HRM Manual

MPGK Occupational Therapy Department

Gretchen Kempf & Mary Poillon


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Table of Contents
Introduction to HRM Manual and Purpose/Importance of Manual.3
What is HRM and who will do HRM?.............................................................................4
Management Philosophy and Leadership Style...5
Motivating Individuals and Teams..6
Organizational Structure and Climate.7
HRM Laws and Processes used for Compliance.8
Job Enrichment9
COTA Job Description....10
Work Rules and Enforcement.12
Staff Scheduling..13
Recruitment and Selection Process.14
How to Orient New Employees...15
Training Program.16
Pay Scales for OTs and COTAs..17
Incentive Pay Plans..18
Employee Benefits19
Employee Recognition Program...20
Performance Appraisals for Occupational Therapists..21
Safety Requirements22
Protecting Employee Rights.23
Measuring Employee Satisfaction24



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Human Resources Management Manual
This Human Resources Management (HRM) manual has been created to establish a sense
of organization and structure within the MPGK occupational therapy (OT) department. We
strive to meet our mission of providing patients with the best possible occupation-based practice.
The importance of this manual is to give our employees a structured guideline of the
expectations of our OT department. We hope that by providing this manual to our staff that they
will feel equipped with knowledge of our departments methods, models, principles, and
techniques so that they can perform at their highest potential.
















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What is HRM?
Human resources management (HRM), as defined by French, refers to the philosophy, policies,
procedures, and practices which all narrate what is expected of the management of people within
an organization (French, 2007). Human resources management is made up of a process and a
system. When these two aspects come together, it covers the planning, development, and control
of a network each affecting and involving all members of an organization in an interrelated and
intertwined relationship (French, 2007). Major processes in human resources management
includes human resources planning, job and work design, staffing, training and development,
performance appraisal and review, compensation and reward, protection and representation, and
organization improvement. All these areas relate directly to an organizations mission and
strategy. If just one area of the organization does not function properly, it will hinder the entire
organization and make meeting goals very difficult. This dynamic relationship goes both ways,
therefore if HRM successfully communicates and involves all departments, the outcome will
meet the organizations mission and strategy.
Who will do HRM?
No matter what position an individual has been hired into, they are part of the
organization, therefore they must partake in the distribution of responsibilities. These employee
positions include but are not limited to presidents, vice presidents, CEOs, directors, managers,
nonsupervisory employees, and top executives.




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Management Philosophy
Management philosophy is the set of ideas and beliefs held by the executives about how
people should be managed and customers treated (French, 2007 p. 82). Our department believes
this is a key feature of the environment of any organization. Higher management directly affects
the performance of any organizations staff; therefore, top management must have a good
understanding of their departments philosophy and delegate it appropriately. The actions,
decisions, and behaviors of higher management are usually reflected throughout the entire
organization. This reflection leads to the beliefs of Theory X and Theory Y.
Theory X is an assumption that most people need to be directed, controlled, coerced,
and threatened with punishment to get them to work toward organizational goals (French, 2007,
pg 83). While Theory Y, is an assumption that is a more positive view of human nature. This
theory is defined as a belief that work is as natural as play or rest and that people will learn to
seek and accept responsibility and self direction in working towards goals of the department and
that commitment stems from the rewards associated with those goals. Our department exercises
the use of Theory Y in our everyday structure in order to enable employees the freedom to use
self-directed creativity in their practice.
Leadership Style
The management philosophy is directly related to an organizations leadership styles.
Leadership is the process of influencing the behaviors of others in the direction of a set of goals
or towards a vision of the future (French, 2007). In order for an organization to effectively
perform and reach the departments goals, a constructive leadership style is essential. Our
department believes that effective leadership is an interactive process and does not occur in
isolation.
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Motivating Individuals and Teams
Our department believes that the best employees are those employees that are motivated
to use best possible practice at all times. We take a lot of pride in the motivation that is
displayed in our higher management and we hope that our management philosophy of reflecting
actions, decisions, and behaviors will be carried over with motivational techniques. Motivation
is the desire and willingness of a person to expend effort to reach a particular goal or outcome
(French, 2007). There is no single theory of what motivates people in the workplace, so here at
MPGK OT department, we use a mixture of several contemporary theories.
Our company utilizes the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, Reinforcement Theory, and
Equity Theory. We believe that employees who put in their best efforts and practice best
possible treatment here at MPGK will be rewarded with bonuses or promotions and we also
believe that all employees should be treated equally no matter what position they uphold.








