In case you have not been following the news lately, the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has caused quite a stir by trying to impose a new contract on junior doctors, which, in turn led to them striking. The issue has been a complete debacle and is a classic example of mismanagement which other employers could learn from.
Firstly Mr Hunt and junior doctors have polar opposite opinions on the issue and the future of the NHS in general. This has not only lowered staff morale but it has also resulted in unproductive mediation between the parties. This highlights the importance of having a manager who can engage with staff but also appreciates the values of the business he is being employed to lead.
Another key issue is the contract itself. The main problem is that not only will doctors core hours increase but it will potentially mean a drop in pay which could take the take home wages of junior doctors to the same level as supermarket staff. For a profession that requires years of university education to come out with a salary that is equal to a job with much lower skill requirements this contract will not only disenfranchise the current workforce but also make recruitment harder. This could push skilled staff abroad or result in inferior quality staff being recruited.
Finally the impact these events have had on both public and staff morale is also disconcerting. As stated above many junior doctors could move to private or foreign hospitals whilst over 300,000 people signed a petition to have him removed from office. If this were a private business such public furore could create a drop in sales, productivity and recruitment.
The ultimate lesson for any employer here is that having a completely mismatching manager/director/CEO to your businesses core values could have disastrous consequences. An example in the importance of wise recruitment.
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