Practical Human Resources for Public Managers

A Case Study Approach

Nicolas A. Valcik, Teodoro J. Benavides

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781439841433
• eBook ISBN: 9781351553476
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Employers face a myriad of issues when hiring: how to recruit, whom to select, how to interview, Equal Employment Opportunity policies, fair salary offerings, health issues, performance evaluations, behavior/disciplinary actions, turnover, and the list goes on and on. Practical Human Resources Management for Public Managers: A Case Study Approach provides insight into human resource trends and demonstrates how complex situations can be successfully managed by public sector practitioners. The authors take us step by step into the "real world" with examples of historical events that compare "What Happened" with "What Could Have Happened" as well as suggested readings for more in-depth analysis and important points to remember.

Exploring the space between theory and what actually occurs in the world, this book supplies instructional case studies based upon actual events. The authors introduce key human resources issues with clear, concise language and provide techniques to address these issues in a real-world setting. The case studies cover legal and liability issues, recruiting and hiring, employee performance, reward and discipline issues, retention, termination, workplace violence, mentorship, motivation, and managing through transitions.

The authors bring know-how from a wide array of working environments, including teaching and administrative experience in public universities and management in municipalities of various population sizes from a few thousand to more than a million. They have also worked in a variety of capacities within these organizations, which allow them to see different perspectives on how different departments handle similar situations. They use their from-the-trenches knowledge to explore pragmatic ways to deal with human resource issues in public sector workplaces.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Human resource issues can provide some of the biggest challenges to a manager in an organization. Books pertaining to human resource issues often provide little information beyond legal statutes, offer only the most basic guidelines for formulating human resource decisions, and are generally not focused on concerns faced by public sector institutions. The lack of resources available to guide managers in public organizations for formulating policies, making decisions on personnel issues, or crafting strategic goals in recruiting, hiring, or retaining personnel prompted the creation of this book.

The intended audience for this American Society of Public Administrators Series book is applied practitioners who work primarily in the public sector, non-profit organizations, and medical services. The book is not designed to replace a textbook but is intended to supplement existing human resources textbooks. For specific regional issues (e.g., organized labor), an instructor should assign a textbook that contends with those specific areas that are required for public managers. This case study book is intended to give students and practitioners practical guidance as well as provide real life situations that occur in the workplace.

The environment and culture of these organizations require a different focus than private sector organizations like Raytheon or IBM because of civil-service statutes and other legal realities that do not apply to private organizations. This book contains case studies that have actually occurred in various organizations. The purpose of these case studies is to allow the reader to review a hu m a n resources situation and see the eventual outcome. Reality-based case studies have been used because the authors believe that truth is always better than fiction when training managers or human resources personnel to contend with personnel issues in their organizations.

Administrators must be aware of federal, state, and local laws when they make human resources decisions for their organizations. However, this case study book is designed to give guidance to administrators in addition to the legal statutes that will assist them in making human resources decisions not only that are legally tenable but also that will enhance organizational capabilities and reduce civil liabilities. Administrators need to be aware of both internal and external relationships when determining policies and procedures for management and human resource issues. Administrators must be attentive to internal organizational needs and requirements that will enhance their organization’s ability to fulfill mission-critical objectives while simultaneously paying attention to how the organization is impacted by federal, state, and local statutes and how customers serviced by the organization can hold the organization liable for employee actions. In other words, the soft skills take on greater importance to administrators in public, medical, and nonprofit organizations where effective interpersonal communications are required.

Administrators of medical organizations and higher education institutions have unique human resources issues they must address. Medical organizations can be nonprofit (e.g., American Association for Cancer Research), for-profit (e.g., HCA Medical Center of Plano), or public (e.g., the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) organizations, thus placing medical organizations in different environments or cultures depending on the mission of the institution. Two issues that bind almost all medical organizations are providing health care and addressing medical liability. Medical organizations employ specialized personnel who have extensive training, degrees, or certifications required to perform their job responsibilities, creating additional benefits and complexities regarding human resources issues. Higher education institutions also have several unique characteristics that can affect human resources issues. Colleges and universities can either be public or private organizations that typically provide a wide array of services that include educational services, research, and community outreach programs. Higher education institutions also have different cultures and environments that affect how faculties are managed, particularly if tenure is available for their faculty. Throughout this book the reader will be provided some basic terminology that is specific to different public organizations.

Overview of Chapters

The chapters that follow in this book can be grouped into three major areas: how legal statutes impact public organizations, core human resources issues in public organizations, and special human resources topics that affect the public sector in unique ways.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of federal, state, and local legal statutes that directly impact human resources issues within a public organization. This chapter also addresses right-to-work and employment at will and demonstrates how these issues affect public organizations. Chapter 2 provides the framework upon which all other topics discussed later in the book will build.

The next five chapters deal specifically with issues pertaining to the core functions of human resources offices: obtaining, managing, and terminating employees. These chapters will explore how the development of superior interpersonal and communication skills can add value to the organization. The ability of an administrator to understand the various federal human resources statutes (Equal Employment Opportunity, Americans with Disabilities Act, etc.) will be explored throughout the informational text of the chapters as well as within the case studies.

Chapter 3 discusses recruitment and the different methods that can be used to attract and retain good applicants for public organizational positions. As Chapter 3 will point out, administrators must understand what their organization requires when recruiting for particular positions. Chapter 4 analyzes the hiring process for public organizations and provides practical tips for administrators regarding the advantages and disadvantages of various hiring methodologies. Administrators should take note of the applied techniques that can be used positively when an organization is going through the hiring process. Chapter 5 explores the efficacy of performance evaluations and how performance evaluations can be used to more effectively evaluate employee performance in the workplace. The issue of how to use performance evaluations as a proper management tool will be discussed, as well as the ethical implications of using a performance evaluation inappropriately. Chapter 5 will also discuss how to construct an effective performance evaluation instrument to get an accurate appraisal of employee performance.