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Organizational Culture & Climate
French (2007) describes organizational culture as the characteristics and components of
the organizations internal environment, such as the companys values, beliefs, assumptions,
norms, goals, and visions that are shared as an organization.
As a department, our values, beliefs, and goals are first and foremost based on keeping
the company ethically and morally. Secondly, we believe in having high staff and consumer
satisfaction. Therefore, we have set up reward systems for staff, given out different
responsibilities, as well as mandatory 1:1 HRM meetings with our staff in order to thoroughly
understand the internal dynamics of our organization. We also have set up a consumer survey for
the end of their experience with our staff in order to understand the consumers thoughts as well.
Our assumptions, goals, and visions are that these values, beliefs, and goals will keep the
company successful in terms of overall satisfaction for the staff and consumers, while being
profitable at the same time.
Organizational climate is defined as, the measurable, collective perceptions of organization
members about those aspects of their working life that affect their motivation and behavior in
particular, the culture of the organization, the prevailing leadership style the degree of structure,
and the personnel policies and practices (French 2007). In order to understand and gather
information on the organizational climate, it is important to set up employee surveys as well,
much like the consumer surveys that we spoke about in organizational culture.
The surveys that are created for the staff of the organization can help identify the staffs
feelings and perceptions on the companys structure, their own responsibilities, the
organizations rewards system, the calculated risks, the warmth of the staff, and the company
standards.
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Human Resources Management Laws
In order to uphold the rights of our employees, our company takes the Laws, Supreme
Court Decisions, and Executive Orders put in place by the United States judicial system very
seriously. For the courtesy of this Manual, we have chosen three (3) laws, decisions, and orders
to share with you in order to clarify what is meant by the rights of our employees.
All of equal importance, our organization abides by rights such as these:
1. Executive Order 11246, 1965
Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in
government contracts; also requires federal contractors to develop affirmative action
plans to raise the level of minority and female employment in their firms (French, 2007,
pp. 113).

2. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990
Makes it illegal to discriminate in human resources practices against individuals with
known physical or mental limitations who can perform the essential functions of the job,
and requires employers to make reasonable accommodation for disabled applicants and
employees (French, 2007 pp. 115).

3. Family and Medical Leave Act, 1993
Requires larger employers to give workers unpaid leave up to 12 weeks for family or
medical reasons (French, 2007 pp. 116).

In order to maintain in compliance with these laws, decisions, and orders, our
organization has established a job design. The term job design is a complex process of
determining specific responsibilities for each member of the company (French, 2007). The goal
of our organizations job design is to tie the goals and vision of the company with employee
motivation, achievement of performance standards and to match an employees skills with job
requirements. The job designs we have created include duties, tasks, responsibilities, and
knowledge that is unique and specific to each employer, as well as interactions with others.
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Job Enrichment
Job enrichment will be practiced in the form of a planned program to increase job
independence and responsibilities of employees. We strive to be a client-centered facility,
meaning we put the client first in all that we do. Each employee is expected to practice this in
each and every treatment session they provide. If our clients achieve their goals, our
organization will also achieve its goals. We believe that employees of this department can
uphold professional positions while maintaining a large number of responsibilities and tasks.
Weekly team meetings will be held in order to increase collaboration between disciplines
on patient goals and treatment approaches. These weekly team meetings will not only focus on
goal setting and treatment approaches, it will also be a time for department problem solving.
Members of the team will be asked to provide feedback about the work place setting and
expected responsibilities. This has been designed to increase our therapy departments
atmosphere, making it a place that is not only satisfying for our clients, but our employees as
well.







