Case Study Info Part A
Case Study Info Part A
Actualise Health
Background
Actualise Health is a privately-run (non-government) provider of allied health services in Australia. They currently operate 20 health centres (also known as hubs) in various locations within Queensland (12 facilities), New South Wales (4 facilities) and Victoria (4 facilities), providing care services to over 3000 people, young and old. Actualise Healths current services include physiotherapy, dietetics, podiatry, massage, optometry, and audiology.
Actualise Health emerged in 1983 as a service arm of a private hospital. Since then, it has grown and changed over the decades but remains a trusted contemporary centre for all things health.
The organisations mission:
To be a trusted health partner that helps customers and their families actualise a full life.
This is supported with a statement that describes the companys core values of:
We are customer-focused and outcome-oriented.
We facilitate patient education and ensure clients are fully informed.
We provide only appropriate number of treatments.
We work as one team taking care of our customers, members, and business.
Five years ago, Actualise Health developed a strategic framework with 4 core pillars designed to guide the development of subsequent strategies and actions:
To provide our customers with personalised customer service.
To review our practices and remain up to date with the latest evidence and treatments.
To strengthen and grow our customer base to ensure the long-term viability of the health hub.
To act with integrity and in the best interest of our clients and customers.
The current 5-year strategic plan, based around these 4 pillars is coming to an end, and a new 5-year strategic plan must be developed. This 5-year strategic plan guides the annual strategy, operational plans, and budget.
Some of the potential opportunities and threats to be considered in the development of the next strategic plan include:
There is an increased level of scrutiny on the quality of allied health providers following the poor outcomes in some facilities in the allied health industry (although not by Actualise Health itself).
The allied health sector is still recovering from the effects of the migration restrictions during the COVID pandemic (2020-2022), which resulted in a shortage of available qualified professionals. Allied health organisations have been relying heavily on locally based talent, but the rapid increase in competition within the sector has made the pool of available practitioners even more scarce.
With migration restrictions lifted in 2023, Australia is expecting an influx of immigrants with relevant qualifications specifically matched for the allied health sector.
There is potential for Actualise Health to open more health hubs and expand into Western Australia and South Australia.
Based on customer demand, Actualise Health is considering diversifying its health services offered to include psychology, rehabilitation counselling, and chiropractic.
Large city areas (e.g., Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne) are saturated with competition from other allied health companies, including new facilities opening close to Actualise Healths most profitable health centres.
There is a rapid demand for health hubs in rural regions, with significantly less competition present in the area. However, very few allied health workers are seeking to work in these rural areas.
Increasing trend in the allied health industry where organisations are managing their brand reputation via social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn). Company reputation is also increasingly being influenced by online customer reviews (e.g., Google).
The Current Situation
Just 1 year ago, Actualise Health featured in the news with negative stories relating to the quality of customer service in 4 of its health hubs. Just after the news feature, there was a spike in the number of complaints and concerns across all hubs lodged by clients regarding their interactions with Actualise Health staff. Working through the backlog of related investigations is taking a lot of time and resources. Centre managers have been asked to monitor staff more closely, and all staff will soon be required to attend training related to customer service, conflict management, and patient care.
The Board of Directors at Actualise Health are very concerned about the impact such negative exposure will have on the organisations reputation, especially on the companys ability to attract new clients and retain current clients. In the last 12 months new client registrations have declined by 6%, while current customer attrition (i.e., clients switching to other health providers) has increased by 4%.
In the current climate, the allied health industry is highly competitive, with customers having the option of multiple organisations that offer similar services. Moreover, customers are increasingly using social media and online reviews to determine which allied health provider to approach. Some allied health providers are also taking to social media to showcase their services and interactions with customers. In other words, the reputation of allied health organisations has become increasingly accessible and influenced by social media. Despite this latest development in the sector, Actualise Health has not taken steps to make a social media presence to promote and manage their brand reputation via online channels.
