STAFFING AND SCHEDULING (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and

“People are not your most important asset. The right Environmental) (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)

people are.” - Jim Collins, Author of Good to Great

STAFFING CONCEPTS OF STAFFING

- The setting of long-term goals and objectives 1. JOB DESCRIPTION

for the number and types of personnel needed - A method of obtaining detailed information

to meet the laboratory requirements about the tasks and duties involved in each job,

- The process of determining personnel and as well as the qualifications established for each

needs, and then recruiting qualified staff, employee

matching them with the appropriate job, and - Includes the ff:

training them to perform the work assigned ➢ Job title

- Identify the type of personnel needed to work ➢ Department

for a job ➢ Section or unit

➢ Schedule

Things to consider when performing staffing ➢ Responsibilities

1. Types of Personnel Needed ➢ Qualifications

- The technological and analytical complexity of e.g. experience or education requirements

the procedures being performed 2. RECRUITMENT

- Equipment, instrumentation, and computer - The search for prospective employees

technology available 3. INDUCTION

- Testing volume of workload - Consists of formal procedures that the

- Analytical throughput or turnaround time employee goes through immediately after being

expectation employed

- The amount of supervision and support - Follows the contract of employment

available 4. ORIENTATION

2. Staffing levels - The process of informing the new employee

- Primarily determined by the level of service about the organization and his or her place in it

expected from each unit and the resulting 5. INSTRUCTION

workload - Teaching employees the skills, abilities, and

3. Performance training attitudes needed to perform optimally

- A systematic development of knowledge, skills, 6. SCHEDULING

and attitudes required in employees to perform - Matching the people presently working in the