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COTA Job Description
Purpose Statement:
The job of Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) is to provided treatment to those
who are suffering from a variety of cognitive, emotional and/or physical illnesses or disabilities
under the direction of the Occupational Therapist.
Tasks:
Adapts occupation-based interventions into treatment under the direction of the
occupational therapists for the purpose of increasing clients ability to perform everyday
activities with a reduction in assistance.
Provided skilled instruction regarding the use of assistive equipment to clients and
families in order to reduce level of care and increase independence.
Attend meetings and workshops to increase communication and exchanging of
information within the department and to increase knowledge base of best possible
practice.
Consults with occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists for the
purpose of providing requested information, reviewing/revising clients occupational
therapy goals/objectives, developing plans for services and/or making recommendations
to implement goals.
Maintains compliance with various state, federal, and administrative regulations by
keeping files and/or reports with the occupational therapist.
Maintains treatment equipment and supplies in proper and clean working condition in
order to provide easy and safe access of equipment for clients.
Researches resources and methods (e.g. intervention and treatment techniques,
assessment tools and methods, community resources, etc.) in order to make sure
interventions are up to date and best possible practice.
Transports patients to and from therapy gym to increase therapeutic rapport.

Job Requirements:
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
SKILLS: COTA must be equipped with specialized skills in order to provide clients with
client-centered, occupation-based interventions that directly correlate with client goals
and needs. Must have skills in computer work processing, Excel, and PowerPoint in
order to maintain documentation requirements from state, federal, and administrative
regulations. Skills in the use of adaptive equipment used in occupational therapy must
also be present.
KNOWLEDGE: COTA must have knowledge of latest intervention techniques backed by
research in order to provide evidence based practice and best possible practice. They
must also be up to date with the latest department, organizational, state and federal rules,
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laws, and regulations in their place of work. They must have knowledge of adaptive
equipment and other equipment used by occupational therapists.
ABILITIES: COTA must have the ability to schedule clients accordingly and attend
faculty meetings. They must be able to work independently but also communicate
successfully with an occupational therapist. A COTA must be able to treat all clients and
complete all required documentation in a timely and efficient manner that meets with
company productivity standards.

Experience:
Job related experience is required

Education:
Community College and/or Vocational School degree with study in job related area.

Certificates & Licenses:
Certified by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy Valid Drivers
License & Evidence of Insurability











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Work Rules & Enforcement
In order to continue success in our organization, our HR department has enlisted a set of rules
and regulations for our companys employers and team members. Listed below is a small sum of
the rules.
All employees must:
1. Be on time (unless otherwise noted)
2. Not leave work without permission
3. Not abuse alcohol or drugs
4. Be courtesy to customers (and co-workers)
5. Report all injuries (customer or self)
6. Abide by all safety-rules
7. Not use abusive or threatening language
8. Avoid all accounts of sexual harassment
9. Avoid all age, racial, religious, or national origin harassment

Violation of these rules, and all other rules, will result in disciplinary action that the HR
department has put in place and feels necessary this means that a penalty or punishment will be
set with the violation of one (or several) rules. These penalties and punishments may consist of:
warnings, demotion, docking of pay, disciplinary layoff, or if necessary, discharge from the
company. All penalties and punishments are enforced greatly by the organization and each case
of violation will be uniquely and specifically taken care of by the HR department.