The last 5 years has seen a rapid increase in demand for allied health services across Australia. During the COVID pandemic period where there was a shortage of allied health professionals, Actualise Health has been relying on locally based talent to staff its busy health hubs. However, the increase in competition in the sector has created strain on an already limited pool of allied health professionals in Australia.
The HR at Actualise Health
The workforce is made up of allied health professionals including physiotherapists, dietitians, podiatrists, optometrists, and audiologists. The remainder of the workforce are non-health practitioners including facilities managers, administration staff, and corporate services staff. Altogether, there are currently 980 permanent staff in Actualise Health.
The organisation also relies on contract staff for support services customer service officers, receptionists, and ancillary staff (e.g., maintenance staff, catering, and cleaning staff). These contract staff are employed via an external employment agency.
The profile of the permanent workforce is provided in Table 1. No data is collected on the contractors other than how frequently they are used.
The current Actualise Health workforce is mostly female, mostly born in Australia, and mostly speak English as the main language at home (see Table 1). The workforce demographic has a good age balance, and this pattern is seen across the sector (see Table 1). Employees leave frequently, either resigning or retiring. Turnover amongst most hub staff is generally high. For example, voluntary employee turnover of physiotherapists is currently 8% per annum, compared to the sector average of 5.8% per annum. Sick leave is also high.
Actualise Health does not do any form of employee survey. However, some ex-staff have posted on social media that they worked excessive hours and that the work culture is cold and unwelcoming for employees.
The HR department at Actualise Health is in the Head Office in Brisbane. The Senior HR Manager, Lara Baudzus reports to the Chief Financial Officer, Cynda Sewell. The structure of Actualise Health and the HR department is provided in Figure 1.
In the last year, Laras team has been focused on conducting an inquiry into the backlog of customer complaints regarding staff. This initiative was taken as an immediate response to the negative stories in the news about Actualise Healths poor customer service. This inquiry, however, has taken a lot of time away from Laras initial priority to develop and implement training related to customer service, conflict management, and patient care.
Lara has also been looking to recruit new staff to replace outgoing staff, but finding good candidates is getting harder with increased competition for allied health professionals from other organisations. The process of recruiting and then training new staff can take months. Allied Health does not currently have an integrated recruitment database as it has main relied on external recruiters to source for employees. Overall, it is difficult to get meaningful data on the effectiveness of the recruitment process.
Lara has heard from the managers in some of the centres that several permanent staff are considering leaving within the next 3-6 months due to concerns with the work culture. However, Lara has no way of determining the accuracy of these claims. The lack of good data is frustrating.
Lara has had to allocate 50% of the time of 1 HR Officer to reviewing customer complaints, and this has meant they have done little work on building the team-building programs that she had planned to implement this year.
With pressure from industry competition and customer demands, as well as new technologies, Actualise Health is seeing new people management issues frequently arise. For this reason, HR often have to update or rewrite policies to ensure staff behave as expected. HR Officers frequently get involved in performance discussions with staff at the request of managers.
The availability of good quality staff is also mixed depending on the location of the facility. Lara feels that all facilities need more local HR support to deal with their unique challenges. Ideally, she would like to see an expanded HR team that worked cohesively to implement some organisation-wide initiatives, as well as respond to local challenges. Lara believes that the upcoming strategic planning process provides the perfect opportunity to convince the Actualise Health Executive that the HR function can add more value to the business.
Your Task
Given the information in the case, how can HRM in Actualise Health become more strategic?
Use HR and SHRM theories, models, and other literature to support and justify your recommendations.
Please refer to the Task Sheet on Canvas for more details on the task.
