriers to efficient time
management
2. Recognizes how one’s own value system influences his or her use of time and the
expectations of followers
3. Functions as a role model, supporter, and resource person to others in
setting priorities for goal attainment
4. Assists followers in working cooperatively to maximize time use
5. Prevents and/or filters interruptions that prevent effective time
management
 6. Role models flexibility in working cooperatively with other people whose
primary time management style is different
7. Presents a calm and reassuring demeanor during periods of high unit
activity
8. Prioritizes conflicting and overlapping requests for time
9. Appropriately determines the quality of work needed in tasks to be
completed

Management Functions
1. Appropriately prioritizes day-to-day planning to meet short-term
and long-term unit goals
2. Builds time for planning into the work schedule
3. Analyzes how time is managed on the unit level by using job
analysis and time-and-motion studies
4. Eliminates environmental barriers to effective time management
for workers
5. Handles paperwork promptly and efficiently and maintains a neat
work area
6. Breaks down large tasks into smaller ones that can more easily be
accomplished by unit members
7. Utilizes appropriate technology to facilitate timely communication
and documentation
8. Discriminates between inadequate staffing and inefficient use of
time when time resources are Inadequate to complete assigned
tasks
B. Dealing With Interruptions
 Interruptions are common, especially for lower-level managers.

 Strategies for preventing interruptions:

 Limiting accessibility, creating quiet workspaces, scheduling appointments.

 Interrupting rambling conversations to get to the point.

 Avoiding promoting socialization.

C. Time Wasters
A. Technology:
- Can be both a time saver and a time waster.

2
 - Examples: excessive email checking, online gaming, social media
distractions.
- Importance of unplugging from work and devices for work-life balance.
B. Socializing:
- Can be detrimental to productivity.
- Strategies for reducing socializing:
- Limiting accessibility, creating a less inviting workspace, interrupting
rambling conversations, being brief, scheduling appointments.
C. Paperwork Overload:
- Handling paperwork promptly and efficiently.
- Maintaining a neat work area.
- Utilizing electronic tools to reduce paper use.
D. Poor Filing System:
- Organizing correspondence in easily retrievable files.

D. Personal Time Management:

A. Self-Awareness:
 Understanding personal goals and priorities.

 Recognizing personal time management style.

 Identifying periods of peak productivity.
B. Time Inventory:

 Tracking activities over a period of time to identify patterns.

 Identifying time wasters and areas for improvement.

Priority Setting and Procrastination

Priority Setting
1. Importance of Self-Awareness:
- Recognizing what is truly important and aligning actions with
those values.
2. Three Categories of Prioritization:

3
 - “Don’t Do”: Tasks that are unnecessary, outdated, or better
handled by someone else.
- “Do Later”: Tasks with less immediate deadlines, potentially
subject to procrastination.
- “Do Now”: Urgent and high-priority tasks.
3. Strategies for Prioritization:
- Use Written Lists: Organize tasks and prioritize them.
- Distinguish Between Importance and Urgency: Not all important
things are urgent, and vice versa.
- Regularly Review Lists: Assess uncompleted tasks and re-evaluate
their necessity.
B. Procrastination
1. Definition:
-Putting off tasks and delaying deadlines.
2. Causes:
- Dysfunctional attitudes
- Rationalizations
- Perfectionism
- Fear of failure
- Emotional factors
3. Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination:
- Break Down Large Tasks: Divide tasks into smaller, manageable
steps.
- Set Clear Deadlines and Timelines: Establish a framework for
completion.
- Address Procrastination Habits: Identify and address the
underlying causes of procrastination.
- Learning Exercise 9.3: Targeting Personal Procrastination:
- Reflect on your procrastination habits over the past two weeks.
- Identify patterns and develop strategies for overcoming them

4
 The Time-Efficient Work Environment
A. Strategies for Staff Nurses
1. Gather Supplies and Equipment Beforehand: Avoid wasting time searching.
2. Group Activities in the Same Location: Minimize travel time.
3. Use Time Estimates for Planning: Allocate time blocks for tasks.
4. Document Interventions Promptly: Avoid accumulating documentation at the
end of the shift.
5. End the Workday on Time: Delegate tasks, set realistic workloads.
B. Strategies for Unit Managers

