Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reasons why organizations

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reasons why organizations should keep accurate formal and informal employee records. Also, the paper aims to explain how to terminate employees legally besides discuss some of the challenges faced by current healthcare leader as they try to uphold ethics. Also, the paper outlines a plan of employee succession. Finally, the paper discusses how HR can be a strategic partner in an organization. The importance of maintaining accurate and objective employee records Keeping accurate employee records helps in recruitment, identification of gaps in skills and employees’ training needs. Accurate records justify HR actions from recruitment selection, promotion, demotion, retirement and termination (Steingold, 2017). They are maintaining accurate employee record help to prevent litigation and ensure that legal requirements are met. For example, when an employee is terminated, he or she may take legal action against the organization. If that happens, the organization with accurate information will present them in a court of law to justify the legality of the termination. The records showing the employee’s discipline history can be used to support termination and any subsequent litigation. However, if an organization issued by an employee but they lack accurate record keeping, then they would have no evidence to support their course of action (Steingold, 2017). Consequently, a court of law might heavily fine them or award the employee a huge compensation. Keeping accurate employee records is not just for convenience but also a legal responsibility. Keeping tax information, information about wages, salaries and employee demographics are essential to meeting legal obligations. Therefore, when regulators ask for information about an employee, they are availed immediately to avoid legal actions. However, if an organization fails to submit employee information such as wage and tax records to the regulators, they might be sued or have their license withdrawn. Competency is an important concept not only for the healthcare sector but for all businesses. Employees need serious, and thorough training on their jobs to reduce mistakes that might lead to loses, injuries or deaths depending on the nature of the job (Steingold, 2017). Maintaining accurate employee records helps HR to document the kind of training that each employee has received besides determines their competency and training needs.Formal and informal documentation An example of formal documentation is a personnel file, which only contains formal information about employees. Formal information about employees is limited to their job performance and qualifications. Some of the information documented in the personnel file includes job applications and resumes, the offer of employment to the employee, all performance appraisals evaluation, and any forms that relate to benefits that the employee enjoys besides discipline history (Steingold, 2017). Other information documented in a formal employee file includes written complaints against the employee from either co-workers or customers, documents stating completed training programs, contracts agreements between the employee and the employer and any awards for an excellent performance. Examples of informal documentation include medical records, I-9 forms, informal performance and discipline warnings, and attendance records. The formal documentation protects employer legal suits by an unhappy employee due to the termination. The information contained in the formal and informal employee file can become evidence in a lawsuit brought against the organization by current or former staff (Steingold, 2017). For example, a letter of complaints against the employee written by customer or colleagues, attendance and punctuality record performance evaluation results and discipline history can be used by an employer as evidence in a court. The documentation help employers to protect themselves from any potentials accusation about unfair treatment of an employee by using the records to promote fairly, reward and dismiss employees.An effective legal terminationAccurately keeping an employee performance evaluation in the personnel file plays a significant role in ensuring that a termination is effective and legal (Steingold, 2017). This is because a decision to terminate an employee meets the legal threshold only when it related to job performance. Documents containing performance evaluation, written warnings, and letters of complaints written by customers or colleagues and history of disciplinary actions can be used to support an effective legal termination. When a dismissed employee files a legal complaint, then the information contained his or her a personnel file such as several warning letters, demotion letters, and poor performance records and suspension letters can be used to justify termination . Downsizing is a result of unpredictable events that can befall any company, and one of its consequences is the elimination of the organization’s workforce to reduce the cost of operation. Employees can do very little to protect themselves from being laid off during downsizing. However, the most likely way of doing so is filing legal a complaint against the company for discriminatory layoff (Steingold, 2017). If an employee feels that he or she has been laid off due to her age, ethnic group, position or gender then she can file discrimination claims in a court of law. Major challenges that today’s health care leaders face in trying to uphold the ethics The need to balance fiscal responsibility and healthcare ethics is a major challenge that is faced by healthcare leaders. The