Table 1. Actualise Health Workforce Profile
Job Role Current Headcount Median Age Gender Breakdown - % of job role Absences Sick Leave
(Days per employee) Non-English-Speaking Background
(% of job role)
Actualise Actualise Industry Males Industry Females Industry Actualise Industry Actualise Industry
Physiotherapists 160 50 47 40% 68.2% 60% 31.8% 17 8 6% 18.1%
Optometrists 80 42 37 42% 67.3% 58% 32.7% 15 10 11% 24%
Podiatrists 100 43 50 20% 60.6% 80% 39.4% 12 8 5% 5.2%
Dietitians 40 40 45 15% 12% 85% 88% 8 6 3% 2.7%
Massage therapists 50 46 44 35% 45.1% 65% 54.9% 11 7 30% 42.8%
Audiologists 80 31 45 42% 39% 58% 61% 7 8 42% 41%
Facilities Managers 40 45 42 55% 60% 45% 40% 4 5 0% 3%
Admin staff 100 45 50 30% 40% 70% 60% 2 6 10% 6%
Ancillary Staff - Catering, Cleaning & Maintenance 270 57 48 55% 50% 45% 50% 6 12 75% 80%
Corporate Services 60 42 40 80% 60% 20% 40% 5 4 2% 10%
Total 980 Figure 1. Actualise Health Organisation Chart
Note: Directors of Sales, Property, and Marketing have additional staff that report directly to them - not shown here.
Case Study Info Part B
Actualise Health
Recap
Actualise Health is a privately-run (non-government) provider of allied health services in Australia. They currently operate 20 health centres (also known as hubs) in various locations within Queensland (12 facilities), New South Wales (4 facilities) and Victoria (4 facilities), providing care services to over 3000 people, young and old. Actualise Healths current services include physiotherapy, dietetics, podiatry, massage, optometry, and audiology.
For more information on Actualise Health relevant to your analysis and presentation, please refer to the case study information provided for Assessment 1.
Current Situation
Following the commencement of Actualise Healths 5-year strategic planning process, the Senior HR Manager, Lara Baudzus was asked to lead managers in the development of a workforce plan.
Due to limited staffing and experience within the HR function, Lara engaged a team of external consultants to manage the HR planning process. The consultants were also asked to conduct a job satisfaction survey of staff. The data has been collated into a
5-year demand and supply forecast, and
summary report (see data provided on pages 5-10).
The Task
You have been asked to undertake an analysis of the workforce data and present a report to Actualise Healths Board of Directors and CEO. In this report, you will provide recommendations on the HR activities that Actualise Health should implement.
Consider the strategic issues facing Actualise Health outlined in the case study information for Assessment 1,
Analyse the provided workforce information and projections given here,
Consider the external environment and the allied health industry, and
Report to the Board of Directors on the following four points:
Identify the major workforce issues and challenges facing Actualise Health.
Choose 2 human resource activities that could address these challenges
Provide detailed suggestions on the approach that Actualise Health should take to implement the two HR activities that you recommend. What steps should Actualise Health take to implement your recommended activities?
Recommend the key performance indicators that should be adopted to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of your recommended HR activities and explain why youve chosen these KPIs. What metrics/analytics can be utilised?
As an external consultant undertaking the analysis, you have also noted that in completing the workforce plan, managers do expect that new staffing ratios will be introduced that require more staff, and 4 new facilities will be opened (see strategic planning notes). Managers projected workforce growth based on these assumptions but did not consider how technology or alternate models of staffing, including new job roles affect staffing. Lara Baudzus has asked you to consider these issues when recommending your human resource activities.
Useful Information
You are required to draw on the case information provided for Assessment 1, interpret the additional workforce information and projections provided for Assessment 2, and analyse all the available information.
You are required to describe your two recommended HR activities in detail using relevant theories or models and including the analytics that should be monitored.
Provide a detailed outline of the approach that Actualise Health should take to implement your recommended HR activities. Specifically, what should they do?
Draw on theory, models discussed in class and additional research to support your recommended approach.
HRM Concepts, Theory, and Research
In presenting your analysis and subsequent recommendations, apply relevant HRM and SHRM concepts, theories, research, approaches, models, and frameworks and include your own research beyond the texts referred to in class, to justify and explain your approach.
Specific Implementation
Please note that the assessment requires specific information on how the activities should be implemented.
For example, if you recommend recruitment as one of your two HR activities:
Which job role should be the focus?
What approach to recruitment should be taken, who should be targeted, and where?
What would be the recruitment process?
What innovative recruitment practices could be applied?