1. Organize Supplies and Equipment Efficiently: Ensure easy access and reduce
wasted time.
2. Establish Efficient Lunch and Break Schedules: Coordinate breaks for optimal
staff coverage.
3. Identify Key Priorities for the Day: Determine the most important tasks to be
accomplished.
4. Determine Specific Actions Needed to Meet Priorities: Create a plan of action.
5. Assess Staff Capabilities and Delegate Tasks Appropriately: Match tasks with
staff skills and availability.
6. Regularly Review Unit Plans and Involve Staff in Problem-Solving: Promote
collaboration and shared responsibility.
7. Plan for Periodic Breaks Throughout the Day: Maintain focus and energy levels

Conclusion
o Time management is an essential skill for both personal and
professional success in nursing.
o Prioritizing tasks, managing distractions, and overcoming
procrastination are crucial for efficient time use.
o Creating a time-efficient work environment benefits both staff and
managers.
o The integrated leader-manager effectively manages time resources
and empowers others to do the same.
Key Concepts:

5
 - Time Management: Making optimal use of available time.
- Planning Fallacies: Underestimating the time needed to
complete tasks.
- Priority Setting: Identifying and ranking tasks based on
importance and urgency.
- Procrastination: Delaying tasks and deadlines.
- Time Inventory: Tracking activities to identify patterns and areas
for improvement.
- Time-Efficient Work Environment: Strategies for maximizing
productivity and minimizing time wasters.
- Integrated Leader-Manager: Effectively manages time resources
and empowers others to do the same.

CHAPTER 15: EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT,

SELECTION, PLACEMENT,AND
INDOCTRINATION

INTRODUCTION
After planning and organizing, staffing is the third phase of the management
process. In staffing, the leader manager recruits, selects, places, and indoctrinates
personnel to accomplish the goals of the organization.
Staffing is an especially important phase of the management process in health-
care organizations because such organizations are usually labor intensive (i.e.,
numerous employees are required for an organization to accomplish its goals). The
workforce should also reflect the diversity of the communities that the organization
serves.
The National League for Nursing (NLN, 2016a) notes that diversity suggests that
“each individual is unique and recognizes individual differences—race, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, socioeconomic status, age, physical
abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other attributes. It encourages self-
awareness and respect for all persons, embracing and celebrating the richness of
each individual.

6
A. Leadership Roles and Management Functions Associated With Preliminary
Staffing Functions
Leadership Roles
i. Is knowledgeable regarding current and historical staffing variables
ii. Identifies and recruits talented people to the organization
iii. Encourages and seeks diversity in staffing
iv. Is self-aware regarding personal biases during the reemployment process
v. Seeks to find the best possible fit between employees’ unique talents and
organizational staffing needs
vi. Reviews induction and orientation programs periodically to ascertain they are
meeting unit needs
vii. Ensures that each new employee understands appropriate organizational
policies
viii. Aspires continually to create a work environment that promotes retention and
worker satisfaction
ix. Promotes hiring based on preferred criteria rather than minimum criteria

Management Functions
1. Plans for future staffing needs proactively to ensure an adequate skilled
workforce to meet the goals of the organization
2. Shares responsibility for the recruitment of staff with organization
recruiters
3. Plans and structures appropriate interview activities
4. Uses techniques that increase the validity and reliability of the interview
process
5. Applies knowledge of the legal requirements of interviewing and selection
to ensure that the organization is not unfair in its hiring practices
6. Develops established criteria for employment selection purposes
7. Uses knowledge of organizational needs and employee strengths to make
placement decisions
8. Interprets information in employee handbook and provides input for
handbook revisions
9. Participates actively in employee orientation

PREDICTING STAFFING NEEDS

7
 Accurately predicting staffing needs is crucial for managers to avoid staffing crises.
They must understand their nursing pool, local nursing school enrollment, staff
turnover rates, peak resignation periods, high patient census times, and factors like
patient care systems, required staff qualifications, budget constraints, historical
staffing patterns, and patient diversity.

