It Was Trial by Fire: Recommendations for Building a Stronger Nursing Home Workforce After COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis showed the urgent need for a unified, well-supported nursing home workforce. The objective of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experience of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and administrators during COVID-19 to identify best practices moving forward. Six administrator interviews and 10 remote focus groups with CNAs at 5 nursing homes (N=56) were examined through directed content analysis. Based on priorities identified by CNAs and administrators, the following practices may be most impactful: 1) ongoing and responsive staff training; 2) transparent, direct, and two-way communication channels; 3) prioritizing hiring permanent staff to avoid shortages and reliance on agency staff; 4) building collaborative staff-management relationships; 5) providing flexible job benefits; 6) providing staff-centered emotional support resources; and 7) appraising COVID-19 innovations. Our results suggest that rather than returning to “business as usual,” nursing homes can draw on these lessons to build a more sustainable workforce and industry.

Management of a large outbreak of COVID-19 at a British Army training centre: lessons for the future

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has posed major challenges for infection control within training centres, both civilian and military. Here we present a narrative review of an outbreak that occurred at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in January–March 2021, in the context of the circulating, highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7.MethodsTesting for SARS-CoV-2 was performed using a combination of reverse transcriptase PCR and Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs). Testing and isolation procedures were conducted in line with a pre-established symptom stratification system. Genomic sequencing was performed on 10 sample isolates.ResultsBy the end of the outbreak, 185 cases (153 Officer Cadets, 32 permanent staff) had contracted confirmed COVID-19. This represented 15% of the total RMAS population. This resulted in 0 deaths and 0 hospitalisations, but due to necessary isolation procedures did represent an estimated 12 959 person-days of lost training. 9 of 10 (90%) of sequenced isolates had a reportable lineage. All of those reported were found to be the Alpha lineage B.1.1.7.ConclusionsWe discuss the key lessons learnt from the after-action review by the Incident Management Team. These include the importance of multidisciplinary working, the utility of sync matrices to monitor outbreaks in real time, issues around Officer Cadets reporting symptoms, timing of high-risk training activities, infrastructure and use of LFDs. COVID-19 represents a vital learning opportunity to minimise the impact of potential future pandemics, which may produce considerably higher morbidity and mortality in military populations.

A method for evaluating the results of the educational process:

The article addresses the problem of evaluating the results of specialists as they graduate from their training. There are difficulties, not only with the decreasing number of students in training courses, but also with inadequate methods for educational management. There is a growing need for managers and subject lecturers to obtain information on the results of specialists’ training and graduation. This article sets out a method for evaluating the results of the educational management using the probability multiplication theorem for dependent events. The study shows that the results of the educational process can - and should - be managed if the results of training and graduation are periodically evaluated. At the same time, the evaluation results are of great value to the university and improve the educational management. They show the scale of the specialists’ training and graduation in relation to their training task and create a data base for subjects enabling appropriate managerial decisions aimed at maximizing approaching the results of the specialists’ graduation to their training task. It is of practical and scientific importance for the permanent staff of vocational educational institutions when developing managerial decisions for qualified specialists’ training, as well as for graduate students and researchers involved in the study of the effectiveness of educational management.

An outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) in a secondary care hospital in Finland, May 2021

An outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) spread from one inpatient in a secondary care hospital to three primary care facilities, resulting in 58 infections including 18 deaths in patients and 45 infections in healthcare workers (HCW). Only one of the deceased cases was fully vaccinated. Transmission occurred despite the use of personal protective equipment by the HCW, as advised in national guidelines, and a high two-dose COVID-19 vaccination coverage among permanent staff members in the COVID-19 cohort ward.