hospital and healthcare facility administrators are charged with the responsibility of making financial decision and budgeting that can affect the healthcare facility and the quality of healthcare delivered (Barkhordari, Ashktorab & Atashzadeh, 2017). However, it is usually challenging to balance demands which are competing and sometimes pits quality, the budget, and ethics against each other. For example, health administrators can be in a dilemma when making decisions on whether to hire more healthcare staff to reduce nurse-to impatient ratio or to buy or repair health equipment. Another challenge is the ethical mitigation of legal risks. Sometime healthcare administrators may be forced to support practitioners to engage in defensive medicine to prevent malpractice and medical lawsuits. The health leaders may be forced to use unethical ways to defend their organizations from legal actions (Barkhordari, Ashktorab & Atashzadeh, 2017). Managers should carefully analyze all ethical issues that arise from a certain decision and determine their legality. They should ensure the legal framework is used to determine the right thing to do. The decision that is legally and ethically sound should take precedence over the other. Outline of an effective succession planning process Organizations should have an employee succession plan to ensure that key retired employee is replaced immediately by a qualified and experienced employee from within (Steingold, 2017). The succession plan will allow the organization to develop and promote employees from within. A performance evaluation will be done to identify employees with skills, experience and desired qualities that will be groomed to take up higher positions. The HR will evaluate the current and future needs of the identified employee based on the position that they are being groomed for and the nature of projects that they will oversee in the future. After that, the skills, objectives, strategies, and qualities of the identified employees will be compared to the current workforce to determine gaps. The process of grooming and preparing employees for a leadership position will start three years before the retirement of a key employee. After that, the management will strategize on how to groom employees to fill the gaps that will be left by the retiring employee (Steingold, 2017). The identified employee will be allowed to hold the office in acting capacity whenever the employee who is nearing retirement is away. Also, he or she will be mentored by the outgoing employee for two years to prepare him or her for the position. In addition to that, the staff will be given further training to prepare them for higher positions. However, if the gap that shall have been left by a retiring staff is too wide for the current employees to fill, then external recruitment will be done.Justification of unionization I would justify unionization from an employer’s perspective. This is because it helps employers to set and sign collective agreements with unions. Such collective agreements are good because they cannot be disputed unless the contract expires. Therefore, they provide a long duration for stability (Steingold, 2017). They also enable employers to predict the cost associated with payments and other benefits for a certain period. After such agreements, employees are motivated since they enjoy safety, lucrative benefits and pays that unions bring through agreements with employers. Therefore, the turn over intentions ceases making any investment in employee training worthwhile. HR as a strategic partner in helping this organization achieve its future goals The success of a company greatly depends on the support that HR gives to the business plans, objectives and goals (Al Mamun, Shamima & Islam, 2014). HR should be more strategic in its recruitment, selection, promotion and training procedure to ensure that employees are qualified and are competent enough to implement organizations’ strategic operation plans. HR should make good use of the employees’ talents to make departments such as sales and marking, communication, finance and legal departments stronger and more productive. HR should set metrics that are streamlined with business goals (Mitsakis, 2014). For example, setting sales performance metrics that helps the organization to realize its future goal of increasing sales.Conclusion The paper has discussed several issues related to human resource practices such as the most important factor to effective legal employee termination and the importance of maintaining accurate personnel record. Some of the challenges faced health leaders include ethical ways of defending the organizations and the need to balance fiscal responsibility and healthcare ethics. In the paper, I have also discussed that keeping formal and informal records provides evidence that justifies the legality of HR actions. Finally, I have noted that HR can be a strategic partner by training employees and setting HR metrics that are aligned with the organization’s objectives.ReferencesAl Mamun, M., Shamima, N., & Islam, M. (2014). Human Resources as Strategic Partner: Source of Sustainable Competitive Advantage. ASA University Review, 8(2).Barkhordari-Sharifabad, M., Ashktorab, T., & Atashzadeh-Shoorideh, F. (2017). Obstacles and problems of ethical leadership from the perspective of nursing leaders: a qualitative content analysis. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 10.Mitsakis, F. V. (2014). Human Resources (HR) as a strategic business partner: value creation and risk reduction capacity. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 4(1), 154-170.Steingold, F. S. (2017). The employer’s legal handbook: Manage your employees & workplace effectively. Nolo.