STAFFING IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE- SIR GENTLE OKOROCHA

INTRODUCTION

Staffing is the process of hiring eligible candidates in the organization or company

for specific positions. In management, the meaning of staffing is an operation of
recruiting the employees by evaluating their skills, knowledge and then offering
them specific job roles accordingly.
Staffing is the process of finding the right worker with appropriate qualifications
or experience and recruiting them to fill a job position or role.

Benefits/Importance of Staffing

The primary function of staffing is that it obtains qualified employees to perform

different roles within the organization. The main benefit of staffing is that it
improves organizational output and the quality of employees. Some other benefits
of staffing are:

1. Finding the right talent/skill

The process of staffing includes a solid understanding of the organization

requirements so that it’s easier to recruit the exact person to fulfill such
requirements. Finding the right person begins from recruiting, selecting,
evaluating, and hiring employees based on their skills, knowledge, talents, and
experience required to perform the necessary roles. Finding the right talent/skill is
also one of the most important functions of staffing.

2. Enhanced organizational productivity

When the right candidate is recruited for the right positions, it maximizes the
output of human resources and improves their quality. Since staffing also involves
training and development, it helps increase the efficiency of employees as these
programs focus on improving the current capabilities as well as learning new skills.

3. High job satisfaction and morale

It is very important to note that with proper training and development, employees
will be able to maximize their potential and help the organization move forward.
This not only ensures they are satisfied with their jobs but also keeps their morale
high as they feel a sense of assurance of their career enhancements. Additionally,
they are also placed in positions where they can put their knowledge, talent, and
skills to the best use, hence optimal productivity is certain.

4. Optimum utilization of human resources

Before the recruitment process, the human resources department gains a good
understanding of the organization’s requirements. This facilitates manpower
planning and proper job analysis, via which the organization can identify the
number of people required for specific positions – thereby eliminating any
underutilization of resources. Staffing also ensures that there is no shortage or
excess of human resources.

5. Harmonious work environment

With proper staffing, the employees in an organization are continuously evaluated

based on their skills and knowledge so that they are always placed in positions
where their skills add the best value. Their performances are regularly appraised,
and promotions are made, which fosters a harmonious and optimistic environment
in the organization.

Types of Staffing

Staffing refers to the process of finding candidates with suitable skills to fill vacant
positions. There are 6 common types of staffing:

1. Temp to hire staffing/Contract-to-hire staffing

Temp to hire staffing refers to having an employee work for an organization for a
trial period of time. In this type of staffing, businesses like to experiment with
various employees to find the most suitable ones in the process. The employee’s
skills and abilities are evaluated during this period, and when the contract ends the
company has the option to either extend the full-time employment offer or move
on to the next candidates.

2. Short-term staffing

This type of staffing aims to fulfill the immediate business requirements. For
example, an organization like Health Centre may hire extra workers on a seasonal
basis. Many organizations hire temporary workers for a short period of time to
fulfill certain orders or for specific projects. Apart from temporary administrative
positions, short-term staffing may also include creative positions where they hire
freelancers.

3. Long-term staffing

When the mandate of the organization requires employees to work for at least one
year, it can be called long-term staffing. A few reasons for long-term staffing are
turnover, retirement, long absences, poor performance, etc. Long-term staffing
looks beyond the immediate needs of the business and is more strategic. The
purpose of long-term staffing also includes building a skilled, stable workforce that
helps the organization move forward. Organizations invest in compensation,
career, and growth of employees.

4. Direct hire staffing

Direct hire staffing can also be referred to as placement hiring. In this type of
staffing, organizations hire full-time employees. Since staffing usually refers to
temporary hiring, direct hire staffing is a bit different from the traditional staffing.
The skills, experience, and competencies of employees are matched with the long-
term organization’s requirements. Organizations prepare proper job descriptions
and advertise through various media to find potential candidates. Since the skills
and expertise level required here is higher than normal, organizations conduct skill
testing and other screening methods along with background checks to determine if
the employee is qualified to perform his role.

5. Payroll services staffing

Payroll services staffing is a cost-effective type of staffing where the organization

selects a worker, but the staffing agency arranges their pay and manages
paperwork. The main purpose of payroll services staffing is to outsource payroll
and let the existing employees focus more on value-adding and revenue-generating
tasks and let another worker handle the administrative tasks.