Temporary Contractors & Full-Time Employees:

Colleges and universities face an increased number of technology-reliant events and activities yet often do not have the in-house event services staff to meet the demand for technology support. Many institutions hire contractors temporarily to fill this gap, as opposed to hiring additional permanent staff. The issue with contracted labor is that such personnel are temporary, implying a perpetual state of newness. Contractors will not have the institutional knowledge of their permanent staff counterparts and will not be empowered to make the same decisions. Additionally, contractors will not have the same keys, access, or geographical knowledge of the campus. They will likely not be invested in the college community to the same degree as their permanently employed colleagues. Furthermore, institutions often cannot invest in temporary contractors in the ways they can with permanent full-time employees. Customer service, engagement, relationship building, and overall quality of service often suffer as a result. Customer engagement is an integral part of any higher education institution. The interface between staff and clientele within information technology services and event support is crucial to a college campus's successful operation and is cited in academic sources as among the most critical drivers of clientele satisfaction and student/customer retention. This research project aims to explore a primary factor impacting customer service within higher education information technology as well as the positive and negative effects that full-time employees and temporary contractors can have on the higher education customer experience.

Research at two NHS A&E departments shows inexperienced temps can negatively impact work of permanent staff

Purpose The purpose of the research was to assess whether hiring temporary staff at NHS hospitals had a negative impact on the quality of work of the permanent staff. The authors wanted to test the hypothesis that taking advantage of the flexibility of temps was a “false economy” because it distracted permanent staff from focusing fully on their own tasks Design/methodology/approach The authors selected two London hospitals with different approaches to temporary staff recruitment. Hospital A was a major NHS Foundation Trust and teaching hospital. It used NHS Professionals (NHSP) for the provision of bank and agency nurses, as well as doctors and locums. Meanwhile, Hospital B used its own internal bank staff as temps. Managers at both hospitals were asked to assess the work of the temps and its impact on permanent staff. Findings Results showed the generally negative effect of using temporary staff on permanent staff. But it depended on the nature of the temps. The more experienced temps could generally be trusted to get on with the job, whereas the inexperienced ones required more supervision. Other potential problems included the temps’ unfamiliarity with procedures that slowed down their work, and sometimes a lack of motivation as they were only there for a short time. Originality/value Based on the results, the authors proposed an approach to improved practice beginning with “macro-level managers.” They said that they may usefully be tasked with maintaining service quality as a higher priority than contracting costs, and ensuring that policies reflect the need for adequate staffing levels. They could also encourage permanent staff to do occasional temporary shifts.

The Impact of Training on Banks Employee Performance

The main aim of conducting this research work is to explore the impact of Training on Employees Performance in the banking industry in Palestine. The Data for this study were collected from the permanent staff working in banks in Palestine through a questionnaire designed to achieve the objectives of this study as the main instrument to gather the primary data; 10 banks have been selected for this purpose. The result shows that there is a significant relationship between Training Material and Employee Performance, and also a significant relationship between Training Delivery and Employee Performance, while the study revealed that there is no significant relationship between (Training Design and Training Content) and Employee Performance. The researcher recommended banks to focus on giving useful and easy to read and see the material, handouts, and activities in training. Moreover, Banks should consider focusing on training that best helps employees in applying and learning various types of knowledge and skills, providing clear instructions for all activates, and providing trainings with reasonable time duration.

STRUGGLING TO BREATHE: THE THORNY ROAD THAT SRI LANKAN COMMUNITY RADIO TRAVELLED THROUGH

Radio is considered as the most widespread electronic mass medium in the world and a unique means of reaching the world‟s poorest communities. However, as far as community radio (CR) is concerned, it addresses issues relevant to the public interest of a particular geographic group or community. It is the foremost medium that gives the marginalised a voice, when their voices are suppressed by the haves and the mainstream mass media which is also under the control of haves. The community radio in Sri Lanka has a four decade old history; yet, the country stands the risk of having this pioneering experience with CR locked away as a memory, as, of now, there is no community radio in true sense available in Sri Lanka. This paper has attempted to find out the reasons behind the failure of community radio broadcasting in Sri Lanka. Using semi-structured indepth interviews, eight leading community radio activists, advocates and researchers in Sri Lanka were interviewed. The causes identified for the failure of CR in Sri Lanka are state control over CR stations, an inexistent legal framework for community radio, inadequate funding, and human resources, misconceptions of responsible government authorities‟, the lack of knowledge about the true sense and relevance of community radio, the appointment of permanent staff from Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation than giving more priority to the volunteers from the same community, competition with mainstream media, and less dedication to community radio.