Chapter 6 discusses what administrators can and cannot do when rewarding and disciplining public sector employees. Public organizations are bound by many more statutes than their private industry counterparts with regards to monetary incentives. However, public administrators can provide other types of incentives for employees who perform exemplary work on a consistent basis. Public administrators are also legally constrained in how they can contend with difficult employees or with behavioral problems. This chapter provides tactics for reprimanding employees in a fair and legal manner. The case studies in Chapter 6 provide guidance for administrators on how to best proceed with rewarding and reprimanding employees and provide real examples on how situations can become complex in the work environment.

In Chapter 7, the authors discuss retention and termination. The issue of retention is discussed at length because retaining good employees is crucial for maintaining an effective organization. Tactics for correctly dismissing a poorly performing employee without incurring liability for the administrator and his or her organization are also discussed. An often overlooked aspect of being an administrator is the intangible element of gathering organizational intelligence, which is incredibly important in regard to personnel retention. Organizational intelligence enables administrators to make more informed decisions on which human resources policies and procedures should be implemented to benefit their organization. An administrator who lacks organizational intelligence is likely to make costly long-term mistakes that can negatively impact the organization’s personnel assets.

The remaining chapters deal with special human resources topics that impact public organizations. Chapter 8 focuses on workplace violence and hostile work environments, what specific threats a public organization may have to contend with, and measures that administrators can take to diminish their organization’s vulnerability. While most organizations have not faced major challenges associated with workplace violence and hostile work environments, an administrator should be aware of the dangers and potential violence that can occur. The case studies will provide real examples of workplace violence and threats that managers have had to cope with in the past. Chapter 9 will discuss health benefits as well as mental illness in the workplace.

Chapter 10 focuses on the benefits of mentoring and mentoring programs for employees and the organization. Administrators should be aware of the benefits to having a mentoring program and what type of resources an organization should dedicate to make a mentoring program successful. A successful mentoring program can lead to improved training, retention, and morale for the organization as a whole.

Chapter 11 discusses how to negotiate with organized labor associations. Due to legal considerations, public organizations must use different tactics for negotiating with unionized employees than a private organization might use. This chapter also addresses liability risks associated with employees. This topic is of special concern for medical organizations, particularly if an administrator has not taken steps to ensure that personnel are trained properly, that proper operating guidelines are in place, and that the guidelines are being followed by employees. The case studies will also provide insight into how real situations can become quite complex when administrators must negotiate between organized labor and their own organizations.

Chapter 12 discusses employee morale, motivation, and how to aid employees through organizational transitions. While positive employee morale is important to an organization under normal operating environments, good morale becomes crucial when an organization undergoes a dramatic transition. Chapter 12 discusses the management aspect of human resources as well as the importance of having excellent interpersonal communication skill sets.

In the final chapter, the authors discuss trends in human resource management and a final notation for this case study book. This chapter discusses where administrators will need to be aware of new trends and how workplace environments are evolving.

Chapter 2

Equal Employment Opportunity Situations

In the United States, federal statutes, state laws, local ordinances, and agency rules provide supervisors in public organizations with a framework in which they can address personnel issues. The federal, state, and local guidelines were formulated by congressional acts, state statutes, and local ordinances to protect employees from discrimination by employers during recruitment, hiring, management, and termination processes. Other countries have rules and regulations that bind supervisors and organizations to their culture’s values and definitions of fairness. For example, Turkey not only maintains standard regulations for all employees but also has regulations that are gender specific (e.g., females are not allowed to work after certain hours). Regardless of the country, if federal regulations, state statutes, or local ordinances are violated by employers, the organization faces the possibility of being fined or facing litigation in a civil action suit.

In the last 50 years, the trend is for more intervention by government agencies and managers in the relationship between individual employees and their governmental employers. This trend has resulted in an increasing number of employment statutes and court decisions to regulate the line between governmental managerial decisions and individual employee rights. This chapter will focus on several areas that managers in the United States should be aware of when contending with personnel matters. This chapter deals with the rights and responsibilities of government employees and how Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws and regulations have impacted the workplace.

Employment Laws and Regulations

Public services managers must keep many personnel issues and laws in mind while managing their complex workforces. Governmental agencies can be considered the last of the big conglomerates as federal, state, and local agencies provide a huge array of services, including education, health, public safety, human services, capital improvements, and environmental protection, just to name a few. To effectively manage public agency workforces, public service managers must keep in mind the legal framework that allows them to lead their workforces, produce the desired results, protect their employees’ rights, and make the work environment enriching and challenging. We will explore issues such as at-will employment, compensation, health and safety, individual liability, privacy issues, discrimination, civil service, freedom of speech, and grooming and dress codes.

The EEO statutes have several provisions that state that no class of people will be discriminated against based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability (reasonable accommodation), age (over 40 years old), or gender when applying for a position, hiring for a position, or being terminated from a position (Kulik, 2004). The EEO statutes, however, protect organizations as well as applicants and employees. The statutes provide organizations with clear guidelines that will protect them from civil liability as long as the guidelines and protocols are follo...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Equal Employment Opportunity Situations
• 3 Recruiting Employees
• 4 Selection of Employees
• 5 Performance Evaluations for Employees
• 6 Rewarding and Disciplining Employees
• 7 Retention and Separation of Employees
• 8 Violence in the Workplace and Hostile Workplace Issues
• 9 Employee Benefits
• 10 Mentoring Employees in the Workplace
• 11 Negotiating with Organized Labor
• 12 Morale and Motivation in the Workplace and Managing Personnel through Transitions
• 13 Conclusion: Trends in Human Resources Issues for Public Organizations
• References
• Index