Nursing and Jewish Heritage - Essay Example

"Nursing and Jewish Heritage" is an exceptional example of a paper on care.
As a total way of life, culture dictates every sphere of life and sometimes, if not harnessed, can cause friction. The inability to harmonize work-life balance may capture this friction as illustrated in Lisa’s case seen below.

Personal Feelings about Lisa’s Request

To a great extent (if not entirely), Lisa’s requests are in order. What informs this standpoint is the fact that Lisa’s request does not contravene traditional or conventional work schedule in itself. This is because, although her demand is driven by religious reasons, yet they are in line with the fact that every worker is entitled to at least a day of rest in the week, according to the Working Time Regulations 1998. Traditionally, weekends are used to observe this norm. For Lisa, Friday afternoon to Saturday evening should serve as this day of rest.

How Lisa’s Request May Be Honored

As previously mentioned, Lisa’s request may be honored by assigning her Friday afternoon to Saturday evening to serve as her day of rest, to comply with the Working Time Regulations 1998. Efforts may nevertheless be made to understand that in cases of her emergency, she may have to tamper being shomer Shabbat. Since this is a religious issue, it will be important for the hospital’s administration to have Lisa understand that life is supreme over laws and that the law was made for man. This is the main point of contention while matters such as observing kosher law are not, as Lisa brings her own food to work. The rest of the employees should be reminded to be more accommodative and to respect cultural diversity.

Whether Or Not The Supervisor Was Culturally Competent in This Situation

The supervisor is clearly not culturally competent in this situation. He compels Lisa to fit into other employees’ way of life, yet Lisa is not in a fundamental way defeating the policy, ethics, and culture of the healthcare organization. Again, just as Baines (1995) observes, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion or culture. Replacing a holiday starting from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening should not be a problem since the healthcare institution is expected to operate every moment of the day and every day of the week.

How Lisa Could Present Her Concerns If Lisa Were to Discuss the Issue at a Team Meeting

It would be better if Lisa mentioned that her request for a day off (from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening) is to serve as a weekend day off and is made in light of the Working Time Regulations 1998. Lisa should remind the panel that the rank and file of the healthcare organization is entitled to a day off, with Sunday being the most popular day for this purpose. Lisa should reiterate that if her high holidays and religious holidays such as Yom Kippur clash with the institution, she is open to arrangements to have her compensate for the time lost.  

What EEOC Says about Honoring Employees’ Requests for Time off For Holidays

Specifically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 proscribes discrimination in any aspect of employment on the basis of religion, culture, race, or disability. Denying Lisa her right to the holiday may be a contravention of the Equal Employment Opportunity, as is captured in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964.