Self Assessment Tools (SAT) as One of the Basic Tools for Performance Management: A Critique

The alignment of employees to the organizational goal, vision and mission is very imperative and cannot be emphasize enough. As such, there is need for organizations to deliberately bring their workforce on board to achieve this set goals or targets. It is also important for employees to assess themselves from time to time to ascertain that they are up-to- date with the vision, goal and mission of the organization, this literally translate into self-assessment- a process of keeping self in proper check to ascertain correctness and alignment with organizational objective. The central theme of this article is to examine the role of Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) in performance management, the article also examine the shortfall of this tool developed by Bureau for Public Service Reform (BPSR). The method adopted for this study is survey method using questionnaires, one hundred questionnaires were administered among forty (40) junior, thirty (30) senior staff in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Enugu State, twenty (20) contract staff and ten (10) permanent staff of First Bank Plc, presidential road, Enugu. The results from the analysis shows that, the results from Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) are not made public and it gives preferences to government agencies at the detriment of private sector. The paper further X-ray the importance of performance management, ranging from reduced costs in the organization, aligns the organization directly between its employees and the strategic goals and stop project overruns. The paper concludes by noting that the result of the assessment may be made public, to guide policy making process and finally, the private sector should also be incorporated into the tool.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PREVENTIVE POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN DISCIPLINARY BATTALIONS (EARLY XX CENTURY)

В статье рассмотрена организация, структура и функции дисциплинарных батальонов Российской империи в начале XX в. Изучен их штатный состав, направления деятельности и функциональные обязанности офицерского и унтер-офицерского состава. Показаны особенности комплектования дисциплинарных частей постоянным составом, а также прохождения ими службы. В качестве негативных моментов указывается отсутствие специальной подготовки офицеров, чиновников и кадровых нижних чинов, порядка их отбора, расстановки и прохождения службы в дисциплинарных частях. Определены особенности комплектования дисциплинарных батальонов заключенными, распределения их по ротам и учебным группам. Отмечается, что распорядок дня и расписание занятий в дисциплинарных батальонах направлены на повышение уровня военной и строевой подготовки заключенных, их грамотности и изучения ими требований военной присяги и воинских уставов. Авторами раскрывается порядок реализации мер поощрения и дисциплинарных наказаний, применяемых в отношении заключенных дисциплинарных батальонов. В статье рассматривается дисциплинарная практика дисциплинарных батальонов. Авторы приходят к выводу о том, что дисциплинарные батальоны со штатной организацией в исследуемый период в целом справлялись с задачами, поставленными перед ними Положением о дисциплинарных батальонах, ротах и командах, а опыт их функционирования был использован при создании военно-карательного аппарата Советской армии и может быть использован в армии Российской Федерации. The article deals with the organization, structure and functions of disciplinary battalions of the Russian Empire in the early XX century. Their staff, activities and functional responsibilities of officers and non-commissioned officers were studied. Features of completing disciplinary units with permanent staff, as well as their service are shown. The lack of special training of officers, officials and personnel of lower ranks, the order of their selection, placement and service in disciplinary units is indicated as negative points. Features of completing disciplinary battalions with prisoners, their distribution by companies and training groups are defined. It is indicated that the daily routine and schedule of classes in disciplinary battalions are aimed at improving the level of military and drill training of prisoners, their literacy and their study of the requirements of the military oath and military regulations. The authors reveal the procedure for implementing incentive measures and disciplinary punishments applied to prisoners of disciplinary battalions. The article deals with the disciplinary practice of disciplinary battalions. The authors conclude that disciplinary battalions with a regular organization in the study period generally coped with the tasks assigned to them by the «Regulations on disciplinary battalions, companies and teams», and the experience of their functioning was used in the creation of the military punitive apparatus of the Soviet army and can be used in the army of the Russian Federation.