adequately on a given task or job. laboratory with current workload requirements

4. Workload projections
- May be obtained from sources like historical ISSUES AND FACTORS INFLUENCING

records and analyses of future trends and SCHEDULE DECISIONS

foreseeable changes 1. AVAILABILITY OF THE STAFF

- Predicting how heavy a jobs is expected to be - Skills of each worker

- Use of PESTLE and SWOT analyses - Paper qualifications of the employee

 - Employees’ flexibility in hours available to
work
- Total number of persons available
2. TYPE AND VOLUME OF WORK
PERFORMED
- Test and procedures offered
- Technical expertise needed
- Timing elements (STAT )
STAT- Tests that need to be released after an hour
3. THE WORKPLACE
- Instrumentation - Knowledge of instruments
to be used
- Methodology - Problem-solving skills
- Organization - How many workers are needed
based on the facility's size
- Facility layout
4. THE WORK SCHEDULE
- Traditional - More commonly followed in the
laboratory
○40-hour work week: Wage and hour laws that
require employers to pay overtime to employees
who work more than 40 hours in a 7-day
calendar period
○8/80-hour work cycle: A special provision to
the wage and hour law that allows healthcare
employees to work at extended period of time
outside the 40-hour rule and set overtime pay
when they exceed 80 hours in a 2-week calendar
period or work more than 8 hours in a single
day
- Alternative
○Compressed work cycle
○Flexible working hours
○Job sharing
○Exempt and professional status
○Work-at-home programs
○Off-site testing and satellite laboratories
○Freelance employment
INTRO TO PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
HUMAN RESOURCES
- The organizational entity in charge with
guiding the institution in its relationship with
its employees
- Recruits, hires, deploys, and manages the
organization’s employees
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
- The process of managing and integrating
human resources with the goals and objectives
of the organization
- It has 8 steps
THE PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT PROCESS
1. NEEDS ASSESSMENT
- The process of identifying the “need” for a
worker
- Reasons for need:
- Another employee’s departure
- An increase in workload
- Change in work process that requires a
person with special skills or training
- ex. expansion/addition to services offered
2. RECRUITMENT
- The process of locating and attracting qualified
job applicants
Inside Sources: Within the organization
- Advantages
1. Continuity
2. Loyalty and long-term commitment
3. Investment in the individual
4. Minimal orientation and training
- Approaches:
1. Lateral or horizontal move: Movement
of employees via increasing knowledge
or adaptation of new skills
e.g. transfer of employee from one department
to another
 2. Vertical move: Obtaining
promotion—moving from a lower position to a
higher level
Outside Sources: Outside the organization or external
sources
- Advantages
1. Acquisition of new skills
2. Need for improvement in performance
- Disadvantages
1. Expensive and time-consuming
2. High failure rate
- Approaches:
1. Advertising - Referral or
recommendations
2. Sign-up bonuses - Additional bonuses
may be given to the person being
recruited to join the organization
3. Employment agencies - Usually for
international applications
4. Educational institutions - Job fair in
schools
5. Unsolicited applications or chance
walk-in
6. Professional organization
3. SELECTION
- Collection or pool of applications are sorted
and undergo preliminary screening
- A process of matching the right person to the
right job
Two Basic Methods
1. Elimination or comparison
- Elimination: Deciding whether or not a
checklist of characteristics matches a particular
applicant
- Comparison: Comparing one applicant to
another
2. Prioritizing or ranking procedure
- Ranking applicants according to who fits more,
or the most, the job
Activities in the selection process
1. Reference checks
- Means to check an employee’s background
profile
- Individuals indicated at the bottom part of an
applicant’s resume may be consulted
- Quite risky due to privacy issues
2. Employment tests
- Standardized tests to measure attributes and
skills of potential employees
- Psychological examinations, verbal and
communication examination, clerical tests,
aptitude tests, personality evaluation
3. Pre-employment tests
- Includes physical examination, laboratory
examination (X-ray, drug test, blood test, dental
test)
4. Employment interview
5. Job offer and hiring decision
- Employer: Deciding whether or not to hire an
employee
- Potential employee: Assessment of policies,
which may eventually influence acceptance of
job offer
Employment Interview Strategies
1. STRUCTURED OR PATTERNED
INTERVIEWS
- There is a predetermined format and prepared
list of questions
- Follows a standardized checklist or uses an
interview form
- Allows easier comparison among applicants,
but hinders the free flow of the conversation
2. UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
- Broad agenda
- Freedom to discuss an issue in-depth and
obtain follow-up responses
 - Allows continuity but requires a great skill, on 4. EMPLOYMENT
the part of the interviewer, to ensure that the - The process of deciding about the nature of the
desired information is obtained job offer
3. STRESS INTERVIEWS 5. ORIENTATION
- Designed for specific purposes - The process of introducing the new employee/s
- Are often used for formal testing procedures, to to the organization and their duties
identify traits and characteristics needed for the - Aims to familiarize the new employee and
job in which an individual will be exposed to enable him or her to socialize in the institution
highly dangerous or intimidating situations Three Aspects
The Interview Process 1. Organizational
1. PREPARATION - Goals, vision, objectives, and policies of the
- The interviewer is reviewing information about organization
the job and the data submitted by the candidate 2. Departmental
2. ESTABLISHING RAPPORT - Department or unit where the employee will
- Establishing a comfortable relationship with work
the usually nervous interviewee and providing a - Policies of the department
comfortable atmosphere - Responsibilities within the department
3. QUESTIONING AND INFORMATION 3. Job Duties Orientation
EXCHANGE - Responsibilities given the job title
- Conversation or interview proper Four General Methods
- The interviewer and interviewee obtain 1. Formal meetings
information from each other - Orientation on the institution’s rules and
4. CLOSING AND FOLLOW-UP regulations
- The potential employee is given an opportunity 2. Supervisor-directed sessions
to ask about the job or organization 3. Checklist approach
5. EVALUATION - List of things that the employee should learn
- Evaluation of the interviewee’s answers and 4. A buddy or sponsor system
performance - Pairing the newly-hired employee with
TYPES OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS someone who has been working within the
1. CLOSE-ENDED organization for a long time
- Answerable by yes or no 6. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
2. OPEN-ENDED - Four Components:
- Require thought and oblige the job seeker to 1. Wage and salary administration
reveal attitudes or opinions 2. Staffing and scheduling
3. HYPOTHETICAL 3. Performance monitoring
- Invite the candidate to resolve an imaginary 4. Labor relations
situation or react to a given situation - HUMAN RESOURCE DOCUMENTATION
4. OUTSIDE-THE-BOX 1. Job description
- See if the applicant can think outside the box 2. Resume
 3. Copy of advertisements 2. Insubordination
4. Sample interview Questions 3. Excessive tardiness or absences
5. Responses from references 4. Verbal abuse
6. Employees’ file 5. Physical violence
7. Performance appraisal documents 6. Falsification of records
7. RETENTION AND SEPARATION 7. Theft
- Can be affected by: 8. Criminal charges
1. Personal reasons
2. Work-related reasons
3. Professional development - Seeking
growth
Retention
- Suggested options for top-level management
1. Pay raises
2. Enhancing benefits
3. Providing continuing education
opportunities
4. Providing promotional options
- Suggested options for middle- and low-level
managements:
1. Good hiring practices
2. Open communication between the
employee and employer
3. Training
4. Recognition or awards
5. Providing a favorable work environment
6. Surveys/feedback regarding performance
Separation
- Detachment from the company or organization
- Final aspect
- Either voluntary or involuntary
- Activities include
- Removing the person from the payroll
- Maintaining records
- Exit interview
8. TERMINATION
- Common dischargeable circumstances:
1. Job incompetence or impairment on the
job