Introduction
There is no secret that rewarding nurses boosts their morale and stimulates the desire to provide quality services on a constant basis (Nikpeyma, Abed_Saeedi, Azargashb, & Alavi_Majd, 2014). Using different nurse-performance evaluation tools can help significantly in choosing the right appraisal policy and applying for the most appropriate motivation programs. Regarding the Sandalwood Rehabilitation Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, the techniques used for performance appraisal include detailed data retrieval and rating each nurse according to his or her dedication. Qualitative appraisal tools usually help to assess a nurse’s contribution to an overall performance of the rehabilitation center from an objective point of view. Using those tools allows one to make informed judgments as to whom to promote or grant a higher compensation and what measures to take to raise the productivity of individuals with lower performance rates.
Performance Appraisal Tools
Normally, the qualitative performance appraisal tools used by Sandalwood Rehabilitation Center include such components as interviews, questionnaires, and observations (shadow working) to provide a justified assessment of nurses’ practices. Implementation of these tools helps to properly evaluate leadership skills, customer relationships, communication abilities and problem solving qualities (Nikpeyma et al., 2014). The further measures are taken in accordance with the acquired results that can either positively or negatively influence a nurse’s rate.
Fallon and McConnell (2013) point out that a periodic examination of performance helps to ascertain how well an employee is performing his/her tasks. Thus, a tight rating system allows one to take an objective approach to the matter and reward a worker depending on his or her current point range. As to per diem rate add-ons, they represent the following structure: $0 per 1-20 points, $1 per 21-45, $2 per 46-60, $3 per 61-79 and $4 per 80-100 acquired points. Expectedly, appealing to such a performance appraisal system leads to significant increases in nurses’ compensation, for the growth in points stimulates an exponential growth of a rewarding sum (Werner, Konetzka & Polsky, 2013).
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Tight Rating System
Similar to any other appraisal system, the above-mentioned method comes with both advantages and shortcomings when referred to on a permanent basis. As to its strong points, the method is totally merit based and allows hard working specialists to significantly increase their compensation, which also serves as an additional motivation for employees with lower results to start improving their performance. Regarding my personal preferences, a tight rating system is a perfect means to stimulate competition among company workers. A tight rating system ensures that a highly professional specialist will always know that his or her contribution will be much appreciated and paid accordingly. However, the method is not without its weaknesses, as the long term usage of it can lead to the occurrence of biases. Thus, particular individuals could be granted higher bonuses simply because they have been showing better results in the previous months. This fact may lead to the conclusion that the payment situation may either remain unchanged or worsen for the rest of the staff (Werner et al., 2013).
Conclusion
Summarizing the facts, the tight rating system used by the Sandalwood Rehabilitation Center has provided the center’s nursing staff with unprecedented opportunities to raise wages and improve healthcare delivery regardless of patient’s social status or disease complexity. However, alongside the clear advantages, the introduced method has demonstrated a visible tendency to form biases and praise nurses on the basis of one’s personal preferences. Thus, a general use of the method can only be recommended if strict monitoring over the points accounting is provided. Otherwise, an unjustified appraisal of particular employees is unavoidable.
References
Fallon Jr, L. F., & McConnell, C. R. (2013). Human resource management in health care. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Nikpeyma, N., Abed_Saeedi, Z., Azargashb, E., & Alavi_Majd, H. (2014). Problems of clinical nurse performance appraisal system: A qualitative study. Asian Nursing Research, 8(1), 15-22.
Werner, R. M., Konetzka, R. T., & Polsky, D. (2013). The effect of pay‐for‐performance in nursing homes: Evidence from State Medicaid Programs. Health Services Research, 48(4), 1393-1414.