Additionally, managers need a solid grasp of third-party insurer reimbursement,

which significantly impacts staffing. For example, in the 1990s, reduced
reimbursements led many hospitals to downsize, replacing RNs with unlicensed
personnel. This lack of focus on recruitment and retention contributed to an RN
shortage by the late 1990s.
Health-care managers have long been sensitive to the importance of physical
(technology and space) and financial resources to the success of service delivery. It
is the shortage of human resources, however, that likely poses the greatest
challenge to most health-care organizations today. Many experts suggested at the
close of the first decade of the 21st century that the United States would be facing a
profound nursing shortage by 2020.

Supply and Demand Factors Leading to a Potential Nursing Shortage

Demand
Demand for RNs is expected to continue or accelerate. As of 2014, the United States
had about 3 million RNs filling about 2.8 million jobs; about 1 out of 6 RNs worked
part time (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015b). Despite declining vacancy rates,
particularly at hospitals, this does not appear to be enough to meet either short- or
long-term needs in hospitals or other health-care settings
Supply
Nursing school enrollment has steadily increased for nearly a decade, but these
gains are insufficient to replace retiring nurses. The issue is not a lack of applicants
but inadequate resources, including clinical sites, classroom space, faculty, and
preceptors. In 2014, 68,938 qualified applicants were turned away from
baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs due to these shortages (AACN, 2015).

Faculty shortages are a major barrier, with a 6.9% national vacancy rate reported in
2014. Key challenges include limited hiring funds, a shortage of doctorally prepared
faculty, and uncompetitive salaries compared to clinical roles. Low faculty salaries
hinder recruitment and retention of qualified educators, making the faculty shortage
a critical obstacle to addressing the nursing shortage in the coming decade.

8
Recruitment

Recruitment is the process of actively seeking out or attracting applicants for

existing positions and should be an ongoing process. In complex organizations, work
must be accomplished by groups of people; therefore, the organization’s ability to
meet its goals and objectives relates directly to the quality of its employees.
Unfortunately, some managers feel threatened by bright and talented people and
surround themselves with mediocrity. Wise leader-managers surround themselves
with people of ability, motivation, and promise

The Nurse-Recruiter
The manager’s involvement in recruiting and selecting staff varies based on the
institution’s size, the presence of a personnel department or nurse-recruiter, and
whether nursing management is centralized or decentralized. Decentralized
management and simpler personnel structures typically result in greater
managerial involvement in hiring.
When considering a nurse-recruiter, organizations must weigh the costs,
including the risk of managers disengaging from the recruitment process.
Collaboration between managers and recruiters is essential, with both
understanding recruitment constraints, departmental needs, and organizational
policies to ensure effective hiring and retention.
Strategies:

• Develop a strong employer brand to attract talent

• Use targeted recruitment to reach specific candidate
pools.
SELECTION
The process of choosing the most suitable candidate from the pool of applicants.
Steps:

• Screening: Reviewing resumes and applications to

identify qualified candidates.
• Interviews: Structured or unstructured methods to
assess skills, experience, and cultural fit.

9
 • Testing: Skills assessments, personality tests, or other
evaluation tools.
• Reference and Background Checks: Verifying past
employment and criminal records.

Importance
• Ensures alignment of candidates’ skills and values with
organizational goals.

Placement
Assigning the right person to the right job
Considerations:
• Match skills and qualifications with job requirements.
• Ensure the placement fosters employee satisfaction and
productivity.
Types:

 Temporary or probationary placements before permanent hiring.

Indoctrination (Orientation)
The process of integrating new employees into the organization.
Goals:
• Familiarize employees with the company’s mission,
values, policies, and culture.
• Reduce anxiety and help employees adjust to their new
roles.
Methods:

• Formal orientation programs (presentations,

workshops).
• Informal mentoring and peer support.

Outcomes
Improved employee engagement, retention, and performance.

10
Key Takeaways

• Effective recruitment and selection processes ensure the

organization attracts and hires high-quality talent.
• Proper placement and indoctrination foster smooth
transitions, reduce turnover, and enhance workplace
morale.
• Continuous evaluation of these processes is crucial to
adapt to changing workforce dynamics and
organizational needs
• This chapter highlights the importance of strategic
human resource management in building a competent
and motivated workforce.

11