11.2 Workforce Engagement Through Collective Action and Governance

Question 1

Active Participants

Answer 1

• Needed to achieve a healthy workplace
• All members must actively participate in advocacy, engagement, and empowerment.

Question 2

Standards of a Healthy Work Environment

Answer 2

• Skilled Communication
• True Collaboration
• Effective Decision-Making
• Appropriate Staffing
• Meaningful Recognition
• Authentic Leadership

Question 3

Collective Action

Answer 3

• Activities undertaken as a group of people who have a common interest

Examples
- Nurses working together to achieve magnet status
- Signing a petition to support a manager

Purpose
- Promote professional nursing practice
- Establish/Maintain standards of care
- Allocating resources effectively/efficiently
- Creating satisfaction and support in the practice environment

Question 4

Collective Action Strategies

Question 5

Shared Governance

Answer 5

• Democratic Concept
• Nurses have ownership, autonomy, and input into practice
• Shared decision making and accountability
• Way to empower
• All individuals are required to change the way decisions are made (leader, manager, and follower)
• Primary outcome is improved decision making
• More diversity means more ideas tested before a decision is made
• Likelihood of new policy/practice is increased

Question 6

Workplace Advocacy

Answer 6

• Works best when managers and staff agree on a change
• Does not work well when managers and staff do not agree on a change.
• Advocacy is positive when everyone is alert to workplace issues.

Question 7

Collective Bargaining

Answer 7

• Action used by employees to secure better wages at work
• An example is unions
• Collective bargaining is protected by the NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT BOARD (NLRB)
• Safeguards employee rights to organize and decide whether unions serve as their bargaining representatives with their employer.

Question 8

Purpose of Collective Action

Answer 8

• Promote professional nursing practice
• Establish and Maintain Standards of Care
• Allocate Resources Effectively and Efficiently
• Create Satisfaction and Support in the Practice Environment

Question 9

Shared Governance

Answer 9

• Staff assemble subgroup’s of staff to develop new unit policies
• Staff search the literature together for best practice articles regarding clinical questions
• Staff develop peer recognition programs
• Staff request a team be assembled to implement a clinical ladder
• Staff discuss the quality of their direct involvement through shared governance to their colleagues from other units.

Question 10

Benefits of Unions

Answer 10

• Gives you a voice in your work agreement and terms of employment
• Unions give you representation when you run into issues at work
• Better Benefits, Better Pay
• Safer working conditions
• Better Staffing Ratios
• Overtime and Holiday Pay
• 40 Hour Work Weeks
• Job Security

Question 11

Cons of Unions

Answer 11

• Loss of autonomy for the nurse
• Increased cost for organizations and employees
  (Organizations pay higher wages which cut into profit margins)
  (Employees pay dues and initiation fees)
• Difficult to fire employees who are incompetent
• Loss of collaboration between staff and management
• Seniority Rules

Question 12

Grievance Process of Unions

Answer 12

• Formal complaint

Guidelines
- 90 day notice before changing/terminating contract

Due Process - All parties must follow procedural guidelines

Mediation - Step to workout an agreement between both parties. A neutral 3rd party makes nonbinding recommendations to resolve grievance.