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Work Schedules
Fulltime Employees
The work schedules of our fulltime employees have been designed so that there is
flexibility and freedom. Fulltime staff can time-in any time between 7:30 8:30am as long as
they time-out after an 8.5 hour workday. These 8.5 hours includes a 30-minute lunch and are
permitted to leave the premises for the allotted time. The idea of this schedule is to increase
employee satisfaction and allow them to feel they have control over their workday.
Monday Tuesday* Wednesday Thursday* Friday
8:30 Time-In 8:00 Time-In 8:30 Time-In 8:00 Time-In 7:30 Time-In
9:30 9:00 9:30 9:00 8:30
10:30 10:00 10:30 10:00 9:30
11:30 11:00 11:30 11:00 10:30
12:30
Lunch
12:00
Lunch
12:30
Lunch
12:00
Lunch
11:30
Lunch
1:00 12:30 1:00 12:30 12:00
2:00 1:30 2:00 1:30 1:00
3:00 2:30 3:00 2:30 2:00
4:00 3:30 4:00 3:30 3:00
4:30 Time-Out 4:00 Time-Out 4:30 Time-Out 4:00 Time-Out 3:30 Time-Out
*Typical Fulltime
Part-time Employees
On the other hand, part-time employees entail a 5 hour workday, not including a lunch
break. These employees are welcome to stay longer than 5 hours in order to finish work or have
lunch, but they will be paid overtime. Part-time staff will not have the same flexibility as fulltime
staff because they may be needed during busier hours of the day therefore, unless otherwise
instructed, they must time-in at 9:30am.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday* Thursday Friday*
9:00 Time-In 9:00 Time-In 9:30 Time-In 9:00 Time-In 8:00 Time-In
10:00 10:00 10:30 10:00 9:00
11:00 11:00 11:30 11:00 10:00
12:00 12:00 12:30 12:00 11:00
1:00 1:00 1:30 1:00 12:00
2:00 Time-Out 2:00 Time-Out 2:30 Time-Out 2:00 Time-Out 1:00 Time-Out
*Demonstrates this employee was instructed to come in earlier/later due to busier times of that particular workday
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Recruitment and Selection Process
Open job positions can be found online or in the local newspapers. They can also be
found in our monthly newsletter sent from our human resources office which lists all available
positions. Employee referrals are also welcome. Reasonable accommodations can be made to
adjust physical facilities and job specifications to acclimatize qualified applicants or employees
with a disability to perform essential job functions.
Our departments selection process relies heavily on an interview and follow-up
interview as well as a weighted application form. Each interview will be a 1:1 meeting with our
departments therapy director. The follow up interview will be no longer than an hour and will
include a tour of the entire facility. During this tour it is not unlikely that our therapy director
will introduce you to other members of the staff so that potential employees can get a feel for our
companys atmosphere. We believe that by providing potential employees with a follow-up
interview, it allows our department not to be judgmental of a person after only meeting with
them only once. A follow-up interview allows interviewers to get a better idea of work ethics,
values, and personality.








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How to Orient New Employees
It is common that on the first day of a new job new workers may feel anxious for they are
surrounded by a new setting, new coworkers, and new job procedures. Our organization strives
to decrease this anxiety as best as we can by providing new employees with a two day
orientation program. This orientation program is designed to allow new employees time to get
acquainted with our department and ease workers into new job responsibilities and expectations.
Day one of our orientation program includes the same tour that is intertwined into our
follow-up interview. This was designed this way in order to give new employees the advantage
of getting two guided tours around the facility to best acclimate themselves with their new
surroundings. On this tour, employees will learn about daily routines, employee benefits and
services, work rules, safety rules and programs, training and promotion practices, company
organization and operations, company products or services, and company history (French, 2007).
This tour will be given by the new employees immediate supervisor who will also be in charge
of re-introducing current members of the staff to the new employee.
Day two of our orientation allows new employees to shadow their supervisor through a
typical workday. This allows the new employee to get acclimated with intervention styles and
what a typical days schedule looks like. Even after the orientation is over, our department has
new employees enroll in our mentor program for 2 months. This mentor program allows a new
employee to spend two months getting feedback from their supervisor as well as get use to the
different policies and intervention techniques used in our facility.