Similarly, if you recommend training as one of your HR activities:
What kind of training should be the focus?
Who should be trained?
What training method would be used?
**All suggestions should be supported with relevant theory and research**
Altogether, you have been provided with the following information:
A 5-year workforce plan - an internal supply and demand forecast for each job role.
A gap analysis that integrates the supply and demand forecasts.
A summary of results from the Staff Satisfaction Survey.
A summary of current Remuneration and Benefits.
Notes from strategic planning discussions with the Executive Team
Please also refer to the Case Study information and workforce data provided in Assessment 1.
The Assessment
Please refer to the Task Sheet on Canvas for more detail on the assessment.
Please note that this case study is fictitious. However, it is based on issues and experiences of real organisations. You are expected to undertake further real-world research on the allied health industry and human resource management to inform your analysis and understanding of the issues so that you can present realistic recommendations.
Notes from Actualise Health Strategic Planning Discussions
Executives generally agreed that the following could be assumed in relation to the future business environment:
3 new facilities will be opened within 2 years, and a 4th new facility will be opened by 2026. This has driven the increased demand that is reflected in the HR plan.
Based on customer demand, Actualise Health will diversity its health services offered to include psychology, rehabilitation counselling, and chiropractic.
There will be increasing competition for a diminishing labour pool as new allied health facilities run by competing organisations are being opened. Allied health workers will be in demand and job opportunities across the industry will be plentiful.
With migration restrictions lifted in 2023, Australia is expecting an influx of immigrants with relevant qualifications specifically matched for the allied health sector.
The government is funnelling more funds into allied health services for regional towns and communities.
Large city areas (e.g., Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne) are saturated with competition from other allied health companies, including new facilities opening close to Actualise Healths most profitable health centres.
To differentiate itself from the competition, Actualise Health will seek to build facilities and business opportunities in rural and regional areas. This is pending an evaluation of the allied health and human resource market in rural/regional areas.
New digital platforms that enable clients to engage more easily and accessibly with allied health services will increase.
Customer and community expectations in relation to quality of care and transparency in allied health will continue to increase. Public and media scrutiny for any instances of abuse or poor care is to be expected.
Brand reputation needs to be managed via social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn) and online platforms for customer reviews.
Technology can likely be utilized to assist allied health workers in their roles, as well as improve administration and corporate support functions.
Increased staffing pressures must be managed within a tight budget to maintain profitability and shareholder return.
To save costs, maintenance, cleaning, and most catering services will be outsourced.
Table 1. Actualise Health Five-year Internal Supply Forecast
Job Role Current
Headcount
2023 Voluntary Termination Rate Voluntary Terminations
(cumulative) Retirements
(cumulative) Supply
(Headcount (Terminations + Retirements))
2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Physiotherapists 160 8.0% 13 25 47 91 174 3 6 10 15 22 144 129 103 54 -36
Optometrists 80 3.0% 2 5 9 18 36 0 0 1 1 2 78 75 70 61 42
Podiatrists 100 5.0% 5 10 19 37 72 0 0 1 1 3 95 90 80 62 25
Dietitians 40 4.0% 2 3 6 12 24 0 0 0 3 4 38 37 34 25 12
Massage Therapists 50 5.0% 3 5 10 19 36 0 1 3 7 10 48 44 37 24 4
Audiologists 80 2.0% 2 3 6 12 25 0 0 0 0 0 78 77 74 68 55
Facilities Managers 40 1.0% 0 1 2 3 6 0 0 1 1 2 40 39 37 36 32
Admin Staff 100 4.5% 5 9 17 34 66 17 22 25 30 35 79 69 58 36 -1
Ancillary - Catering, Maintenance, Cleaning 270 12.5% 34 63 119 222 417 45 55 63 66 74 191 152 88 -18 -221
Corporate Services 60 2.0% 1 2 5 9 18 0 0 0 2 3 59 58 55 49 39
Total 980 - 66 125 240 458 874 65 84 104 126 155 849 771 636 396 -49
Assumptions:
Based on historical data assumed retirement age is 60 for all employees.