6. Strategic staffing

Some organizations perform their staffing activities strategically, meaning that

they combine short-term, long-term, direct hire, and other types of staffing to meet
the strategic business needs. It also includes employee succession planning where
the vacant positions are filled by internal employees. Since the staffing process
starts with the continuous task of meeting the organization’s requirements, both
short and long term, the human resources department ensures that such needs are
met from a talent/qualification perspective. It also includes training and
rectification of any gaps in skills.

Staffing Process

The staffing process starts with finding the right talent and ends with the transfer of
employees. The main purpose is to ensure that the organization misses nothing in
terms of talent and skills. There are 11 steps involved in the staffing process:

1. Manpower planning and job analysis

Manpower planning refers to the measurement of workforce required in an

organization. The first step in staffing helps identify the requirements of the
organization to properly determine the number of employees, the skills, and
qualifications required. Job analysis is the process of collecting information related
to a job. It includes skills, responsibilities, roles, and other requirements. Job
analysis helps determine the talent required so as to match it with the business
requirements.

At this stage, the Board of Directors or front line managers make demands for
employment.

2. Recruitment

After planning the manpower and conducting job analysis, recruitment is the
second step in staffing. Once the organization has determined the skills and
knowledge required to perform certain roles, the recruitment process begins. This
process involves advertising for open positions within the organization through
various media or informal adverts. After receiving enough job applications, the
organization evaluates them based on the eligibility criteria set in the first step.

3. Selection
After evaluating the job applicants against eligibility, the selection process screens
employees and identifies the ones who are most suitable for specific jobs hence
interview follows in many renowned organizations; this is a crucial step as
selecting the set of skills that do not match the vacant positions can lead
to unproductivity and low job satisfaction. In the staffing process, it is important to
eliminate those that are unsuitable and appear unpromising but employ the diligent,
qualified and promising ones.

4. Orientation and placement

Once the suitable candidates are selected, employees are made familiar with each
other, their teams, the organization, and the work they will be performing. After
this, the right employees are placed in the right positions.

5. Remuneration

Remuneration refers to the compensation given to the employees in exchange for

the work done. Remuneration is usually decided at the time of interview or
selection process. It’s predetermined but can be negotiated as well, according to
the type of work and experience of the employee hired.

6. Training

Training is a primary part of the staffing process. The main objective of training is
to help employees learn new skills and develop knowledge. Organizations design
training programs after a TNA (Training Needs Analysis) to make sure that the
employees keep up with any new requirements.

7. Performance evaluation

Employees get to their work after they have been placed and trained. Their work
performance is evaluated based on their attitude, behavior, and work done. Such
assessments aim to determine the success of the recruitment process and if the
employee needs further improvement or had been placed wrongly. The
performance evaluation step in the staffing process serves as the base for
designing training/development programs, promotions, appraisals, etc.

8. Development
After the performance of an employee is evaluated, the organization determines if
there’s a need for improving the existing skills and competencies. It aims to better
equip the employees to perform their current roles or adapt to the organization’s
requirements. This also helps employees advance in their careers by leveling up
their skills and knowledge.

9. Appraisal

Performance evaluations also determine if an employee is eligible for appraisal.

Appraisals aim to show how well an employee has performed in a specific period
and how his knowledge, aptitude, and other qualities gave value to the success of
an operation.

10. Promotion

If an employee shows growth and improvement beyond what was expected of

them, they are likely eligible for promotion. It is the process of upgrading an
employee to a higher or better position within the organization. It is also linked to
increased incentives, higher compensation, and other extra benefits.

11. Transfer

The last step in the staffing process is transfer. In transfer, the employee performs
in the same position but is shifted to another business unit or a different
department. There will be no change in the compensation structure. Transfers are
mostly undertaken to meet sudden or urgent organizational needs. Sometimes, they
also aim to let employees develop their skills and knowledge. They can be
temporary or long-term, depending on the need. This process has to be evaluated
periodically to meet the staffing needs.

STAFFING IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

The term Primary Health Care (PHC) Workforce refers to all occupations of
health professionals responsible for organizing and delivering PHC at the
community