Managing the group
As a new manager with minimal experience, I started by obtaining the information I need from official records of the office, contacting previous managers, talking to an employee, and contacting various regulatory agencies took some time, but it was essential. Some of the key issues prioritized included dealing with professional misconduct, including absconding duty, drug abuse, violence, high staff turnover rates, and lack of motivation. As I sought possible solutions to these issues, I considered that young people required different remedial approaches than mature adults (Allbuttet al., 2017). I also considered that people have different personalities and may respond differently to the remedial actions I was to undertake.
Professional misconduct is one of the systemic problems facing the institution, which could build a negative public image of the institution and negatively impact public trust in the profession. A few written warning letters were issued to the subjects involved before severe disciplinary measures were undertaken to deter this behavior. This was in line with systems theory that proposes that organizations work as a system, and hitch at one section affects all the other sections and CORU and HIQA regulations on professional conduct. The fundamental aim of the measures was to create a conducive working environment that serves users’ best interests. I also applied Theory X, in the sense that people will always require either negative or positive reinforcement to either deter bad behavior or encourage good acts (Allbuttet al., 2017). Some of the possible disciplinary measures I took against offenders include dismissal, unpaid leave, pay cuts, and non-promotion, among others. Some staff members positively took the measures while others were rebellious, but I pressed on, knowing that there was to be light at the end of the tunnel. I also developed a policy framework on the expected code of conduct, giving a comprehensive list of each offense’s details and consequences.
For consistency and impartiality when handling cases of indiscipline, I, with the help of my three team leaders, constituted a committee whose responsibility was to review each case based on its merits and demerits and recommend possible remedial actions (Allbuttet al., 2017). The committee was composed of an odd number of members so that in cases where members take hard-line positions and fail to agree, the issue could be subjected to a vote to chart the way forward. I also set up a career progressions framework with various cadres with rewards at every promotion stage to the nest cadre. This framework included managerial, and team leaders’ cadres (Cathy, Shannon, and Shauna) and was meant to curb staff and management’s high turnover rate (Allbuttet al., 2017). This enhanced continuity of service and hence productivity.
In conclusion, with the awareness that leadership and management are skills that can be learned, I enlisted staff, team leaders Cathy, Shannon and Shauna, and myself as a manager in professional training to enlighten ourselves on best practices on issues affecting the company. I also recommended to the board for staff incentives pegged on performance such as shopping vouchers, night outs, and seasonal presents to motivate them.
References
Allbutt, H., Colthart, I., El-Farargy, N., Sturgeon, C., Vallis, J., & Lough, M. (2017). Understanding supervision in health and social care through the experiences of practitioners in Scotland. Journal of Integrated Care.