Voluntary termination rate (excluding retirements) is based on data for last three financial years.
The supply forecast is based on an if we do nothing scenario, how many of our current people are likely to still be with us at the end of each year.
Table 2. Workforce Gap Analysis derived from the 5-year Demand and Supply Forecast
Job Role
Headcount 2023 Demand Internal Supply Gap Analysis
2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
Physiotherapists 160 160 170 180 180 190 144 129 103 54 -36 16 41 77 126 226
Optometrists 80 80 85 90 90 100 78 75 70 61 42 2 10 20 29 58
Podiatrists 100 100 100 105 105 110 95 90 80 62 25 5 10 25 43 85
Dietitians 40 40 40 45 45 50 38 37 34 25 12 2 3 11 20 38
Massage Therapists 50 55 65 70 70 75 48 44 37 24 4 8 21 33 46 71
Audiologists 80 80 80 85 85 85 78 77 74 68 55 2 3 11 17 30
Facilities Managers 40 40 45 50 60 60 40 39 37 36 32 0 6 13 24 28
Admin Staff 100 110 110 115 120 130 79 69 58 36 -1 32 41 57 84 131
Ancillary - Catering, Maintenance, Cleaning 270 280 280 285 285 285 191 152 88 -18 -221 89 128 197 303 506
Corporate Services 60 60 60 65 65 70 59 58 55 49 39 1 2 10 16 31
Total 980 1005 1035 1090 1105 1155 849 771 636 396 -49 156 264 454 709 1204
Table 3. Job Satisfaction Scores
Job Role Total Pay Job Security The work itself Hours Worked Opportunities to develop Support from team Support from manager Work-life Flexibility Overall satisfaction
Physiotherapists 4.2 5.5 8.0 4.0 2.0 6.0 3.0 4.0 4.0
Optometrists 7.0 6.8 9.0 4.0 6.0 3.0 5.0 5.5 5.0
Podiatrists 6.5 8.0 9.0 6.0 4.2 4.0 3.6 5.0 6.5
Dietitians 7.0 6.8 9.0 4.0 6.0 3.0 5.0 5.5 5.0
Massage Therapists 3.9 6.9 5.5 6.0 9.5 6.7 5.4 6.0 6.0
Audiologists 7.0 6.8 9.0 4.0 6.0 3.0 5.0 5.5 5.0
Facilities Managers 8.0 8.0 6.0 3.1 9.0 5.0 2.0 2.0 7.0
Admin Staff 4.5 4.5 6.0 8.1 5.2 8.1 7.5 7.2 8.1
Ancillary - Catering, Maintenance, Cleaning 2.5 3.1 3.7 4.3 2.0 8.7 7.8 2.0 3.0
Corporate Services 8.7 8.5 7.9 6.9 8.4 9.2 8.9 7.6 8.5
Note.
Table 3 - Staff were asked to respond on a scale where 1 = totally dissatisfied to 10 = total satisfied.
Mean (average) scores are shown.
The total response rate to all questions was 75%.
Table 4. Satisfaction with Aspects of the Job
Job Role I have
Sufficient time spent with each client The skills to do my job Adequate training Freedom and autonomy to decide how to do my work Pressure to work harder or longer A lot of stress Respect and acknowledge-ment from my employer Good relationships with management and my peers
Physiotherapists 2 5.1 2.9 3.0 6.8 6.5 3.0 3.0
Optometrists 2.6 5.9 4.5 6.8 6 6 3.8 3.8
Podiatrists 2.1 5.8 3.2 5.9 6.8 6.9 4.1 4.8
Dietitians 3.0 5.8 3 6 6.8 6.9 3.6 4.8
Massage Therapists 2.0 3.0 2.7 4.2 5.8 5.5 4.8 5.0
Audiologists 4.0 6.0 3.0 3.2 5.8 5.1 4.8 3.0
Facilities Managers 6.0 5.0 5.0 6.1 6.8 6.9 4.0 5.9
Admin Staff NA 5.8 6.0 5.2 4.0 3.2 6.1 6.5
Ancillary - Catering, Maintenance, Cleaning NA 6.7 3.0 4.5 6.5 5.2 1.4 3.0
Corporate Services NA 5 6.2 5.1 5.9 4.5 6.8 6.8
Note.
