After the emergence of Covid-2019, leadership has faced many challenges where each challenge requires a different tactic to address them. The disease has been spreading at an unprecedented rate, and it has become more difficult than ever to provide a high quality of care and manage the hospital work. The difficulties that Covid-19 has presented to leadership have never been encountered before, as the system was not prepared to withstand such high amounts of stress. The disease has not been studied properly yet, which creates confusion and disorientation in the field. As the healthcare industry has not encountered this particular virus before, there have not been possible solutions in place to address the challenges. These uncertain times are especially challenging for healthcare leadership. With a sudden influx of patients and an ever-increasing number of exhausted staff, medical professionals have to quickly adapt to the crisis. Only leaders who have been keen to adapt and adjust to the fluid changes have been able to navigate through the challenges. The purpose statement for this essay is to address the challenges Covid-19 has brought to the leadership and healthcare management, as well as attempt to propose some solutions.
Human resource management has been one of the critical sectors that have faced the harsh side of Covid-19. Some of the key areas in human resources that have been affected by Covid-19 include job analysis, planning personnel needs, recruiting people for a job, orienting and training them, and managing wages (Kniffin et al., 2020). The new changes that have been brought about by the emergence of Covid-19 include social distancing, which has been a great challenge at the workplace. Many companies have been required to reduce the number of workers at a particular time to ensure that social distancing is observed. Leadership management in the sphere of human resources has been facing a dilemma in designing the best way forward. Organizations desire to keep good conduct with employees, but the adverse effects of Covid-19 have affected such relationships. Patient volume and elective procedures have been halted, which has affected the profit-making, which means that some companies cannot sustain paying their employees as agreed to. The management has to find a suitable balance between the profits and the well-being of staff. The adverse effects of Covid-19 have caused much disorientation to human resources leadership, making it difficult to form a cohesive approach. The only way some of these challenges can be addressed, such as salaries and wages, is that companies can introduce their works to work in shifts and cross-train staff to lessen the burden. A system that allows for employees to minimize work-related contact has to be established and mandated. The only way to combat the effects of Covid-19 is to adapt to the incoming changes while minimizing losses.
The other leadership challenge brought about by the effects of Covid-19 is letting go of some of the employees. Many organizations have been pushed to the edge because they cannot keep their employees and see the company collapse. Among the reasons that have made companies let go of some employees is that the sales are very low, and they are the source of income (Beech & Anseel, 2020). Turning a profit is the only thing that can ensure the survival and prosperity of any company, meaning that in the time of need the managers and leaders have to adapt accordingly. In the healthcare sector, as in many others, that means letting go of some workers, even if their performance was satisfactory. The process takes a large toll on the mental state of the leader, as they understand that firing people can disenfranchise them, put them at risk of poverty. Due to the adverse effects of Covid-19, leadership management has been forced to let go of their employees, furlough, or force them to use their personal time off for the sake of the organization’s survival.
The last problem brought upon the current pandemic is the increased number of patients. Due to the contagious nature of the disease, difficulties at-home diagnosis and its severity, the people afflicted with Covid-19 gather in hospitals in large amounts, straining the healthcare system and its workers. Coronavirus also worsens some of the existing conditions people have, further raising the number of ill people. This process, unsurprisingly, puts a lot of pressure and responsibility on the people in charge. Strong leadership management is necessary to endure the hardship and challenges of this pandemic. The main concern is managing the well-being of both the patients and the staff, as any mistakes could result in serious consequences. The leaders need to make quick, informed decisions and ensure the successful operation of the hospital at the time of crisis. To best solve this problem, the healthcare administration must focus on guaranteeing the safety of its workers, as they are the only ones able to assist people in this time of need.
References
Beech, N., & Anseel, F. (2020). COVID‐19 and Its Impact on Management Research and Education: Threats, Opportunities and a Manifesto. British Journal of Management, 31(3), 447-449.
Kniffin, K. M., Narayanan, J., Anseel, F., Antonakis, J., Ashford, S. J., Bakker, A. B.,… & Creary, S. J. (2020). COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action.