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Employee Training
Our OT department does not believe that on-the-job training (OJT) is the way to allow
employees to practice at their best. Instead, we use a job instruction training (JIT) approach to
train our new employees. JIT goes much further than just telling new employees what they are
expected to do such as preparation, interaction, showing, illustration, trying the new skill, asking
questions, observations, and follow-ups (French, 2007). We feel that the JIT includes the major
characteristics of an effective training program. These characteristics include: determination of
training needs, recognition of the needs of the trainee, feedback to and from the trainee, frequent
appraisal, and correction. By using JIT, it is our departments goal to make new employees as
comfortable as possible with their new job responsibilities and work environment to allow them
to perform at their maximum capacity. It is against our values and beliefs to throw new workers
directly into the mix of a new work environment because not only is this not beneficial for
employees, but patient care is also compromised. The mentor program mentioned before will
also help to ease new workers into new responsibilities and practice under supervision in order to
increase their understanding of appropriate treatment interventions and company policies.






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Pay Scales for OTs and COTAs
MPGK employees are paid a salary, which is a weekly rate of pay. Those who have a more
extensive work career here in our facility are given an increased salary although we do look at
other factors that also increase salary such as:
Holiday Pay
Overtime Pay
Annual Bonuses
Below is a chart that depicts employee annual salaries in regard to their years of experience:





Years of Experience OTR COTA
0 to 4 years $70,000 $55,000
5 to 10 years $73,000 $58,000
11 to 15 years $78,000 $63,000
16 to 20 years $86,000 $70,000
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Incentive Pay Plans
As defined by French (2007), an incentive pay plan provides financial or nonfinancial rewards
to employees who make substantial contributions to organizational effectiveness (p. 427). In
order to attain either of these incentive pay plans, exceptional work is required by employees.
The MPGK OT department offers two types of incentive pay plans:
1.) Individual Incentive Plans
2.) Team Incentive Plans
An individual incentive pay plan may be rewarded to employees who demonstrate work
ethics that prove to be above and beyond the departments expectations. This plan will be in
effect at all times. Each employee is rated every three months on factors such as quality of work,
dependability, and client satisfaction. If the following factors are identified as exceptional by our
department, our employees will receive a 10% increase above their current pay until their
performance is reassessed in the next three months.
A team incentive plan can be rewarded to a group of workers, such as the employees of
the OT department as a whole. Similar to the individual plans, team incentive pay plans will be
effective at all times and assessed every three months. Each employee of the department must
demonstrate the following factors: accurate productivity levels; job efficiency; client satisfaction;
client safety; dependability; and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The purpose of incentives is to motivate our employees to achieve the goals of our
organization. Thus, employees must exemplify each of the above factors with outstanding
performance. These factors will be assessed and rated by the department directors and clients
views will aid in determining the outcome.
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Employee Benefits
Employee benefits at MPGK are designed to inspire employees to be productive, motivated, and
enthusiastic in their work environment, as well as increase the overall morale of the department.
There are several benefits that are offered in our department, some of which are mandated by
federal and state laws such as social security, unemployment compensation, and workers
compensation and others that are unique to our organization that offer protection of our
employees (French, 2007).
Our department has also entitled employees to a 401(k) plan, health insurance covered
through a health maintenance organization (HMO), and life and disability insurance. If preferred,
these insurances can also be covered by flexible benefit plans. A flexible benefit plan allows
employees to choose a mix of benefits that will comprise of a specific dollar amount including
medical, dental, disability, life insurance, and paid vacation time, as well as 401(k) options
(French, 2007).
In certain cases, MPGK also provides employees with the opportunity of benefits such as
family leave, as well as child and elder care. An employee has the right to discuss their personal
matters with their directors and higher management. After further analysis, management will
decide if the employees circumstances are eligible for these benefits. There is also a difference
between the amount of paid time off and sick days that an employee receives based on if they are
full time or part time workers. Full time workers will receive up to 8 weeks of paid time off and
5 sick days. Part time workers will receive 4 weeks of paid time off and 3 sick days.


