The two-sided mirror of intent and implementation: Are HR practices perceived as a strength or weakness in the public healthcare organisation?

Abstract

This research was based on the inherent contradiction that, organisations argue employees are their most valuable asset, registered nurses in the New Zealand public health system are treated as a cost or expense to be minimised. The aim of this research is to gain insight into how registered nurses locate and value human resource management (HRM) practices using Nichii et al.’s (2008) typology of human resources (HR) attributes. A cross-sectional survey of 7,000 registered nurses was randomly sampled in 2012 with a response rate of 13% (918 questionnaires). This research focuses on the qualitative responses in the survey examining both how registered nurses perceive the measurement of nursing work, and how these nurses perceive that management views their work. Overall, the findings indicate that nurses’ views of how management understands their nursing work is poorly understood, and this then translates into a degree of scepticism by nurses around HRM practices that include measurement.