Staff were asked to respond on a scale where 1 strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree
Mean (average) scores are shown.
The total response rate to all questions was 75%.
Table 5. Available Employment Benefits
Job Role Employee Benefits
Median Gross Weekly Pay
(40hr week) Working from home Discounts on childcare and eldercare services Study leave
Physiotherapists $1,750 Not available Available Available
Optometrists $2,110 Not available Available Not available
Podiatrists $1,730 Not available Available Available
Dietitians $1,840 Not available Not available Available
Massage Therapists $1,420 Not available Not available Available
Audiologists $1,880 Not available Not available Available
Facilities Managers $2,200 Available Available Available
Admin Staff $1,000 Not available Not available Not available
Ancillary - Catering, Maintenance, Cleaning $700 Not available Not available Not available
Corporate Services $3,100 Available Available Available
Task Overview
Assessment Name Case Study HR Activities
Task Description This task uses the same case study information from Assessment 1 with additional data. Review the case study information provided for Assessment 1 (Part A) and the additional case study information provided for Assessment 2 (Part B).
Consider all the information provided, interpret, and critically analyse the information and data to make recommendations ontwo human resource activities(e.g., recruitment, selection, training, performance, reward) that the case organisation should implement to address the workforce issues it is facing and achieve the organisations strategic goals.
The task requires you to:
Critically analysethe information and data and compare it withHR/SHRM theory and existing HR research.
Identify themajorworkforceissuesand challenges facing Actualise Health.
Use HR/SHRM theory and existing HR research to choose2 human resource activitiesthat could address these challenges.
Providedetailed suggestions on the approachthat Actualise Health should take to implement the two HR activities that you recommend.
That is, what steps should Actualise Health take to implement your recommended activities?
Recommend thekey performance indicatorsthat should be adopted to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of your recommended HR activities and explain why youve chosen these KPIs.
What metrics/analytics can be utilised?
That is, assuming they implement your suggested 2 HR activities, what should they measure (and why) to know if these implementations have been a success?
Write all the above in a reportto address the Actualise Health Board of Directors and CEO.
Structure Your report should include the following:
Cover Page- title of assessment, unit code, unit name, semester and year, assignment title, student name, student number, tutor name and word count
Introduction Briefly identify the purpose and content of the reportWorkforce Issues Your critical analysis of the challenges you will
Recommended HR Activities
Detailed recommendations on the approach to be implemented for thetwoselected HR activities.
Application of theories and literature to support your recommended approach.
Justification and explanation for why these activities.
This can be 1 or 2 sections of the report.
Recommendations on HR Analytics Recommendations on the key performance indicators (analytics) to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the recommended HR activities. This section can also be integrated with the prior section/s if you prefer.
Conclusion Brief summary conclusion.
References
Format Use numbered headings and subheadings,
12 font, 1.5 spacing, number all pages
Write to the Board of Directors and CEO of the case organisation.
Write in formal language. Avoid first and second person pronouns (e.g., I, we, and you). Use the 3rd person - It is suggested - to create a sense of impartiality.
Ensure that you use non-discriminatory, inclusive languageEnsure that the in-text citations and the references list at the end of the report use the QUTAPA Referencing Style
DO NOTinclude an executive summary, table of contents and appendices.
Due Date Week 13, Friday, 27 Oct 2023, 23:59H (Brisbane time)
Task Snapshot
Due Date Week 13, Friday, 27 Oct 2023, 23:59H (Brisbane time)
Length 2500 words +/- 10%
(Word length includes in-text citations and excludes your title page and reference list)
Weighting 60%
Individual or Group Individual
Formative/Summative Summative
How will I be assessed Please refer to the marking rubric provided at the end of this document.
Read the descriptors as though they are questions to yourself. E.g., Can I ____________? Did I show _____________? Have I (done) ____________?