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Employee Recognition Plan
Our organization acknowledges the significance of employee recognition in a work environment
therefore; MPGK has implemented recognition programs in order to increase employee
satisfaction and morale. Employee recognition plans offered include factors involving
Useful employee suggestions,
Attendance
Length of service in the department
Employee suggestions will be evaluated and considered by management every two
weeks. If an employee offers a useful suggestion that will be implemented into the organization
in order to increase productivity, efficiency, interdisciplinary collaboration, or employee and/or
client safety then they will receive a $100 bonus on their next paycheck. Attendance will be
assessed each month, if an employee(s) has been on time every day in the past month and has
shown perfect attendance, they will be rewarded a $200 bonus on their next paycheck. Finally,
each year an employee stays at our organization, they will receive a yearly increase in pay of %5
each year, after the first five years, they will receive an 8% increase and after 10 years of service,
employees will receive a 12% increase in pay.





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Performance Appraisals for OTs
At MPGK we feel that it is important to reward employees for their time and efforts.
Performance appraisals are a formal, systematic assessment of how well employees are
performing their jobs in relation to establishing standards and the dialogue about that assessment
with employees (French, 2007). In order to identify performance that is congruent to receiving
promotions or bonuses, annual performance appraisals and review for each OT and COTA will
be conducted. Annual performance appraisals will be held just identify outstanding
performance, but it will also assist in identifying areas of concern within MPGK. Supervisors
will conduct performance appraisals. Areas that will be assessed include:
Professional Behaviors
Leadership
Communication
Decision Making
Adaptability
Attendance
Client Interaction
Cooperation




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Safety Requirements
Our organization abides by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) at MPGK.
According to French (2007), the OSH Act was established to enforce safety and health
standards to reduce the incidence of occupational injury, illness and death (p. 492). As
employers, our responsibility is to ensure that our employees are free of hazardous environments;
equipped with safe tools and equipment; well-trained in safety precautions; provided medical
examinations and training when required by OSHA standards; keep records of work-related
injuries and illnesses; and that employees, former employees, and their representatives have
access to the Log of Work-related Injuries and Illnesses in order to establish a safe environment
(French, 2007).
In addition to employees and employers abiding to OSHA standards, both employees and
employers are required to take responsibility in making personal safety precautions including:
1.) Frequently washing hands
2.) Exercising proper body mechanics
3.) Clearing and cleaning the environment after use
These safety and health responsibilities are meant to ensure the goal of safety and ensure
the physical well being of employees, employers, clients, and all those who encounter MPGK
work environment. Therefore, weekly evaluations will be done by HRM to assess the utilization
of these safety and health requirements.


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Protecting Employee Rights
MPGK promises to protect the rights of their employees by reinforcing the use of
contract rights. This contract is designed for employees in order to guarantee the rights for
which they have contracted with management for the duration of the agreement (French, 2007
p. 586). Our organization abides by all laws created to protect employees.
We recognize that all forms of harassment are illegal and will not be tolerate under any
circumstances including, but no limited to: race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, and
disability. MPGK recognizes employees speech rights, including whistle-blowing, which implies
that an employee has the right to speak out or blow the whistle if the organization is engaging
in illegal, immoral, or irresponsible practices but must do so in a responsible manner (French,
2007, p. 588). Our employees also hold the right of privacy protection and abide by the Privacy
Act of 1974, which was mandated in order to restrict the collection and distribution of personnel
data (French).







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Measuring Employee Satisfaction
At MPGK, we believe that employee satisfaction is one of the most important aspects in
any company. We feel that high employee satisfaction is directly related to better patient care.
Since we feel so strongly about satisfying our employees, it is important to us to be able to
identify satisfaction measures. Employee satisfaction surveys will be issued to all employees of
MPGK every two months. This allows us to see where employees would like to see changes,
and what is really working. These surveys will be mailed to every individuals house and
participation in this survey is not mandatory. These surveys will relay information about our
employees satisfaction in areas such as:
Department structure
Management philosophy
Leadership styles
Individual motivation and performance
Team and interterm behavior and performance
Organizational culture and climate
Financial resources
Technological and physical resources




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References
French, W. (2007). Human resources management. (6th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin
Company.